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There are over 10,000 distinct rare diseases, affecting 400 million people worldwide, yet fewer than 5% have approved treatments. The lack of effective treatments for rare diseases is a major medical and pediatric emergency, with 30% of rare disease patients dying before their fifth birthday.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, a partnership between the University of Oxford and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, is a global initiative to develop novel treatments for rare diseases, for which therapeutic options are severely lacking. Our mission is to deliver new treatments for the 400 million people worldwide who suffer from a rare disease. Our goal is to advance 40 drugs into clinical trials in the next 10 years, targeting multiple approvals in key markets.
The University of Oxford and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio 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 Rare Disease Centre is united in our mission to deliver cures for rare diseases.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award accelerates promising discoveries from academic labs toward clinical practice by providing funding and expert therapeutics development support to researchers in the UK, US, and Canada. This program offers guaranteed funding of $100,000 or £100,000, along with drug and business development support from Harrington Discovery Institute's Therapeutics Development Center. The award also includes
David Cameron, former U.K. Prime Minister, will lead global efforts as Founding Chair of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Board, guiding its mission to accelerate the development of life-saving treatments for rare diseases.
"I know from my own experience of having a son born with an incredibly rare and incurable disease, how little we really know about rare diseases. Although individually they may only affect small numbers of patients like my son, Ivan, collectively they represent a major global health crisis that affects millions of patients and their families in life-changing ways.
As Prime Minister and since, I have been fortunate to follow the enormous scientific breakthroughs that have taken place over the last decade, such as the use of genomics, which opened my eyes to how much we could know about rare diseases. That’s why I set up Genomics England and personally championed the 100,000 Genomes Project - now expanded to sequence 5 million adults across the UK - and that is why today I am so pleased to back this unique Rare Disease Therapeutics Accelerator, designed to make a transformational, global impact on the treatment of these devastating and often neglected diseases.
I have long said that beating these diseases is within our grasp. This Accelerator will deliver new, real and tangible therapies for patients and, by doing so, offer huge benefits for patients, their families and wider society. I am delighted to play my part in making it a reality.”