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Denver-based startup Intero Biosystems is developing human intestinal organoids to provide a more human-relevant alternative to traditional animal testing in drug development. Co-founder Madeline Eiken notes that because species differences often cause drug failures, these lab-grown tissues aim to better mimic human biology.
The company’s flagship product, GastroScreen, consists of one-millimeter organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Unlike models sourced from colonoscopies, this method allows for easier scaling and potential patient personalization. Customers can use these models to simulate healthy or diseased gut conditions.
CEO Charlie Childs reports that Intero is currently in the second stage of a three-stage validation process. While the company has observed expected responses to known drugs, it is now conducting studies with pharmaceutical partners to compare GastroScreen results directly against existing animal and clinical data.
Founded in 2024, the startup has raised $2.3 million and generated over $400,000 in revenue. With regulatory shifts from the FDA encouraging non-animal testing methods, Intero aims to automate manufacturing to scale production from thousands to hundreds of thousands of organoids per batch.
