To:       University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Faculty Physicians

From:   Mukesh K. Jain, MD, FAHA
            Chief Scientific Officer, Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals
            Chief Scientific Officer, University Hospitals

Date:    January 13, 2017

The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development – announces its fifth class of Scholar-Innovators and third class of partnership scholars. The Harrington Discovery Institute has thus funded to date promising drug-development efforts by 74 scientists, including 11 from the Cleveland medical community, instantiating the health system’s commitment to a vision for a better world.

The latest award recipients include:

2017 Harrington Scholar-Innovators

The 2017 Harrington Scholar-Innovators, selected for their merit in science, innovation and impact, represent premier universities from across the nation. This award provides access to several rounds of capital (up to $700,000) to support the transition of their work into the commercial realm. In addition to the financial support, the scholars receive hands-on mentoring from leaders in the pharmaceutical industry who are charged with fostering therapeutic development through the Harrington Discovery Institute’s Innovation Support Center.

The 2017 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award recipients, their organizations and fields of research are:

• Paul Bollyky, MD, PhD, Stanford University, a novel drug for Type 1 diabetes
• Ambrose Cheung, MD, Dartmouth School of Medicine, a novel treatment against MRSA and other Gram+ bacterial infections 
• Giulio Draetta, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a new therapy and first-in-human trials for pancreatic cancer
• Seth Field, MD, PhD, University of California San Diego, a novel pathway causing cancer 
• Todd Gould, MD, University of Maryland, a new medicine for depression
• John Letterio, MD, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals, a promising drug for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and cancer
• David Lombard, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, a new strategy in melanoma therapy
• Daruka Mahadevan, MD, PhD, University of Arizona, a novel class of cancer drugs and radiation sensitizers
• Deepak Nijhawan, MD, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a first-in-class immunotherapy for cancer 
• Stuart Orkin, MD, Harvard University, a novel treatment for sickle cell disease 
• Daniel Ory, MD, Washington University, a breakthrough treatment for Niemann-Pick C disease, a rare neurological disease

2016 Partnership Scholars

The 2016 scholars were selected in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), Foundation Fighting Blindness (Gund-Harrington) and University of Oxford. These collaborations are based on a shared mission to advance discoveries into new medicines that will improve human health, and enhance each organization's ability to play a significant role in advancing the standard of care. Awards include funding as well as expert guidance from the Harrington Innovation Support Center.

2016 ADDF-Harrington Scholars:

• Travis Dunckley, PhD, Arizona State University, using DYRK1A inhibitors to prevent cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s pathology
• Sung Ok Yoon, PhD, The Ohio State University, using novel inhibitors of a stress-activated kinase for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

2016 Gund-Harrington Scholar:

• David M. Gamm, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, restoring sight through the use of human pluripotent stem cells in individuals suffering from retinal degenerative disease

2016 Oxford-Harrington Scholar:

• Valentine M. Macaulay, MD, PhD, disrupting receptor internalization and nuclear translocation as a novel therapy for cancer

All Harrington Scholars will join past recipients at the Fifth Annual Scientific Symposium on May 23 – 24, 2017 in Cleveland. The symposium will showcase their work and that of other leading physician-scientists from across the nation and the UK. Please join us in congratulating our newest scholars.

To learn more about the 2017 Harrington Scholar-Innovator awardees and 2016 Partnership Scholars, click to view the news releases.