#United States #Cleveland #Drug Development #Harrington Institute #Scholar-Innovators

Harrington Discovery Institute Unveils the 2025 Scholar-Innovator Awardees

The Harrington Discovery Institute, part of University Hospitals located in Cleveland, Ohio, has revealed the ten recipients of the prestigious 2025 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award. This year’s class of Scholar-Innovators is poised to advance their innovative drug research towards clinical application, promising new treatments for both prevalent and rare diseases.

Since its establishment in 2012, the institute has been dedicated to expediting the journey from discovery to treatment in the medical field. With a focus on unmet medical needs, the Institute has successfully propelled a significant number of drugs toward clinical trials while nurturing their partnerships with numerous universities and startups. To date, 214 drug candidates have been introduced through their unique model of scientific support.

The 2025 Scholar-Innovators were selected for their groundbreaking projects spanning several critical areas, including cardiovascular health, infectious diseases, and cancer therapies. Each recipient is set to utilize their award not only for research funding but for comprehensive support in drug development and commercialization.

Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, the President and Co-Founder of Harrington Discovery Institute, emphasized the transformative potential of these discoveries, “Our goal is to help this extraordinary group of Scholar-Innovators turn their visionary ideas into real-world solutions for patients.”

The 2025 Awardees and Their Pioneering Research:

The following ten scholars represent a diverse array of medical highlighted endeavors:

1. Ravit Boger, MD – Medical College of Wisconsin
Developing antiviral drugs aimed at combating severe viral infections in immunocompromised patients.

2. Robert Bonomo, MD – Case Western Reserve University
Innovating new antibiotics specially designed to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections, addressing a pressing public health challenge.

3. Jacob Brenner, MD, PhD – University of Pennsylvania
Crafting novel gene therapy techniques to treat a variety of diseases via an innovative gene delivery approach.

4. George Daley, MD, PhD – Boston Children's Hospital
Working on therapies that utilize off-the-shelf immune cells to effectively manage autoimmune diseases.

5. Hamed Jafar-Nejad, MD – Baylor College of Medicine
Pursuing gene therapy solutions to treat Alagille Syndrome, a rare inherited disorder.

6. Danny Khalil, MD, PhD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Investigating an immunotherapeutic drug designed to enhance the body’s ability to target and destroy solid tumors.

7. Deepak Nijhawan, MD, PhD – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Targeting common cancers through ribosome inhibition to disrupt protein synthesis in malignant cells.

8. Alexander Rotenberg, MD, PhD – Boston Children's Hospital
Developing gene therapy tactics for the treatment of Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency (SSADHD), a rare genetic disorder.

9. Nathan Stitziel, MD, PhD – Washington University in St. Louis
Innovating treatments for heart disease and stroke through the inhibition of novel pathways.

10. Leonard Zon, MD – Boston Children's Hospital
Enhancing stem cell growth mechanisms to facilitate better outcomes in bone marrow transplants.

Looking Ahead

In addition to grant support, Harrington Scholar-Innovators will also benefit from opportunities to apply for acceleration funds that can reach up to $300,000 and investment fund opportunities worth up to $2 million. The institute ensures that these innovators gain accelerated access to Harrington’s aligned commercial entities and resources, which ultimately put them in a stronger position to impact patient care and treatment outcomes.

The Harrington Discovery Institute has begun accepting Letters of Intent for the 2026 Scholar-Innovator Award, with a deadline set for June 4, 2025. This initiative continues to foster groundbreaking medical research, underscoring the importance of collaboration between academia and clinical care, vital for addressing critical health needs today.

For more detailed information and to apply for future awards, visit HarringtonDiscovery.org/Scholar-Innovators.