FemTech start-ups share in $110m Sprint for Women's Health
Ovarian health biotech Celmatix and HPV-treatment innovator Daré Bioscience have been selected
FemTech start-ups including ovarian health biotech Celmatix and HPV-treatment innovator Daré Bioscience have been selected by the Advance Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as awardees of the Sprint for Women’s Health.
A total of 23 organisations from around the world will receive a slice of $110m in funding to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.
Daré Bioscience will receive $10m in funding over two years for its potential first-in-category treatment for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical disease. It is developing an investigational treatment for HPV-related cervical disease - known as the cause of most if not all cervical cancers. Despite the advancements in HPV screening and vaccination, an estimated 100,000 women are still treated for cervical precancer and an estimated 4,000 women still die from cervical cancer in the U.S. every year.
Sabrina Martucci Johnson, President and CEO of Daré Bioscience said:
“DARE-HPV has the potential to be the first FDA-approved pharmaceutical intervention that could treat both late-stage cervical lesions as well as earlier stage HPV-related cervical infections, which could change the paradigm around how HPV-related cervical diseases are clinically managed today.”
“We are thrilled that ARPA-H shares our vision for this product candidate's potential to transform the management of HPV-related cervical diseases with this at-home strategy to control the virus that causes cervical cancer.”
Celmatix will receive $3.5m over two years to fund the company's ongoing efforts to develop a therapeutic aimed at controlling the timing and rate of decline in ovarian function that occurs in women during perimenopause and menopause. Menopause is the single biggest accelerant of unhealthy aging for modern women and helps explain why women are disproportionately impacted postmenopausally with conditions like heart disease and stroke, autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Despite the negative impacts of menopause on the health of all women at mid-life and beyond, there are currently no therapeutic interventions that enable women to proactively manage their lifelong health by controlling the timing of the onset of menopause or the rate of decline of ovarian function leading to menopause.
Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim, founder and CEO of Celmatix said:
“I believe that extending ovarian function throughout the modern lifespan could be the single most important medical breakthrough of this century. It would have a cascading effect, reducing the risk of and protecting against, these and other life-threatening and debilitating conditions.
“My seven-year-old daughter often asks whether this therapy will be ready in time to protect her own ovaries. Thanks to this vital and timely funding from ARPA-H, I believe hers will be the first human generation for whom menopause is relegated to the annals of history.”
Sprint by numbers - who won an award?
Over 1,700 applicants bid for funding from 45 US states, the District of Columbia as well as 34 countries around the world.
Of the 23 awardees, 30% have never received government funding, 39% have fewer than 50 employees, and over 70% are led by women. Awards represent early-stage research (spark) and later-stage development (launchpad). If successful, launchpad efforts will move to commercialisation in two years after funding, bringing health solutions directly to women in record time.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said:
“In order to improve women’s health, we need to pursue and invest in research focused on advancements for women. This is especially true where we know far too little about how to prevent and treat a range of conditions that affect women across their lifespan.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to change how health research is pursued and utilized. The groups being recognized today have picked up that challenge and are doing work that is groundbreaking and lifesaving.”
The 23 awardees range from small start-ups to global innovators and were selected based on their high-impact and novel approaches to the Sprint’s six topics. Awardees are tackling cancer, ovarian health, gynecological and endometriosis care, obstetrics, menopause, lymphatics, pain management, and neurological and cardiovascular conditions. Solutions to these health challenges include biomarker research, diagnostics, therapeutics, devices, and digital health.
Awardees can be found on the ARPA-H website and include:
Aalto University School of Science in Espoo, Finland, aims to develop a home-based labor management device that tracks maternal and fetal health data remotely, helping expectant mothers plan for delivery.
Ancilia Biosciences Inc in New York, aims to overcome treatment-resistant bacterial vaginosis and enable new therapies for vaginal health.
Aspira Women’s Health Inc based in Shelton, Conn. aims to create a first-of-a-kind non-invasive endometriosis blood test.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. in Boston aims to develop a non-invasive imaging biomarker to evaluate brain disorders in women.
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., aims to develop a novel, affordable wearable sweat sensing system to measure and map chronic pain.
Celmatix Inc based in New York, aims to develop a therapeutic to extend healthy ovarian function and lifespan.
Children’s Research Institute in Washington, D.C., aims to develop an accessible real-time assessment of chronic pain based on a woman’s eyes response to light.
Daré Bioscience, Inc. based in San Diego, Calif., aims to develop a first-of-a-kind early at-home HPV treatment.
Gameto Inc based in Austin, Texas aims to construct a novel ovarian therapy to prevent disease in menopause.
GE Medical Systems Information Technologies, Inc. in Niskayuna, N.Y., aims to develop a non-invasive MRI highlighting immune surveillance, brain health, and more.
General Proximity in San Francisco aims to create a therapeutic to an undruggable target, which may be able to target multiple cancers in women.
Glaucus, Inc. based in Brooklyn, N.Y., aims to develop a fast and affordable at-home sexually transmitted infections/urinary tract infections test.
Gravidas Diagnostics, Inc based in Los Angeles, aims to create a first-of-a-kind home-based, low-cost, fingerstick test for early detection of preeclampsia.
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass., aims to develop a non-invasive wearable headband for at-home use to detect precursors of Alzheimer’s disease.
Monash University in Victoria, Australia, aims to develop portable, non-invasive, less-time dependent, and cost-effective approaches for treating ischemic stroke.
Nura Health Inc based in Los Angeles, aims to develop a personalized diagnostic and treatment platform for endometriosis. Nura Health will work in a consortium with partners Lasa Health and Dama Health.
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., aims to build a model that assesses medication safety in pregnancy without putting women or babies at risk.
The University of Iowa in Iowa City aims to develop an ovarian cancer treatment using personalized nanoparticles and a woman’s own immune system.
The Washington University in St. Louis aims to develop a blood test that decodes pain and tracks symptoms to create treatments for conditions like endometriosis.
Tufts University in Medford, Mass., aims to develop non-invasive wearable sensors to measure biomarkers in interstitial fluid related to pain.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to treat migraines by targeting the lymphatic system and unique female biology that increases migraine susceptibility.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., aims to develop an at-home medication to mitigate the health risks of preterm labor.
Wyss Institute in Cambridge, Mass., aims to develop an implantable lymphoid organ as a cancer therapy to treat late-stage and metastasized ovarian cancer.