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GastroScreen – Human Clinical Trials In A Dish

A miniature human gut in a dish for faster, safer drug testing and disease research.
https://www.interobiosystems.com/
January 5×5 Night at Start Garden
Voting Closes:

January 20, 2025 11:59 pm

About this idea
GastroScreen is a groundbreaking "mini-gut" grown from human stem cells that replicates the complex structure and function of the human intestine. Developed by Ph.D. students at the University of Michigan, it is designed to transform drug testing by providing a more accurate platform for evaluating drug compounds before human clinical trials. Currently, drug candidates undergo rigorous preclinical testing to ensure safety and efficacy before being tested in humans. Unlike existing models, which rely on flat cell layers or animal testing, GastroScreen features functional human neurons, blood vessels, and muscle organized in 3D, closely mimicking how the human intestine works and responds to drugs. This allows scientists to better predict how drug candidates will perform in humans, accelerating drug discovery, reducing costly trial failures, and identifying safer, more effective treatments for patients.
Impact
GastroScreen has the potential to revolutionize the drug development process, leading to faster, safer, and more cost-effective treatments. Currently, 90% of drugs fail in clinical trials, wasting over $1 billion per drug and years of research, while leaving patients without new treatment options. By providing a more accurate model of the human intestine, GastroScreen can help reduce these costly failures, accelerate the development of life-saving therapies, and reduce the use of animals like mice, cats, dogs, and monkeys in research. Beyond drug testing, GastroScreen also shows promise for advancing research into gastrointestinal diseases and could one day support personalized medicine approaches for conditions like IBD and Crohn's Disease, benefiting millions worldwide.
What I'll do with $5,000
Intero Biosystems has been selected to be a featured startup company at multiple conferences including Chicago Biocaptial Summit, SLAS 2025, and more in the coming months. We will use the $5,000 to hone our conference booth setup, develop marketing materials, and secure travel to ensure we continue to make strong connections with potential customers and investors.
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