Kallyope, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company, has announced a four-year, $8.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work with other institutions affiliated with the foundation to improve the health of pregnant women, mothers, and children experiencing environmental enteric dysfunctions (EED).

The grant will support Kallyope’s efforts to use its gut-focused screening and validation capabilities to identify bioactive compounds that can be developed and delivered to undernourished pregnant and lactating women who are experiencing EED, an incompletely defined syndrome of inflammation, high enteropathogen burden, reduced absorptive capacity, and reduced barrier function of the small intestine that is widespread in low- and middle-income countries. According to UNICEF, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women suffering from acute malnutrition has soared since 2020, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Childhood EED due to malnutrition has been associated with the stunting (low height-for-age) of 51 million children around the world under the age of 2.

“This is a unique, inspiring opportunity for Kallyope to positively impact global health by leveraging our industry-leading research platform, Klarity™, which integrates multiple sophisticated technologies to develop transformative therapeutics in the areas of metabolism, gastrointestinal disease, and neurological disorders,” said Kallyope president and CEO Jay Galeota. “We are honored to receive support from the Gates Foundation to make progress toward giving every person, everywhere the chance to lead a healthy, productive life. We are especially energized to focus on health advancements for pregnant women and new mothers and to prevent disease early in the lives of children.”

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