Microengineered patient-derived endometrium-on-a-chip for the evaluation of endometrial receptivity and personalised translational medicine.

Lee, Gaeun; Lee, Yu-Gyeong; Koo, Hwa Seon; Hwang, Sun-Young; Lee, Danbi; Lee, Jungseub; Yu, Won Jong; Kim, Yoon Young et al. · Nat Commun · 2025

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Endometrial receptivity is a critical determinant of embryo implantation and early pregnancy success; however, current methods for assessing endometrial receptivity remain poorly validated and insufficiently reliable for clinical application. Here, we establish a patient-derived vascularised endometrium-on-a-chip (EoC), successfully replicating the dynamic microenvironment and both temporal and spatial architecture of native endometrial tissue. Using our EoC, we develop a clinically relevant endometrial receptivity scoring system, ERS<sup>2</sup>, which integrates molecular profiling of established receptivity markers with quantitative analyses of angiogenesis. The ERS<sup>2</sup> enables personalised assessment of endometrial health and implantation potential, addressing inter-patient variability often overlooked by conventional techniques. By leveraging our EoC to therapeutic monitoring, we observe progressive restoration of the endometrial microenvironment following platelet-rich-plasma treatments, highlighting the translational utility of our model. This study represents the innovative application of a patient-derived EoC and scoring system to assess receptivity, offering personalised infertility management and advancing targeted therapies in reproductive medicine.

Medical subject headings