Infections with several pathogens simultaneously increase the risk of cervical cancer, according to a new study conducted on artificial 3D tissue models.

Dr. Cindrilla Chumduri, head of the research group, Department of Microbiology at the Julius Maximilians University of Wurzburg (JMU) and her team, has now demonstrated for the first time that this is not just a suspicion but a concretely verifiable effect.

They have developed lifelike organ replicas — so-called 3D organoids — on which they investigate the interactions between the pathogens and the tissues they affect and the disease processes. She has published the results of her research in the journal Nature Communications.

Multiple infections alter cells.

«Our study uses organoid models to show the danger of multiple infections. These create a unique cellular microenvironment that potentially contributes to the reprogramming of tissues and thus to the development of cancer,» says Chumduri, summarizing the central result of her investigations. To do this, the infectious disease biologist used cells from healthy donors to create an almost physiological organoid model of the cervix.

In particular, her research focuses on two tissue types: First, the so-called ectocervix — the part of the cervical mucosa that extends into the vagina. And second is the endocervix — the part of the mucosa that lines the cervix further inside, connecting the uterus. Their essential task is to prevent pathogens from entering the uterus and thus help keep the upper female reproductive tract sterile.

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Materials provided by University of Wurzburg. Original written by Gunnar Bartsch. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.