2021 Harrington Scientific Symposium

The 8th Annual Harrington Scientific Symposium was held virtually with speakers and audience members from the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Greece, and Switzerland tuning in May 26-27, 2021. More than 200 attendees participated in the two-day online event.

“In 2020 we gained critical clarity around who we are and what we are called to do. We have pioneered new models for biomedical innovation and for impact investing. We developed a track record of innovation that is vital in contemporary academic medicine and in serving patient needs. And finally, we have helped change the drug discovery culture in medicine,” said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute, during the Symposium’s opening remarks.

Harrington Discovery Institute Chief Scientific Officer Mukesh K. Jain, MD, served as emcee for the event, introducing speakers and presenting a new addition to the Symposium of recorded Scholar updates.

Harrington Project founder Ronald G. Harrington welcomed attendees to the Symposium and reflected on the three key areas of Harrington Discovery Institute – partners, progress and culture. He shared his thoughts on the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship and how culture helps drive the institute’s focus on enhancing and saving lives.

Other speakers included global leaders in science, medicine and academia. Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, delivered the Keynote Address, Creating New Opportunities for Biomedical Innovation: The Oxford-Harrington Alliance.

Stuart H. Orkin, MD, Harvard Medical School, presented his breakthrough discoveries in red blood cells that offer new treatments for patients with sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, for which he was awarded the 2020 Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine. 2021 Harrington Prize recipients, Warren J. Leonard, MD, NHLBI, and John J. O’Shea, MD, NIAMS, NIH, for their respective contributions to the field of immunology, from fundamental discovery to therapeutic impact.

The audience heard from two Harrington Scholars on their experiences within a Harrington program. Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital shared her work on the treatment of the rare disease Rett Syndrome, and the collaboration with her Harrington Therapeutics Development advisors. Justin Ichida, PhD, University of Southern California presented exciting advances in the pursuit of a new therapeutic for ALS patients.

Harrington Scholars from the Scholar-Innovator, ADDF-Harrington and Gund-Harrington programs presented their projects in a closed session. Members of Harrington’s Scientific Advisory Board, William G. Kaelin, Jr., MD, Barbara Kahn, MD, Andrew Marks, MD, and Michael Welsh, MD, participated in panels where they provided feedback and posed questions to the scholars on their work. Therapeutics Development Center Advisors George Trainor, PhD, Jan Rosenbaum, PhD, Larry Olanoff, MD, PhD, and Jim Bryson, PhD, also served on the panels and addressed commercial aspects of the scholar projects.