San Francisco-based Endometrics has been named the first-place winner of the NIH RADx Tech ACT ENDO Challenge, a national competition designed to accelerate the development of non-invasive diagnostic technologies for endometriosis. The multi-phase challenge was led by the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).
Endometrics secured a $600,000 first prize. The company is developing a diagnostic test that analyzes proprietary biomarkers in menstrual blood collected at home – an approach that positions menstrual blood as what the company calls an “organ-proximal liquid biopsy” for gynecologic diseases.
“This recognition affirms the strength of the science behind our menstrual blood-based diagnostic platform and reinforces our belief that a new approach to diagnosing this disease is both possible and urgently needed,” said founder and CEO Dr. Yana Aznavour, a former gynecologic surgeon.
“Before becoming a founder, I worked as a gynecologic surgeon and operated on countless patients with endometriosis. I saw firsthand how this disease affects women’s bodies and their lives. Those experiences shaped our mission at Endometrics – to ensure women get clear answers much earlier, finally receive the clarity, support, and care they have always deserved.”
Endometrics is the second company pursuing menstrual blood-based endometriosis diagnostics to make news recently – Austrian startup Diamens also announced funding for a similar approach.
Endometrics emerged from the UC Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator and was also recently named winner of the Most Promising Company Competition at the Precision Medicine World Conference.
