EspeRare, a Geneva-based nonprofit biotech, has been awarded a Grand Challenges grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen its mission to bring life-changing therapies to patients in under-resourced settings worldwide.
The Grand Challenges initiative, funded by the Gates Foundation, supports ideas that drive innovation to address pressing global health and development challenges. The grant will advance the development of a novel therapeutic approach for preeclampsia, a severe and potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ dysfunction.
Preeclampsia affects millions of women and babies every year and remains a leading cause of maternal and neonatal mortality, particularly in low-resource regions. Current treatment options are limited, with premature delivery often being the only option.
“We are deeply grateful for the Gates Foundation’s support. It strengthens our commitment to maternal and foetal health and helps us move early-life innovations toward careful clinical evaluation for the families who need them most,” said Caroline Kant, co-founder and executive director of EspeRare.
“It also underscores that a purpose-driven drug-development model like ours can help unlock responsible options for long-overlooked conditions, such as preeclampsia.”
EspeRare’s programme aims to repurpose an oral small molecule originally developed for cardiovascular disorders. Building on its established safety profile in thousands of patients, the project seeks to accelerate clinical evaluation in pregnant women. The goal is to develop a safe, effective, and globally accessible therapy for preeclampsia, one that can improve survival and health outcomes for mothers and their unborn children, especially in high-burden settings.
“By combining rigorous translational science with a focus on real-world feasibility, we aim to generate the first clear proof-of-concept for a prenatal therapy that protects both mother and baby,” said Sébastien Mazzuri, Esperare’s research and innovation director.
“This support gives us the momentum to design a scientifically sound, globally relevant development pathway to treat preeclampsia.”
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