Key facts
- Intero Biosystems' GastroScreen is a human intestinal organoid model.
- The organoids are about one millimeter across and shipped in tubes.
- The company sells supplies for growing and working with organoids.
- Intero also runs studies for customers, focusing on drug safety and disease research.
- The FDA is promoting alternatives to animal testing, including organoids.
Intero Biosystems, a Denver-based startup, is developing lab-grown human intestinal organoids to serve as an alternative to animal testing in drug development. The company's flagship product, GastroScreen, is a model that mimics the human gut, containing multiple cell and tissue types. Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly seeking more human-relevant models to improve drug development success rates, as most drugs fail in clinical trials. Intero, founded in 2024, has seven employees and nearly 10 customers. The company raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding last year and generated over $400,000 in revenue between the fourth quarter of last year and the third quarter of this year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also been promoting alternatives to animal testing, including organoids, to support regulatory submissions.