When talking about technology we hardly think of how certain innovations may be put to good use in the medical field. Yet a group of researchers at Northwestern University, Illinois, has illustrated the results of the use of advanced robotics in women’s health in an article published in Nature Communications.
The article mentions Evatar, the first mini 3D-model of the female reproductive system, the name being a blend of Eva + Avatar, recalling the first woman and the world of virtual reality. It is an accurate and functioning biological reproduction of the female reproductive tract, created in order to study cervix tumours, test contraceptives and study fertility therapies.
The 3D model features all the components of the female reproductive system: ovaries, Fallopian tubes, womb, cervix and vagina, which all communicate through hormones, reproducing – in the laboratory – what usually happens during a 28-day menstrual cycle. All the tissues involved in the creation of the model were taken from women during microsurgery, except the ovaries, which were collected from mice.
As Dr. Teresa Woodruff, coordinator of the study, pointed out: “This system perfectly mimics what happens inside the human body. It will help us develop tailored treatments and allow us to find out how women metabolise drugs compared to men”.
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