Richmond—Not far from where highways I-95 and I-64 meet in Richmond, Virginia, there’s a quiet biotech park that’s home to what some have called the best-kept secret in chemistry. The Medicines for All Institute, or M4All, makes lifesaving drugs more accessible globally by finding better ways to make them.
At a glance
Name: Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University
Year established: 2017
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Mission: Improve access to high-quality medications across the globe by driving down production costs
Founder: Frank Gupton
Funding: More than $70 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other philanthropic partners
M4All is part of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and its mission is public, even if the institute is not well known. Its scientists regularly publish in top chemistry journals and make many of their advances available to anyone on the institute’s website.