About Borne
Borne is a medical research charity working to prevent premature birth. We aim to save lives, prevent disability and create lifelong health for mothers and babies.
Our mission
Funding and delivering research
We bring scientists and clinicians together to advance our knowledge of pregnancy and childbirth, and translate research into better care for women and babies.
Collaborating to speed up progress
We foster clinical engagement and scientific collaboration by supporting an open source scientific database and forum to share analysis, findings and techniques.
Attracting and developing talent
We encourage talented clinicians and scientists through financial support to establish their careers and specialise in this area of scientific need.
The largest barrier to the development of diagnostic treatment and prevention strategies for preterm birth and stillbirth is our inability to comprehend the biological processes of pregnancy and childbirth.
Our research strategy
What we research
What we fund
Borne funds translational research into the causes of preterm birth. This spans discovery science through to the clinical trial of new medicines.
By supporting early stage research, we enable scientists to apply for funding for further and larger studies, maximising the contribution of Borne supporters.
Our Founder: Professor Mark Johnson
As a physician and obstetrician, Mark saw the devastating effects of prematurity first hand. He felt frustrated by his inability to do more for his patients.
With his expertise in obstetrics and research, Mark was in a unique position to tackle the problem of premature birth. He set up Borne as a research appeal with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the charity became independent in 2016.
What we do
Funding research on preterm birth
We fund two significant research programmes of research at Imperial College’s laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital:
- Identifying what triggers premature labour to develop new treatments that can delay its onset.
- Understanding the maternal immune system during pregnancy and its impact on premature birth.
Supporting the best scientific ideas
We are committed to supporting the best scientific ideas and new projects from the field.
We offer joint project grants for scientists in partnership with Action Medical Research. We have awarded more than £1 million to new projects to date, and have announced a call to award another £500,000 in 2020.
Capacity building for scientists and clinicians
Borne is committed to supporting bright clinicians who are looking to develop their academic careers in the area of obstetrics, and helping promising post doctoral scientists in this field with their transition to independence.
Annual reviews
Find out more about Borne and what research you have helped to achieve:
- Our year in review 2018-2019 – PDF.
- Our year in review 2017-2018 – online version or PDF.
Our memberships and partnerships
Borne in Australia : our collaboration with HMRI
Borne Ambassadors Dean and Sarah Mumm have started a collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) in Australia.
The collaboration supports the work of Laureate Professor Roger Smith, who leads the Institute’s pregnancy and reproduction research there.
Through funds raised locally, Borne supports the development of a novel drug delivery system direct to the cells in the uterus. There is an ongoing effort to fund a scientist at HMRI who will work on joint projects with Borne.
Our governance
Executive Leadership
Board of Trustees
Scientific Advisory Board
- Tom Macdonald
- Kate Costeloe
- Hilary Critchley
- Salim Khakoo
- Scott Nelson