Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has been awarded significant funding from Wellcome Leap’s $50 million program to develop groundbreaking organ chip technology specifically designed to address heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), a condition affecting one in three women of reproductive age in the United States.
The September 19, 2025 announcement marks a pivotal moment in women’s health research, as the Wyss team will create the first human model of heavy menstrual bleeding using their pioneering Organ Chip technology. This innovative approach aims to dramatically reduce the time women wait for effective treatment from an average of five years to just five months.
Revolutionary Research Approach Using Advanced Technology
The Wyss Institute’s organ chip technology recreates the microenvironment of human tissues and organs, allowing scientists to study complex biological processes in unprecedented detail. For this groundbreaking project, researchers will develop uterus chips lined with human endometrial cells, stroma, and microvasculature that can replicate both healthy menstrual physiology and heavy menstrual bleeding conditions.
Dr. Don Ingber, the Wyss Founding Director and Principal Investigator leading this project, emphasized the transformative potential of this research. As the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Ingber noted that creating the first physiologically relevant human model of heavy menstrual bleeding could unlock new, life-changing treatments delivered to patients in months rather than years.
The research team will combine multi-omics analysis with artificial intelligence-driven computational approaches to uncover causal factors and early biomarkers of HMB progression. This comprehensive methodology represents a significant advancement over traditional research methods that have been limited by the lack of relevant animal or preclinical human models.
Addressing a Critical Healthcare Gap
Heavy menstrual bleeding represents a significant but often overlooked women’s health crisis in the United States. The condition is more common than asthma or diabetes among reproductive-aged women, yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood by healthcare systems nationwide.
The statistics surrounding HMB are staggering and highlight the urgent need for improved treatments. Every minute in the United States, a woman requires a blood transfusion due to menstruation. Up to 50% of reproductive-aged women globally, approximately 950 million people, are iron deficient, with chronic heavy menstrual bleeding expected to be a major contributor to this health crisis.
The economic impact is equally profound, with women suffering from HMB missing an average of 3.6 working weeks annually, costing the U.S. economy more than $94 billion each year. The mental health consequences are also significant, with women experiencing HMB showing rates of anxiety and depression three times higher than the general female population.
This research builds upon five years of breakthroughs in women’s health at the Wyss Institute, where the team has already developed Organ Chip models of the vagina, cervix, and fallopian tube, as well as intestine and lung chips. These previous developments have revealed how female hormones and inflammation shape organ-level responses, opening new therapeutic avenues for conditions such as bacterial vaginosis, pre-term birth, and inflammatory bowel disease.
The new HMB-focused research will extend this platform by modeling menstrual bleeding and performing multi-omics analyses to identify biomarkers of disease progression. The team will also leverage advanced AI tools like NeMoCAD, developed at Wyss, to rapidly identify and repurpose non-hormonal drugs for heavy menstrual bleeding treatment.
This funding is part of Wellcome Leap’s broader initiative called ‘The Missed Vital Sign,’ which seeks to transform how menstruation is understood and treated in healthcare. The program recognizes menstruation as a vital sign that should be routinely measured and monitored in healthcare settings, similar to blood pressure or heart rate.
The Wyss Institute’s work within this program reflects a growing global movement to prioritize women’s health research, close critical knowledge gaps, and improve quality of life for millions of women worldwide. This project emerged from the Women’s Health Catalyst at the Wyss, which was specifically founded to support research and innovation addressing critical gaps in therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices for women’s healthcare.