What's Happening?
PhaSER Biomedical, a preclinical and computational drug discovery firm based in Dundee, Scotland, has secured a $2.7 million (£2 million) two-year grant renewal from the Gates Foundation. This funding extends PhaSER's involvement in the Global Health
Discovery Collaboratory, providing Gates Foundation grantees worldwide with access to PhaSER's humanized preclinical models and expertise in drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics (DMPK), bioanalysis, and translational study design. The renewal builds upon a previous $2.3 million Gates Foundation award granted in 2024, during which Collaboratory investigators utilized PhaSER's proprietary 8HUM humanized mouse model in global health programs targeting diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and Chagas disease. Professor Roland Wolf, Founder of PhaSER Biomedical, emphasized that the human-relevant data from these models can rescue promising compounds, de-risk candidates, and save valuable drug development time.
Why It's Important?
This grant renewal is crucial for accelerating drug discovery and development, particularly for diseases prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. The 8HUM humanized mouse model, which is genetically engineered to express human metabolic pathways, offers a more accurate preclinical testing platform than conventional rodent models. This reduces the risk of late-stage clinical trial failures and can help identify viable drug candidates that might otherwise be discarded. By providing global access to this technology through the Collaboratory, the Gates Foundation is directly supporting efforts to combat high-burden infectious diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, which disproportionately affect underserved populations. The investment in advanced preclinical models and AI-driven approaches signifies a commitment to more efficient and effective drug development, ultimately aiming to bring life-saving treatments to those who need them most.
What's Next?
With the renewed funding, PhaSER Biomedical will continue to expand its capabilities and develop new humanized models, shaped in close collaboration with Gates Foundation grantees and the University of Dundee. The company aims to establish the 8HUM platform as an industry-wide preclinical standard, enabling comprehensive evaluation of drug safety, efficacy, and drug-drug interactions on a human-relevant biological baseline. This will involve integrating the models into DMPK, pharmacology, toxicology, and regulatory affairs teams. The ongoing work within the Global Health Discovery Collaboratory will focus on strengthening candidate selection confidence and advancing stalled therapeutic programs towards clinical testing for various infectious diseases. The long-term goal is to shorten the drug development timeline and improve the success rate of bringing new therapies to market.
Beyond the Headlines
The continued investment in humanized preclinical models and AI in drug discovery reflects a broader shift in pharmaceutical research towards more predictive and efficient methods. Traditional animal models often fail to accurately mimic human physiology, leading to high attrition rates in clinical trials. Technologies like PhaSER's 8HUM platform address this challenge by providing more human-relevant data earlier in the development process. This not only saves time and resources but also has ethical implications by potentially reducing the reliance on animal testing. The Gates Foundation's strategic funding in this area underscores the importance of innovative scientific tools in achieving global health equity, ensuring that advanced research benefits populations beyond affluent nations. This approach could revolutionize how new medicines are discovered and validated, making the process faster, more cost-effective, and ultimately more successful.
