This essay is part of a series exploring what is required for scientific progress to be made in our understanding of women’s health and our ability to treat the conditions that impact the lives of women everywhere. Learn more about why this is necessary and explore the other challenges and topics.
The Future of Women’s Health Care is Bright
Researchers at the front of discovery and the investors who fund the back of innovation both recognize the need for more progress in women’s health.
I spent the last 6 months researching the challenges in women’s health and hoping to find a way to improve the lives of women by improving our understanding of the female body. I have gained an understanding of how research is conducted and of the long-standing bias that has limited our knowledge of women’s health. I also have gained hope for the future and for the direction we are headed.
The biggest driver of hope is that every researcher I have talked to is well-aware that we need more understanding and more research into women’s health. Early in my research, I was looking into underfunded conditions more generally and it was often the researchers that would comment that all of women's health is understudied and underfunded. Understanding that you have a problem is the first step towards finding a solution. I have spoken with many researchers at the front line of this battle, fighting every day to find the funding needed to do the work and I am inspired by their efforts.
I’m also pleased to see outside of the scientific community people are becoming aware of the funding challenges that researchers face. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, research funding across all conditions is being looked at more closely.
Early in the pandemic, researchers struggled to get the funding needed from the NIH to start researching the new disease. The NIH does many things, but moving quickly is not one of them. Patrick Collison, the chief executive of Stripe, “co-founded a program called Fast Grants, which raised more than $50 million that was quickly distributed to hundreds of projects. In its first 20 months, the program supported research on saliva-based tests and clinical trials for drugs, such as fluvoxamine, that could be repurposed to treat COVID-19.”
The success of the Fast Grants program is causing many to ask questions about how difficult it is for researchers to fund their research. Several other funding organizations have recently launched, all focused on the speed and accessibility of research funding, however, none are focused on Women’s Health.
- Arc: Patrick Collison’s $500 million fund will grant up to 15 core investigators 8 years of no strings attached funding to study complex diseases in any way they want.
- Arcadia: A $500 million biotech firm that will back researchers’ most open-ended, curiosity-driven work, but with a special focus on understudied species.
- Altos: A $3 billion fund focused on longevity research and backed by a who’s who list of tech billionaires.
- Convergent: Creating focused research organizations that are funded by wealthy individuals and family offices to research a single question.
Additionally, there is significant interest in the area of longevity research and a better understanding of the female body might hold clues for everyone. Scientists are particularly focused on ovarian aging, which begins before a female is born and ends before her life is over. Humans are one of the only animals that live beyond their fertility. Our ovaries age significantly faster than any other organ in the body, and the end of their lifecycle triggers many health declines in women including cognitive decline, insomnia, depression, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, weight gain, and arthritis.
The Buck Institute on Ovarian Aging is funding researchers to gain a better understanding of this process as well as creating resources to train and support more researchers. Companies such as Gameto and Oviva have recently received venture capital funding to dig in as well. These organizations hope to extend women’s fertility, find ways to delay menopause, and increase women’s healthspan
Lastly, I am buoyed by the interest from biotech and venture investors. I thought I would have to hide my interest in women’s health behind a broader interest in underfunded conditions. It was conversations with several investors that encouraged me to go deeper into women’s health. They recognize the problem as well and know that 50% of the human population is a sizeable market worth investing in.
Knowing that both the researchers at the front of discovery and the investors who fund the back of innovation recognize the opportunity gives me great hope. Seeing the opportunity will bring about the possibilities. It might not be through the standard processes and mechanisms that have brought about scientific breakthroughs of the past. However, I think that there is a rising tide of interest that will carry us to a new understanding. I hope to be a part of that surge of innovation and understanding so that I can help bring about a better future for my daughters and all other women and girls.
Learn more about the challenges in women’s health research:
