A new endometriosis treatment developed by a UCLA alumnus will enter clinical trials after receiving Food and Drug Administration clearance in March.

EndoCyclic Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company founded by Tanya Petrossian, received approval from the FDA to test ENDO-205 – a non-hormonal treatment for endometriosis – on humans. Petrossian earned both a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2005 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2010 from UCLA.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects people who menstruate, according to Cleveland Clinic. It occurs when tissue from the uterus migrates and attaches to surrounding organs, causing inflammation, pain and infertility, Petrossian said.

Petrossian, who was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017, said current treatments – such as painkillers – focus on managing symptoms instead of curing the disease. Another treatment option is chemical menopause, a medically induced suppression of menstruation that lowers estrogen levels, but it is only a temporary solution that can lead to irreversible bone loss, she added.

By developing ENDO-205 as a non-hormonal treatment, the company aims to directly target the disease without changing levels of estrogen or other hormones, which could cause unwanted side effects, Petrossian said in an emailed statement.

Drawing from her own experience of undergoing surgery for endometriosis, Petrossian said patients need less invasive treatments. She added that she began creating the endometriosis treatment around 2012 by screening trillions of compounds.

“It was a lot of listening to patients and physicians and what they’re seeing currently,” she said. “Not only here in Southern California, but really everywhere because the goal of this therapeutic is that we could reach as many people as possible.”

Petrossian said her team studied how endometriosis lesions act differently from normal tissue, which set EndoCyclic Therapeutics’ approach apart from other companies. The treatment is a peptide – a short chain of amino acids – designed to target cellular signaling pathways that promote endometriosis lesion growth, Petrossian said in an emailed statement.

Previous studies showed ENDO-205 eliminated lesions and reduced inflammation, she added in the statement.

“We’re able to utilize ENDO-205 that can both target the lesion and then get in there and essentially shut down that bad behavior, which allows it to just kind of self-destruct quietly,” Petrossian said. “Then your body is able to clear it away.”

Since its founding in 2017, EndoCyclic Therapeutics has expanded to support the transition from early-stage laboratory research to regulated manufacturing and clinical development, she said.

While ENDO-205 will be evaluated in clinical trials as an injectable drug, Petrossian said she is excited by data suggesting the possibility of it being available in pill form.

“We have a lot of experts that are equally as passionate as I am on this,” Petrossian said. “It’s been an incredible journey to onboard the best, see their amazing work as we forge the path forward for what we believe is this really novel journey.”

Petrossian said her UCLA education provided her crucial public speaking and experimental design training, adding that she is grateful for her time at the university.

Petrossian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been evident since she completed her Ph.D. thesis, which prepared her to found EndoCyclic Therapeutics, said Steven Clarke, a professor of biochemistry and Petrossian’s advisor.

Petrossian has remained in touch with UCLA’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, said Alexander Spokoyny, a professor of chemistry and the department chair. Spokoyny added that he considers jumpstarting the careers of innovators like Petrossian, which leads to breakthroughs like ENDO-205, a major goal of the department.

“This is really spectacular to see to unfold,” Spokoyny said. “I look forward to see how the clinical trials go and how the whole process unfolds, but I think it’s very promising, and we’re very proud of Tanya and her accomplishments.”