Harvard and ONO Pharmaceutical launch university-wide alliance to address multiple disease areas

(Press-News.org) Harvard University and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (ONO) have launched a strategic alliance to advance research across a broad range of therapeutic areas. This collaborative effort marks a significant commitment to identify and develop first-in-class therapeutics for medical conditions in the areas of oncology, immunology, neurology, and specialty.

Through a five-year strategic research alliance spearheaded by Harvard’s Office of Technology Development, the request for proposals will be for research projects focused on the validation of novel therapeutic targets from labs across Harvard University including Harvard Medical School, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Wyss Institute, and others. ONO will support and fund research projects that are jointly selected. The Harvard Medical School Therapeutics Translator will play a key role in advancing later-stage projects. With the combined expertise and resources of both Harvard and ONO, this strategic alliance focuses on critical health challenges to impact patient care. 

"Harvard's alliance with ONO underscores the university’s commitment to advancing our understanding and treatment of some of today’s most pressing health issues," stated Vivian Berlin, Executive Director, Harvard Medical School in Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. “The alliance will support research projects that pave the way for a future where complex diseases are better understood and more effectively treated.”

Corporate partnerships such as this one bridge the gap between academic research and tangible, real-world medical applications. Focusing on multiple medical challenges and working with labs across Harvard University, the alliance will advance research toward the validation of therapeutic targets and the discovery of new drugs. 

"We are pleased to work together with Harvard University, a leading institution developing cutting-edge technologies and advancing research through strategic alliances such as this one,” stated Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research at Ono Pharmaceutical. “Our alliance with Harvard University leverages the complementary strengths to accelerate the validation of novel therapeutic targets that would lead to the discovery of new drugs. We will continue to work hard to deliver innovative drugs for patients with unmet medical needs. "

Harvard’s Office of Technology Development has begun to identify numerous research projects to be funded by the alliance.

“Strategic alliances with corporate partners bring together academic innovation with industrial capabilities,” stated Isaac Kohlberg, Senior Associate Provost and Chief Technology Development Officer at Harvard University. “Alliances not only accelerate the translation of groundbreaking discoveries into tangible products but also enrich Harvard’s research with real-world applications.”

<h2>About Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development</h2>

Harvard’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) promotes the public good by fostering innovation and translating new inventions made at Harvard University into useful products that are available and beneficial to society. Our integrated approach to technology development comprises sponsored research and corporate alliances, intellectual property management, and technology commercialization through venture creation and licensing. More than 100 startups have launched to commercialize Harvard technologies in the past 5 years. To further bridge the academic-industry development gap, Harvard OTD manages the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and jointly oversees the Harvard Grid and the Climate and Sustainability Translational Fund. For more information, please visit https://otd.harvard.edu

END