BioMedX launches R&D accelerator to advance women’s health
Charlie Blackie-Kelly | October 28, 2025 | News story | Research and Development | BioMedX, Gates Foundation, Women’s Health
BioMed X, an independent research institute with sites in Germany and the United States, has announced the launch of XFem Labs, a new R&D accelerator dedicated to advancing women’s health initiatives, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for women in low- and middle-income countries.
According to the company, XFem Labs is supported by a $2m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will be based at BioMed X’s Heidelberg site in Germany.
The accelerator’s inaugural project, ‘New Strategies for Female-Controlled Non-Hormonal Contraception’, aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry to drive transformative innovation in contraceptive research and development.
Despite the range of contraceptive methods currently available, an estimated 257 million women worldwide still face barriers to access and availability. Similarly, hormonal contraceptives are associated with unwanted side effects, leading to high discontinuation rates. This underscores a significant unmet need for non-hormonal, female-controlled contraceptive options.
An international call for research proposals is open until early December. Selected applicants will be invited to participate in a bootcamp at XFem Labs, where they will collaborate to form a new incubation and research team. BioMed X stated that it is seeking proposals exploring novel biological targets, molecular mechanisms, or delivery models for continuous or on-demand non-hormonal contraception.
“Our joint goal with the Gates Foundation is to create a significant impact on the lives and health of women world-wide,” said Dr. Christian Tidona, CEO of BioMed X. “Together with an international network of top experts and key opinion leaders, we will jointly build and mentor new outstanding research teams who will strive to solve some of the most pressing challenges in women’s health.”
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