How we work & support

What we support

Our support focuses on two complementary areas that together drive progress toward new therapies for EB: infrastructure projects and treatment projects

Infrastructure projects build the essential foundations needed for EB research and therapy development. They create shared resources – such as patient registries, biobanks, disease models, and clinical trial networks – enabling collaboration, improving data quality, and accelerating translational progress across the field. 

Treatment projects directly advance therapeutic approaches with the potential to improve the lives of people living with EB. These include preclinical and clinical research programs, in-house development efforts, and industry collaborations aimed at translating promising science into patient benefit. 

 

Infrastructure projects

Drug development for rare diseases is often complicated by a lack of basic information about the condition itself. For example, key insights into the disease course are frequently limited, and suitable models for testing new therapies might be missing. We aim to change this for EB. 

To accelerate progress, we support and build essential infrastructure that facilitates treatment development for EB and make it accessible to stakeholders working toward new EB therapies. This includes infrastructures that base both the early phases of drug development (such as preclinical EB models) as well as the later stages (e.g. support for clinical sites conducting EB trials). Together, these tools empower researchers, drug developers and care providers alike.

By investing in these foundational resources, DEBRA Research avoids duplication of effort and accelerates the development of new treatment and cures.

Example: The Preclinical EB CRO, established in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London, provides standardized in vitro and in vivo models, assay development, and efficacy testing for candidate therapies. This shared resource strengthens reproducibility, translational success, and regulatory readiness.

 

Treatment projects

DEBRA Research supports treatment projects that aim to create new therapies or improve existing options for EB. Because therapeutic development is complex and involves multiple stakeholders, the type of support needed varies by project type, maturity, and scientific approach. 

We collaborate with academic groups, non-profit organizations, start-ups, biotech companies, and the pharmaceutical industry to advance promising ideas toward clinical application. 

In addition to external collaborations, we also drive selected programs through our non-profit in-house development model, taking on early-stage concepts and progressing them with dedicated scientific and project management resources until they are ready to transition to commercial partners.

Example: Our work through ReadOn Therapeutics gGmbH, a non-profit subsidiary founded with Nonsense Therpeutics Ltd., focuses on pre-competitive development of read-through therapies for people living with EB.

 

Our approach and support models

Development of novel treatments is a complex, multi-stakeholder effort with a high risk of failure. The type of support needed depends on the nature and stage of a project, as well as on who is leading it. To increase the chances of success, DEBRA Research brings together a team with broad experience in drug development and pursues multiple routes to support therapeutic innovation for EB.

We support treatment projects through a combination of grant funding as well as through dedicated in-house development programs and impact investments in companies developing promising EB therapies.

Across all projects, we complement financial support with scientific expertise, strategic guidance, and access to our global network of patient representatives, clinicians, researchers, and development partners — helping move promising approaches closer to people living with EB.

 

Grants

At DEBRA Research, we support innovative projects that move EB research forward — from early scientific discovery to translational development and clinical application. Through our dedicated grant programs, we aim to accelerate progress by supporting ideas with the potential to make a real difference for people living with EB.

Our structured Basic Science & Research Grants and PDP Grants provide clear pathways for advancing both foundational understanding and therapeutic innovation. In addition, we offer ad-hoc funding opportunities to ensure that promising ideas can grow whenever and wherever they emerge.

 

In-house development

DEBRA Research advances promising drug development programs through a dedicated non-profit development model. By adopting projects and driving them forward within a mission-driven framework – either in-house or through specialized non-profit subsidiaries – we act as an incubator that supports early innovation until it is ready to transition to a commercial partner for marked advancement.

These in-house programs are developed in close cooperation with scientists, experts, contract research organizations, and other collaborators, ensuring steady progress from concept to tangible outcomes. Learn more about it here.

Impact Investments

As part of our funding strategy, DEBRA Research engages in impact-driven equity investments to accelerate breakthrough therapies for EB. We partner with biotech and life-science companies whose platforms, technologies, or therapeutic approaches have clear potential for EB.

Our investments are strategic and complementary, addressing different mechanisms and unmet needs – from drug delivery and protein replacement to wound healing and symptom relief. In addition to capital, we offer scientific insight, collaboration, and access to our expert network.

We welcome discussions with both emerging and established biotech companies - whether already focused on EB or exploring how their technologies could be applied to it - to identify opportunities for meaningful collaboration and shared progress.

(✓) Product focus not mandatory, but possible

If you are interested in supporting us in this effort or if you would like to receive our support, please do not hesitate to contact us to make it a joint mission to help the people living with EB.