December 23, 2025

Partnering For Progress: Funding The Future Of Rare Disease Research

We’re excited to share a new Q&A with Matthew P. Anderson, MD, PhD, Co-Director of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, exploring how bold partnerships can accelerate new treatments for patients with rare diseases. Read more here.

Partnering For Progress: Funding The Future Of Rare Disease Research

A conversation with Matthew P. Anderson, MD, Ph.D., co-director, Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre

Rare diseases impact 500 million people worldwide, yet 95% have no approved treatment — not for lack of science, but because most discoveries stall long before the clinic. The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC) hopes to change that. The OHC is a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Harrington Discovery Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, and its goal is to advance 40 drugs into clinical trials by 2034.

It identifies high-potential breakthroughs and funds the early steps that typically prevent progress. The OHC offers the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award to 10 scientists each year who are developing gene, RNA, cell, and small molecule therapies in the OHC’s priority areas: rare neurological diseases, metabolic and developmental diseases, and childhood cancers.

In this Q&A, Life Science Connect’s Morgan Kohler caught up with Matthew Anderson to discuss the center’s research efforts in drug discovery.

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