Hera Biotech has recently announced its agreement to acquire the endometriosis diagnostic assets and associated intellectual property of Scailyte, a single-cell and AI-driven biomarker discovery company. This move marks a significant consolidation in the field, bringing together the only two tissue-based diagnostic programs for endometriosis. Endometriosis, a prevalent and debilitating disease, is a leading cause of female infertility.
The current standard for diagnosing endometriosis involves laparoscopic surgery with histopathology, contributing to an average delay of eight years until a proper diagnosis is made. Hera Biotech and Scailyte's groundbreaking research, in collaboration with academic partners, has highlighted significant changes in the transcriptome profiles of endometrium samples from patients with endometriosis compared to control patients.
The companies have developed complementary biomarkers and assays for the non-invasive and highly accurate diagnosis of endometriosis, aiming to address the challenges posed by the current surgical diagnostic methods. By consolidating their tissue-based biomarkers, Hera Biotech and Scailyte aim to accelerate the development of clinical tools for diagnosing and stratifying endometriosis patients, facilitating the advancement of therapies and infertility treatments.
Scailyte CEO, Dr. Peter Nestorov, expressed excitement about integrating Scailyte's assets into Hera's pipeline, emphasizing the importance of the tissue-based approach in capturing the complexity and heterogeneity of endometriosis. The companies anticipate superior diagnostic utility by utilizing tissue-based samples obtained through a non-surgical pipelle, as opposed to liquid biopsy samples measuring secondary markers.
The initial product from the combined portfolio, developed through Scailyte's deep sequencing discovery platform, is set to launch in the US fertility market in late 2024. Hera plans to follow this with a second product, utilizing its proprietary single-cell technology, for the definitive diagnosis and staging of endometriosis in the OB/GYN market, providing non-surgical diagnostic options for patients in both markets.
As part of the partnership, Dr. Cinzia Donato and Professor Michael Mueller, instrumental in Scailyte's endometriosis diagnostic program, will join Hera's executive team and scientific advisory board, respectively. The companies expect to finalize the transaction by the end of January 2024, following the completion of the final due diligence process. This announcement coincides with Hera Biotech's commencement of a $15 million Series A raise at the JP Morgan Healthcare conference next week.
