Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre | Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals

A Critical Need

There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, but fewer than 5% have effective treatments, let alone cures. The limited knowledge and consequent lack of treatments available for rare diseases is a major medical and pediatric emergency.

Rare diseases are collectively common:

One in seventeen people are affected by a rare disease (over 350 million people worldwide)
The majority of rare diseases affect children, and sadly, 30% of rare disease patients die before their fifth birthday.

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Partnering to Accelerate Treatments

The University of Oxford and Harrington Discovery Institute have formed a unique partnership combining world-leading strengths in research and therapeutics development, to form the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre. By leveraging our strengths and capabilities, the Oxford-Harrington Centre will advance knowledge leading to drug development in order to advance cures for rare disease.

Therapeutics Accelerator

The Accelerator is a first-in-kind, transatlantic initiative to identify, fund, and advance breakthrough academic discoveries to deliver new treatments for the 400 million people worldwide who suffer from rare diseases. Its goal is to deliver 40 new potentially life-changing therapies for rare diseases into clinical trials over the next ten years and target multiple approvals from regulators in key markets including the U.S., the U.K., and Europe.

The Therapeutics Accelerator (the ‘Accelerator’) will identify, fund and advance innovative projects from academic partners in the U.K. and U.S. with the goal to deliver 40 new potentially life-changing therapies for rare diseases into clinical trials over the next ten years, targeting multiple approvals in key markets.
The Accelerator will operate a unique non-profit/for-profit model with the intention to commit up to £200 million.
The Accelerator will receive support from a new partnership between University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, University of Oxford and investment company Oxford Science Enterprises.
Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron to lead the international efforts of the Accelerator as Chair of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Board.

Our Route to Success

Innovative discovery research and drug development programs will have access to cutting-edge scientific platforms complemented by extensive global partnerships. The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre will focus efforts on finding treatments and cures for rare diseases that fit within the following criteria:

Affect mainly children and have a genetic basis
Potential of treatments to impact multiple diseases
Thematic priority based on urgency and potential for impact (Neurological Rare Diseases, Developmental Rare Diseases, Rare Cancers)

Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. is Harrington Discovery Institute's UK charity and is the granting organization for the Centre.

Contact us to learn more about the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre.

Leadership

Professor Matthew Wood

Director, Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre; Professor of Neuroscience, University of Oxford

Mukesh Jain, MD

Chief Scientific Officer, Harrington Discovery Institute, Chief Academic Officer, University Hospitals Health System; Chief Research Officer, University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute; the Ellery Sedgwick Jr. Chair and Distinguished Scientist, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, and Vice Dean for Medical Sciences, and Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Oversight Committee

Sir John Bell, MD

Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford

Georg Holländer, MD

Head of Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford

Jonathan S. Stamler, MD

President, Harrington Discovery Institute

View our Rare Disease Day webinar.