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Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre

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. 
Oxford harrington rare disease centre

Partnering to Accelerate Treatments 

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 centers of excellence to advance scientific discoveries into medicines. Fund for Cures UK operates in the UK and makes charitable grants to leading universities, medical schools, research institutes, and other charitable and scientific institutions. 

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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 US, UK and Europe.

  • The Therapeutics Accelerator (the ‘Accelerator’) will identify, fund and advance innovative projects from academic partners in the UK and US 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 partnership between University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, University of Oxford, and investment company, Oxford Science Enterprises. 

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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

Matthew wood4

Professor Matthew Wood 

Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, Professor of Neuroscience in Oxford’s Department of Pediatrics

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Matthew P. Anderson, MD, PhD

Co-Director, Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre; Investigator, Harrington Discovery Institute; Visiting Professor, University of Oxford

Oversight Committee

Sir john bell3
Georg hollander
Jonathan stamler

Sir John Bell

President, Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford; Interim Council Chairperson

Georg Holländer, MD

Head of Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford

Jonathan S. Stamler, MD

President, Harrington Discovery Institute

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