Biotech start-up announces first patient enrolled in endometriosis clinical trial

The US medical start-up Hera Biotech has announced the first patient enrolled in its endometriosis diagnostic study.

The clinical trial evaluating MetriDx, the world’s first molecular, cell-based test for diagnosing and staging endometriosis, has taken on board its first patient at UTHealth Houston.

The non-surgical test uses micro-fluidic analysis of single cells obtained from the patient’s endometrium to diagnose and stage endometriosis – a condition that affects roughly 190 million women of reproductive age globally.

Endometriosis can be an extremely painful disorder in which tissue similar to that which normally lines the uterus migrates and grows on other organs outside of the uterus, contributing to a large majority of female infertility cases.

“Women in the US endure eight years and ten plus doctor’s visits, on average, before they get a diagnosis,” says Hera CEO and co-founder Somer Baburek.

“I want the process for obtaining a definitive answer about your endometriosis status to be as easy and as routine as getting a pap smear.”

Hera will offer MetriDx to both OB/GYN practices and the fertility solutions market to enable the detection and diagnosis of endometriosis without surgery and “reshape” women’s healthcare options.

The developers believe the test will help drive the development of new therapeutics for endometriosis, which is currently stymied in the clinic by need for surgical diagnosis and monitoring.

Dr Sandra Hurtado, the principal investigator of the Houston, said: “We’re excited to support this significant study by having enrolled the first patient in the trial.

“Finding a definitive diagnostic tool for endometriosis is critical to improving clinical decision making, reducing the burden of diagnosis on the patient and the health care system, and ultimately improving patient outcomes.”

The start-up has raised US$2m in seed funding to complete its second clinical trial and is currently raising a Series-A round to expand the clinical trials and commercialise the test.