Medicines360, a women’s health innovation organization, has announced a partnership with Wellcome Leap and acquired global licensing rights to maternal health technologies from the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh. The technologies are designed to predict risk for pregnancy complications associated with approximately half of all stillbirths.
The announcement builds on Medicines360’s expansion into maternal health, following the company’s acquisition of global rights to PeriPeach in September 2025, an investigational device designed to prevent severe perineal tears during childbirth.
Globally, more than two million pregnancies end in stillbirth each year. In the United States, more than one in 150 births end in stillbirth, with families in low-income areas disproportionately affected. A JAMA study from October 2025 found that 30% of stillbirths occur in pregnancies with no currently identifiable risk factors.
The licensed technologies were discovered through Wellcome Leap’s In Utero program, a $50 million initiative launched in 2022 to develop methods for measuring and predicting gestational development. They include blood-based biomarkers from the University of Cambridge that could identify risk of fetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia, as well as non-invasive retinal imaging from the University of Edinburgh designed to detect vascular-related conditions during pregnancy.
“Before you finish this paragraph, another baby will be stillborn. Every 16 seconds, a mother, a family, grieves this loss. Women deserve clearer insights of their pregnancy health,” said Regina E. Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap. “By combining Wellcome Leap’s scientific breakthroughs with Medicines360’s global innovation and access model, we can deliver predictive tools to mothers around the world – before complications arise. Before it’s too late.”
Dr. Andrea Olariu, CEO of Medicines360, said: “Every pregnancy deserves precise, individualized risk assessment to inform life-saving interventions. Partnering with Wellcome Leap allows us to translate groundbreaking science into commercial products for use in clinical practice, and at a record pace. Together, we can change the trajectory of pregnancy outcomes for women worldwide, while prioritizing access from day one.”
Dr. Gordon Smith, Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the University of Cambridge and lead Principal Investigator of the In Utero discovery program, said: “The current approach to assessing stillbirth risk has not changed in 50 years. Our technologies, discovered using exceptionally robust clinical data, can provide clinicians with comprehensive risk stratification at every stage of pregnancy. Ultimately, we believe this approach will save the lives of mothers and babies.”
The licensing agreements advance Medicines360’s M360 ASPIRE (Advancing Stillbirth Prevention through Innovative Risk Evaluation) Program. Wellcome Leap and Medicines360 are seeking additional funders to scale the technologies.
