Metri Bio, a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on endometrial disease therapeutics, has raised five million dollars in an oversubscribed pre-seed financing round. Pillar VC led the round with participation from Pace Ventures, Slocum Management, Navec Investments, and several angel investors.
The funding marks the company’s emergence from stealth and positions it to accelerate development of its discovery platform and therapeutic pipeline targeting endometriosis and related endometrial pathologies.
The company was co-founded by Yale School of Medicine Assistant Professor Berna Sozen, PhD, CEO Ashley Abel, PhD, and COO Kathy Potts, PhD. Metri Bio is developing treatments informed by a proprietary three-dimensional endometrial modeling platform developed by the Sozen Lab at Yale. The platform enables researchers to study the biological mechanisms of the endometrium with a level of access and precision that the company says has not been possible before. It functions as an integrated system for identifying molecular drivers of disease and guiding the development of new therapeutic candidates.
Endometriosis affects an estimated two hundred million women globally, yet treatment options have remained limited to hormone suppression and surgeries that often fail to provide lasting relief. Metri Bio aims to change this by building a comprehensive discovery and development engine that can also be applied beyond endometriosis to additional endometrial disorders.
The new capital will support the expansion of the scientific and operational team and the advancement of preclinical development as the company prepares for future clinical studies. The founding team brings expertise in organoid and developmental modeling technologies, translational research, and women’s health program development.
KEY QUOTES
“Metri Bio is grounded in the belief that meaningful innovation in women’s health demands a deep understanding of the biology driving disease. Endometriosis affects one in ten women, yet treatments still rely on hormone suppression and repeat surgeries that rarely deliver lasting relief and often cause intolerable side effects.”
Ashley Abel, PhD, Chief Executive Officer
“It is absurd that a disease paradigm of this magnitude has no good treatment options. I’m confident that Metri Bio will play a pivotal role in helping the nearly 200 million women suffering from endometriosis receive the care they deserve.”
Thomas de Vlaam, Partner at Pillar VC and Chairman of Metri Bio
