Dundee-headquartered PhaSER Biomedical has been awarded a two-year $2.7m grant from the Gates Foundation.
The grant continues its scientific partnership with its grantees worldwide to support the discovery of new treatments for some of the world’s most neglected diseases.
The latest grant builds on a $2.3m award PhaSER received in 2024 from the Gates Foundation.
During that period, PhaSER’s humanised 8HUM mouse model was applied across numerous disease programmes including tuberculosis, malaria, schistosomiasis and Chagas Disease.
Alongside its latest grant, PhaSER is expanding its team.
The company is already in talks with investors to secure further funding to accelerate its growth.
Professor Roland Wolf, founder of PhaSER Biomedical, said: “We are really excited about the continuation of this Collaboratory programme. Over the last two years we have seen how the humanised models provide human-relevant data that can rescue promising compounds, de-risk candidates and save valuable drug development time for the treatment diseases that affect millions of people.
“The renewal lets us build on our significant progress, with new models and capabilities shaped in close collaboration between PhaSER, Gates Foundation grantees and the University of Dundee.”
Chris Wardhaugh, CEO of PhaSER Biomedical, said: “The continued support from the Gates Foundation will support our work using humanised models in accelerating drug development.
“What makes the Gates Collaboratory work so well is partnership and we are thrilled to continue working side by side with world-class investigators, and with our colleagues at the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee, to design the right studies and turn complex data into clear decisions.
“This is the same philosophy that is proving so fruitful in our partnership with MHRA, involving clinicians, applied mathematicians, data analysts and pharmacokinetic scientists to combine data from our humanised models with clinical trial and real-world data, machine learning and computational modelling – true interdisciplinary teamwork.
“Human-relevant evidence earlier in development means better choices about which medicines to take forward, and faster progress for the people who need them most.”