Intero Biosystems Develops Human Intestinal Organoids as Alternative to Animal Testing in Drug Development
Intero Biosystems is developing human intestinal organoids—lab-grown tissues that mimic the gut—as an alternative to animal testing for drug development. The Denver-based startup, which spun out of the University of Michigan, claims its models are more representative of human biology than traditional methods and can be used by pharmaceutical companies to test drugs before clinical trials. The company's flagship product, GastroScreen, is sold to biotech, food, and chemical firms for drug testing. Each organoid measures about one millimeter in size, with shipments containing around 100 units at a time. Intero also provides related supplies and lab services such as custom experiments and data analysis. Regulatory shifts are supporting the adoption of non-animal methods like these organoids. The FDA has outlined plans to reduce reliance on animal testing and issued draft guidance for validating new approach methodologies (NAMs). This regulatory change is encouraging pharmaceutical companies to explore alternatives, including in-house use of organoid technology.
Topics: alternative to animal testing organoids pharmaceutical research