Harrington Discovery Institute Invites Proposals for 2020 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award

New grant programme seeks to advance therapies for rare diseases

CLEVELAND, Jan. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harrington Discovery Institute® at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, and its registered UK charity Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. (Fund for Cures UK) have issued a call for proposals for the 2020 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award, a new programme to advance promising research into novel treatments for rare diseases. In addition to grant funding, Harrington Discovery Institute provides guidance and oversight in all aspects of drug development, while taking no rights to intellectual property, which is retained by the scholar and their institution.

"Since its founding in 2012, Harrington Discovery Institute has been dedicated to accelerating the development of new medicines that would otherwise not reach patients in need. Our drug development model has been embraced by more than 50 U.S. academic institutions, and we are pleased to expand into the U.K. through this rare disease initiative," said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute and Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Innovation at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. 

"Advances in science make treatment for rare diseases a new reality. The depth of knowledge and creativity that exists across U.K.'s academic institutions is tremendous, and we are hopeful that this award will create a vital new pathway for innovative physicians and scientists to progress their projects towards the clinic," said Sir John Banham, member, Board of Trustees, Fund for Cures UK. 

"This is a terrific opportunity for universities throughout the U.K. to leverage a proven approach for drug development and advance those discoveries that have the potential to change the rare disease landscape," said Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford, and U.K. Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Lead for U.K. government.

Applicants have the opportunity to receive:

• £100K guaranteed, with the potential to qualify for an additional £400K (a total of £500K).
• Discovery and development support from a team of Harrington Discovery Institute industry leaders with significant experience bringing drugs to market.

Award criteria:

• Any disease or disorder affecting fewer than 5 in 10,000 people will be considered, including ultra-rare diseases and rare variants of more common diseases.
• Of particular interest are discoveries that have a proven genetic basis, are applicable to multiple rare diseases, and/or impact common diseases.
• Award is open to academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions and universities in the United Kingdom.
• Lead investigator must have an MD or PhD or equivalent.
• The project can involve any therapeutic modality.

Please note the following dates:

• Full applications are due by 10:00 PM (GMT) on 2 March, 2020.
• Award recipients will be notified and announced July, 2020.

Harrington Discovery Institute
The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH?part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development?aims to advance medicine and society by enabling our nation's most inventive scientists to turn their discoveries into medicines that improve human health. The institute was created in 2012 with a $50 million founding gift from the Harrington family and instantiates the commitment they share with University Hospitals to a Vision for a 'Better World'. For more information, visit: HarringtonDiscovery.org.

Fund for Cures UK, Ltd.
University Hospitals Health System, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, USA established Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. (Fund for Cures UK) to make grants and establish affiliations or centres of excellence to advance scientific discoveries into medicines. Fund for Cures UK will operate in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in proximity to UK researchers and benefit from complementary local knowledge, background and expertise to more effectively translate UK discoveries into medicines for unmet needs. Fund for Cures UK will make charitable grants to leading universities, medical schools, research institutes, and other charitable and scientific institutions. As with the U.S. programmes, the company's grants will be entirely charitable and the company will obtain no rights or intellectual property that may be generated through the grant-funded research. For more information, visit: FundforCures.org.uk.