Up to $35M from the Gates Foundation is flowing to ProFound Therapeutics to find drug targets for preeclampsia and eclampsia. The startup belongs to Flagship Pioneering’s portfolio.
The company studies the expanded human proteome, the thousands of proteins that standard analytical methods miss, to find first-in-class medicines. Under the pact, that discovery engine turns toward pregnancy complications that have few targeted treatment options.
Preeclampsia, marked by high blood pressure and organ damage during pregnancy, is a leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Existing care is largely reactive: monitoring, delivery and symptom management. ProFound’s goal is biology-driven targets that could yield therapies aimed at the disease itself.
Maternal health is a growing focus for the Gates Foundation, which has supported research aimed at low-resource regions where preeclampsia is most deadly. The money backs ProFound’s target discovery, not one clinical program, the company said.
Flagship companies typically use such validation funding to advance platform science before picking lead programs for clinical development.
