Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, have announced a multi-year collaboration to accelerate breakthrough therapeutic discoveries in rare diseases.

A first of a kind partnership for Harrington Discovery Institute with a major pharmaceutical company, this collaboration with Takeda will build on Harrington Discovery Institute’s established operating model to create a new programme specifically for the advancement of medicines for rare diseases. At the same time, this collaboration will complement Takeda’s strategic R&D focus in its therapeutic areas of oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system disorders. The Harrington program will focus on M.D. and Ph.D. researchers from across the United States, developing disruptive and transformative research, which shows promise for translation into novel treatments.

“Takeda is committed to supporting and developing transformative therapies for social benefit – so are we,” said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, president, Harrington Discovery Institute and the Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Innovation at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “We are delighted to see Takeda’s confidence in us to advance early stage discoveries in a major area of unmet medical need. Through this partnering model that bridges academia and industry, we will jointly leverage our financial and human capital to accelerate the pace of cures for rare diseases.”

Researchers in the new programme will have access to grant funding from the Harrington Discovery Institute and hands-on drug development capability and project management from experts in its Innovation Support Center. In addition to those resources, researchers will also have access to Takeda’s internal research and development experts.

“This collaboration is another example of how Takeda is focused on fostering partnerships between academia and industry and its increasing commitment to the development of medicines in rare diseases-, particularly in our therapeutic areas of focus in oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system disorders,” said Daniel Curran, MD, head of the center for external innovation, Takeda. “We believe Harrington Discovery Institute has a unique structure that is immensely helpful to academic researchers who are developing novel therapeutics that can result in significant impact for patients. Our collaboration demonstrates a new way of business that is driven by a shared vision and mission.”