The Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund will advance groundbreaking research from Professor Linda Griffith (pictured) that will allow researchers to accelerate the understanding and treatment of often-neglected diseases that tend to be more common in women. (Photo: Gretchen Ertl)
MIT Launches “Moonshot for Menstruation Science”
MIT News Publication Date: July 18, 2025
The MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS) has established the Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund, a bold initiative designed to revolutionize women’s health research. Supported by a $10 million gift from Emily and Malcolm Fairbairn, the fund will advance pioneering research on the human uterus and its impact on sex-based differences in human immunology.
This initiative aims to improve the understanding and treatment of conditions such as endometriosis, as well as other chronic systemic inflammatory diseases that disproportionately affect women. Led in part by Professor Linda Griffith, director of the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research (CGR), the fund will also support the development of next-generation drug-discovery technologies, including “organs on chips” to create “living patient avatars” for preclinical testing.
Read the full article by Michaela Jarvis of MIT’s Office of Innovation and Strategy here.
