Cornell launches initiative to unravel the science of menopause

(Press-News.org) ITHACA, N.Y. -- Two centuries ago, few women lived long enough to reach menopause. Today, it marks a major inflection point in women’s health, yet remains poorly understood. Cornell researchers aim to change that.

Drawing on cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary expertise, researchers are launching Menopause Health Engineering, a new initiative uniting faculty from Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine, to uncover how menopause shapes health and disease, and to develop urgently needed treatment strategies. The inaugural team includes nine faculty across four departments, with a core in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering.

Nozomi Nishimura, founder of the initiative and associate professor in the Meinig School, said gaining a better scientific understanding of menopause is important because it not only affects half of the population, but because its different phases and outcomes, when taken together, affect women for the majority of their lives.

“All kinds of conditions develop as women undergo this transition to menopause,” said Nishimura, “including cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, dementia and metabolic diseases.”

Claudia Fishbach-Teschl, the James M. and Marsh McCormick Family Director of the Meinig School and collaborator on the initiative, noted that while many of these conditions are traditionally labeled as aging-related diseases, deeper, sex-specific factors are at play.

“These so-called aging diseases are affecting women very differently than men,” said Fischbach-Teschl, who is also the Stanley Bryer 1946 Professor of Biomedical Engineering, “yet we understand very little about how women are affected in this stage of their life.” 

One major contributor to that knowledge gap is a long-standing bias toward using male subjects in biomedical research and clinical trials. For example, using male animals for obesity research is faster, as male mice gain weight more quickly. Also, male animals are often cheaper than females, which has led to gaps in understanding of female biology, aging and disease, said Nishimura, who studies Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease.

“It never really occurred to me – and this was a hole in my education – that when we’re talking about diseases of aging, we should really be looking at and considering something like menopause,” Nishimura said.

Osteoporosis, for example, is tied not only to bone health, but muscle and metabolic health. It also plays a significant role in breast cancer risk and progression. Understanding intertwined problems like menopause and multi-organ diseases requires the kind of interdisciplinary approach found at Cornell, according to Nishimura.

“At Cornell we have really strong researchers for diseases of aging,” Nishimura said. “We have a powerful engineering and tool-building culture that sets us at an advantage. In terms of researching women’s health and menopause, we have an opportunity.”

Menopause is more than a biological transition – it’s a technological challenge. Only about 2% of health sector private investment is directed toward women-specific health needs. But new research initiatives such as Menopause Health Engineering could catalyze significant advances in biomedical technology and clinical care.

“You need technology in order to understand, diagnose and treat changes that are imposed by menopause,” said Fischbach-Teschl, adding that examples include imaging to observe cells in real time, biomedical devices to measure different physiological signals, and body-on-a-chip systems that can mimic how cells behave in a human’s body.

“There is also a need for advanced computation, because with a large dataset, you need to figure out how to use the data to inform therapies or other experiments. Finally, there is usually some sort of innovation and technology needed to translate your findings into changes in clinical care or therapy.”

Beyond the lab and clinic, Menopause Health Engineering is equally committed to student engagement. Researchers plan to integrate their research with student experiences, embedding menopause and women’s health questions into senior design projects and clinical immersion terms at Weill Cornell Medicine.

To sustain the initiative’s momentum, faculty are actively pursuing funding opportunities to support the group’s collaborative research efforts. At the same time, smaller, innovative initiatives – such as joint fellowships that pair trainees from different labs – will help grow the initiative from the ground up. 

“Faculty are already meeting regularly to discuss findings, build collaborations and shape the future of menopause research,” Nishimura said. Their goal is not only to fill critical scientific gaps, but to redefine how women’s health is understood, prioritized, taught and advanced for generations to come.”

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