BLAVATNIK

Photo courtesy of Blavatnik Family Foundation

Universities are ripe with new advances in science and technology, and Harvard is no exception. But developing those findings into breakthrough therapies and cures for disease is a somewhat different process that can take a long time—for some patients, too long. Announced earlier this year, a $50 million gift to Harvard University by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, headed by Len Blavatnik (MBA 1989), addresses that challenge head-on. Building on the University's 2007 Biomedical Accelerator Fund (also supported by Blavatnik as the anchor donor), the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator identifies early-stage, highly promising technologies developed by Harvard University faculty, then helps those selected navigate the early stages of development so that they can go to market more quickly.

The gift also funds the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship Program, which connects recent HBS alumni with Accelerator projects, and is directed by HBS Professor of Management Practice Vicki Sato. Blavatnik Fellows receive a one-year stipend, as well as additional funding for activities such as due diligence, market research, and other tasks necessary to determine the best route for product commercialization. "By increasing the collaborative efforts between HBS and Harvard's scientific community, we will empower the next generation of life science entrepreneurs and provide a further catalyst for innovation and research development," said Blavatnik. This year's fellows include Ross Leimberg (MBA 2012), Daniel Oliver (MBA 2013), Steven Porter (MD/MBA 2011), John Strenkowski (MBA 2009), and Ridhi Tariyal (MBA 2009).

"We are pleased to see this year's inaugural class of fellows take on key roles in this important sector, which depends on the merging of breakthrough scientific ideas and great business leadership," said Dean Nitin Nohria.

By focusing on technologies that have great potential to impact human lives and by enabling business leaders to take these discoveries to market, the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator represents a unique approach to life sciences entrepreneurship and establishes a fast track for the development of new cures:

Bridging the Gap

The Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator speeds up the translation of life science discoveries made at Harvard into practical therapies, including the following technologies:

• Miniproteins that can penetrate cells and act on targets that were previously considered "undruggable."
• The application of unique genetic and biochemical methods to develop new antibiotics targeting the outer membrane of clinically important bacterial pathogens such as E. coli.
• Inhibitors of proteins that play an important role in cholesterol and fat metabolism, to be developed as potential therapeutics for the treatment of diseases such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and some cancers.
• A method for determining the chemical structure (including chirality) of drug molecules with a high degree of accuracy for drug development and diagnostic applications.
• Chemical compounds excreted by predators that stimulate avoidance behavior in disease-carrying rodents, to be formulated as a repellant mixture that can be used to combat disease transmission and food insecurity in domestic and agricultural settings.
• Protein degradation modulators deployed against validated cellular targets for use as anticancer therapeutics.
• A chemical synthesis platform for generating large numbers of new antibiotics that cannot be produced by conventional approaches.
• Activation of the immune system for anticancer and broad-spectrum antiviral applications.

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