Dundee biotech firm receives £2 MILLION from Gates Foundation to develop new disease treatments
A Dundee biotechnology company has secured £2 million in funding from the Gates Foundation to help speed up the development of new treatments for some of the world’s most serious infectious diseases.
As per InsiderMedia, PhaSER Biomedical, which has strong connections to the University of Dundee, has received a two-year funding extension worth $2.7 million (£2 million).
The investment will support research into potential treatments for diseases including tuberculosis, malaria, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease, which affect millions of people worldwide.
The company was established in 2022 following pioneering research involving Professor Roland Wolf at the University of Dundee.
Its work centres around a specially developed research model called 8HUM, which helps scientists better understand how medicines might behave inside the human body.
One of the biggest challenges in developing new medicines is that drugs can behave differently in animals compared with humans.
PhaSER’s technology uses genetically modified mice that process certain medicines in ways more closely resembling humans, helping researchers identify promising treatments earlier and potentially avoid years of unsuccessful development.
The latest investment follows an earlier $2.3 million award from the Gates Foundation in 2024. Since then, the company’s technology has supported international research programmes investigating several infectious diseases, helping scientists make more informed decisions about which potential medicines should progress towards further testing.
Professor Roland Wolf, founder of PhaSER Biomedical, welcomed the funding, saying the research had already demonstrated how the technology could save valuable time in developing treatments for diseases affecting millions of people.
The company is also preparing for further expansion, recruiting specialists in artificial intelligence and computer modelling while appointing Richard Bickerton, co-founder of Exscientia, to its board.
Chris Wardhaugh, chief executive of PhaSER Biomedical, said the continued support would strengthen the company’s collaboration with international researchers and the University of Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit.
He explained that obtaining more reliable information earlier in the development process could help scientists identify the most promising medicines and accelerate progress towards new treatments.
The £2 million investment represents another significant boost for Dundee’s life sciences sector, highlighting how research developed in the city is contributing to international efforts to tackle infectious diseases and potentially improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
