Harrington Discovery Institute Issues Transatlantic Call for Proposals to Treat Coronavirus and its Clinical Impact

Philanthropic drug development program seeks to accelerate treatments into human clinical trials

CLEVELAND, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, today issued a transatlantic call for proposals for new treatments, pursuant to its recently announced major initiative to support the global fight against novel Coronavirus and potential future pandemic events. Harrington Discovery Institute (HDI) will provide successful applicants with grant funding and expert guidance and oversight in all aspects of drug/therapeutics development, while taking no rights to intellectual property, which is retained by the award recipient and their institution.

"Through this call we will help move near-term drug programs into human clinical trials and expand the pipeline of earlier stage therapies to address deadly viruses in the future," said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute, Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Innovation and Professor of Medicine at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.

Through its mission and organizational structure, Harrington Discovery Institute aligns non-profit and for-profit resources to advance breakthrough discoveries into medicines. Using guidance from its scientific and investment advisory boards, HDI selects the most promising scientific discoveries from leading global academic labs and determines where financial and expert drug development resources should be invested to accelerate success. HDI also facilitates clinical trials, new company creation and other commercial partnerships.

"The private sector and philanthropic community have quickly made tremendous strides toward new vaccines and the repurposing of approved drugs. We will complement those programs and add significant value by advancing solutions to treat the complications of the current virus, protect against new viruses and viral subtypes, and accelerate the development of broad spectrum anti-viral agents," Dr. Stamler said.

HDI will select up to ten projects through the call for proposals and its current portfolio of drugs in development. Awarded projects will run for 12 months, with the possibility of extending the engagement.

Award recipients will receive:

• $150k guaranteed, with the potential to receive up to $1 million in charitable support.
• Dedicated drug discovery and development support from Harrington Discovery Institute's Therapeutics Development team (experienced pharma and business development team with a track record of bringing new drugs to market).
• A personalized team of drug developers and project manager for every award recipient.
• Select access to partners that range from non-profit, foundation, and public sector organizations to private drug development and investment companies.

Projects being sought:

• Novel therapies that can target Coronavirus and its co-morbidities, such as impact on lungs and heart.
• Broad-spectrum anti-viral therapies, particularly targeting respiratory viruses.
• Next generation vaccines that may target new Corona strains, multiple Corona viruses or more than one type of virus.
• Emergency countermeasures/prophylaxis strategies for first responders and emergency medical personnel to be administered either once or short-term.

Emphasis of call:

• Therapies that can enter clinical trials near-term (i.e., within 12 months) with HDI project management and financial support.
• Breakthrough, differentiated technologies and discoveries.

Who is eligible?

• Investigators from accredited academic medical centers, research institutions or universities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
• Lead investigators must have an M.D. or Ph.D. or equivalent.

Note that:

• The HDI Therapeutics Development team will work with successful applicants to redirect promising therapies toward Coronavirus if applicable.
• Funding from other sources (e.g. DoD, NIH, foundations) is welcomed but not required.
• All therapeutic modalities will be considered.

How to apply:

• For more information and to apply, go to harringtondiscovery.org/coronavirus.
• A short application must be submitted by 5:00 PM EDT on April 30, 2020*.
• Award recipients will be notified in May 2020*. 

*Please note this is an accelerated application process and timeline.

About 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.