Endometriosis occurs when cells similar to the lining of the uterus grow outside of the organ, sometimes causing pain, infertility and heavy menstrual bleeding. It is a chronic condition affecting 5-10% of reproductive aged women. The disease can present different characteristics depending on the patient including lesions, cysts, scaring, and adhesions. Official diagnosis is only permitted through visualization during surgery and thus accurate diagnosis takes years for many patients. Treatment typically involves surgery to remove or destroy all visible disease, however this does not always eliminate pain and there is no guarantee the disease will not return.

Uterine fibroids are the most common tumor, affecting up to 70% of women. Fibroids size and count can vary between patient to patient. Although benign, fibroids are the lead cause of hysterectomies and cause severe gynecological dysfunction including heavy bleeding, infertility, and pre-term labor. Fibroids are initiated when normal myometrium stem cells are “induced” into tumor initiating stem cells and promote fibroid growth. The most common driver mutation of fibroids are MED12 missense mutations, but no therapeutics have yet been identified to treat the problem. For now, most women undergo surgery to have the fibroid removed, however, like endometriosis, there is no guarantee the fibroids will not return.

Organoids are 3D models created from human cells that mimic the structure and function of real human organs, though in a simplified form. They offer more complexity than traditional 2D cell cultures, yet are easier to study than full tissue samples. Because they’re made from human tissue, organoids provide a more accurate and translatable model for drug testing than rodent studies.

At Opal Therapeutics, we’ve developed two types of uterine organoids: endometrial and myometrial. The endometrial organoids replicate the uterus's inner lining, while the myometrial organoids mimic the smooth muscle layer. Together, these models allow us to create human-relevant systems for studying endometriosis and uterine fibroids, laying the groundwork for our drug discovery platform. By closely replicating the unique cellular environment of these conditions, our organoids enable more accurate screening and identification of potential therapies, moving us closer to effective, targeted treatments for women’s health.