UK-based Cyclana Bio has received NHS Health Research Authority approval and recruited the first patients in its PEMP (Predicting Endometriosis Mechanisms and Populations) study, a 500-patient clinical observational study at Peterborough City Hospital and the Rosie Hospital, Cambridge.
The study aims to uncover the causal mechanisms of endometriosis using human data and cells collected from both biopsies and menstrual fluid donated by participants. Cyclana Bio will use these samples to build physiologically relevant 3D in vitro models of the disease – with the goal of identifying novel druggable targets and developing tools to better stratify patients based on clinical need.
A key question the study will address: whether endometriosis has a common underlying causal mechanism for which a single treatment can be developed, or whether a personalized medicine approach is needed. The company has previously confirmed the involvement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the manifestation of the disease.
“Our ultimate goal is to address a need to better serve millions of women suffering with a debilitating condition and develop life-changing therapies,” said CEO and co-founder Dr. Léa Wenger. “Our tissue-first methodology represents a promising alternative approach in drug discovery, allowing us to reveal shared underlying mechanisms between patients.”
The study is funded by Cyclana Bio’s £5 million pre-seed round, which closed last year. The company plans to use future financings to recruit additional study sites and expand its methodology to other chronic inflammatory indications.
