Borne is a medical research charity working to identify the causes of premature birth in order to save lives, prevent disability and create lifelong health for mothers and babies. Premature delivery is the most significant cause of infant mortality and disability worldwide. In the UK alone, 1 in 10 babies are born too soon, or 60,000 every year.  Around the world, the figure is 15 million.

Globally, premature birth is the most common cause of death in children less than 5 years of age, but little is known about why women go into labour prematurely or how to prevent this from happening.

Borne was founded in 2016 and is based in Imperial College School of Medicine‘s facilities at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Its mission is to:

·         Understand the mechanisms responsible for preterm and term labour

·         Develop effective treatment strategies to prevent preterm labour

·         Build capacity by attracting the best scientists and clinicians to this area of medicine

·         Increase awareness of preterm birth and its social, personal and economic consequences