Monod Bio Receives Award to Develop a New Diagnostic Test for Preeclampsia using AI-designed Proteins

• $750,000 grant will accelerate the development of a point-of-care diagnostic to improve maternal health outcomes in low-resource settings

SEATTLE, Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Monod Bio, a biotechnology company utilizing AI-powered de novo protein design for diagnostic and research applications, announced today that it has received a $750,000 grant from Grand Challenges, an initiative of the Gates Foundation, to leverage its AI-based protein design technology to develop a next-generation diagnostic test for preeclampsia.

The funding will support the creation of a point-of-care diagnostic test designed to measure the key biomarkers of preeclampsia, sFlt-1 and PlGF. The new diagnostic will be built on Monod Bio's proprietary NovoLISA™ platform, which combines two cutting-edge technologies: NovoBody™ binders and LuxSit™.

"Monod Bio's NovoBody™ Binders represent a new class of computationally designed proteins that function as next-generation antibody replacements, while LuxSit™ is a de novo luciferase reporter system," noted Alfredo Quijano-Rubio, Chief Scientific Officer of Mondo Bio. "Together, these technologies create a rapid, one-step, 'mix-and-read' format that delivers results in under 15 minutes without the need for complex wash steps."

"Preeclampsia remains a silent crisis in many parts of the world, and timely diagnosis is the first step to saving lives," said Daniel Silva Manzano, PhD, CEO of Monod Bio. "With this support, we can apply our de novo protein design platform to create a diagnostic solution that is not just highly sensitive and specific, but also affordable and simple enough to be used where it's needed most."

"Preeclampsia is a leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and while biomarker-based tests are highly accurate, they are often inaccessible in low- and middle-income countries due to high costs and reliance on complex laboratory infrastructure," said Damian Madan, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Monod Bio "Our new diagnostic aims to address this critical gap by enabling earlier and more frequent testing in resource-constrained environments, which can lead to better health outcomes for both the mother and child"

This project represents a major step forward in applying Monod Bio's AI-based protein design to real-world global health challenges. The company's technology has the potential to dramatically improve health outcomes for millions of people worldwide by providing an accessible tool for early preeclampsia diagnosis.

About Monod Bio 
Monod Bio is a Seattle-based biotechnology company and a spinout from the David Baker Lab at the University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design. The company uses AI-powered de novo protein design to create novel protein binders and biosensors for RUO and IVD applications. Monod Bio's proprietary platform enables the generation of novel proteins, including its NovoBody™ binders, to address unmet market needs. Through its "Monod Inside" business model, Monod Bio partners with leading RUO and IVD organizations to bring next-generation products to market. For more information, visit monod.bio.

SOURCE Monod Bio