The drug discovery pipeline for endometriosis is sparse. For the estimated one in ten women of reproductive age living with the disease, treatment options have largely stalled at hormonal suppression or invasive surgery [HealthyWomen, 2025].
Metri Bio, a Boston-based biotech startup, believes its laboratory-grown 3D human endometrial organoids can change the equation. The company, which spun out of Yale University in 2023, recently closed a $5 million pre-seed round to use its proprietary tissue models to hunt for first-in-class therapeutics [Metri Bio, June 2024].
A scientific foundation built at Yale
Metri Bio's core technology is the product of more than a decade of academic work in the lab of Dr. Hugh Taylor, the company's scientific co-founder and chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine [Pace Ventures, 2025]. Taylor and his team, including academic co-founder Berna Sozen, have published extensively on developing 3D multicellular models of the human endometrium [Fertility and Sterility 2024].
The team translating science to medicine
| Role | Name | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Founder & CEO | Ashley Abel, MBA | 8+ years in life sciences strategy and operations at ZS Associates and Akili Interactive; Yale MBA [Pace Ventures, 2025]. |
| Co-Founder & Scientific Founder | Hugh Taylor, MD | Chair of Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences at Yale [Pace Ventures, 2025]. |
| Co-Founder & COO | Kathy Potts, PhD | Startup co-founder and scientific leadership consultant. |
| Academic Co-Founder & SAB Chair | Berna Sozen, PhD | Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine [Femtech Insider, 2025]. |
CEO Ashley Abel, named to the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in healthcare, leads the operational and strategic effort [Forbes, 2026].
The long road of therapeutic development
The $5 million pre-seed round, led by Pillar VC with participation from Pace Ventures and Slocum Management, provides runway for target identification and compound screening. The company's aim is to discover and develop proprietary drugs [Fundable, 2025].
Navigating a field of biological complexity
The next twelve months will be a critical proof-of-concept period, where the company must translate its academic validation into proprietary intellectual property.
The patient perspective and standard of care
For the millions of women with endometriosis, the standard of care today is a difficult reality. First-line treatment typically involves hormonal therapies, which are not curative and come with side effects. When medications fail, the next option is often laparoscopic surgery. Metri Bio's work represents one of several avenues of research aiming to break that cycle.
Sources
- [Metri Bio, June 2024] Metri Bio raises $5M pre-seed round | https://metri.bio/
- [Pace Ventures, 2025] Why We Invested in Metri Bio | https://paceventures.com/articles/why-we-invested-in-metri-bio
- [Fertility and Sterility, 2024] Publication on 3D spheroid generation system for endometrial modeling | 122: e365
- [Fundable, 2025] Metri Bio company description | https://www.tryfundable.ai/company/metri-bio
- [HealthyWomen, 2025] Ashley Abel of Metri Bio Wants to End Endometriosis | https://www.healthywomen.org/condition/ashley-abel-of-metri-bio-wants-to-end-endometriosis
- [Forbes, 2026] Ashley Abel - Forbes 30 Under 30 | https://www.forbes.com/profile/ashley-abel/
- [Femtech Insider, 2025] Metri Bio Raises $5M Pre-Seed | https://femtechinsider.com/metri-bio-raises-5m-pre-seed/