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=Biomedical Seed Fund Speeds Development of Emerging Technologies=

Cambridge, MA, September 23, 2009 - Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) today announced the 2009 awards made by its successful Technology Development Accelerator Fund, an innovative program designed to “boost” early-stage technologies emerging from the University’s biomedical and life science research enterprise into commercial development. This is the third year of the Accelerator Fund’s operation.

The Accelerator Fund aims to bridge what is known as the “development gap”, an obstacle frequently encountered by university scientists that often causes promising early-stage inventions to stall for lack of the validation or “proof of principle” (POP) data necessary to attract development partners from industry and the venture capital community.

The Accelerator was specifically designed to provide Harvard scientists with the bridge financing required to generate POP and overcome the development gap. The ultimate objective of the Accelerator Fund is to serve the public interest by expediting the transfer and commercial development of new inventions made by Harvard researchers from the lab to the marketplace.

“As a leading research university, Harvard has a unique opportunity to foster and expedite the development of nascent technologies that could benefit the public” said Isaac T. Kohlberg, Senior Associate Provost and Chief Technology Development Officer. “The Accelerator Fund is the fulfillment of our mission and vision to ensure that promising new technologies originating at Harvard do not go undeveloped.”

Harvard launched the Accelerator Fund in 2007 with private donations, and seeks further donations to support additional research projects. In its first year of operation, the Accelerator funded six research projects in such disease areas as HIV, cancer and diabetes, at total budget of $1.3 million. Nine projects were funded in 2008 at a cumulative budget of $1.5 million. Eight projects were funded in 2009 at a total budget of $1.2 Million. The 2009 Accelerator recipients are:

• Thomas Bernhardt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  Project: Antibacterial discovery using a chemical suppressor screen
• Constance Cepko, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology; Professor of Genetics
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Genetics
  Project: Gene Therapy for the Preservation of Vision
• Daniel Finley, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Cell Biology
  Project: Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Deubiquitinating Enzymes Usp14 and Uch37
• Marcia Haigis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology; Tutor in Biochemical Sciences
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Pathology
  Project: Identification of SIRT4 Inhibitors to Stimulate Fatty Acid Catabolism
• Jose Halperin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine
  Harvard Medical School, Lab for Translational Research
  Project: Glycated CD59 as a Biomarker of Impaired Glucose Tolerance (Pre-Diabetes)
• Gökhan Hotamisligil , MD, PhD, James Stevens Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism; Chair, Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases
  Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases
  Project: Development of a Therapeutic Antibody Against Diabetes and Related Metabolic Diseases
• Stephen Lory, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  Project: Development of Antimicrobial Agents Targeting Bacterial Cell Envelope Biogenesis
• Junying Yuan, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology
  Harvard Medical School, Dept of Cell Biology
  Project: Project: Development of Autophagy Inhibitors
  

The Technology Development Accelerator Fund is managed by Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. “We are pleased with the Accelerator’s progress thus far”, said Curtis T. Keith, PhD, the Accelerator’s Chief Scientific Officer. “It provides a novel mechanism to fund early stage research with commercial potential, and to propel new inventions made by Harvard’s faculty out of the lab and into the marketplace.”

The Accelerator is also managed by a dedicated Advisory Committee, appointed by the Provost, comprised of recognized opinion leaders from the Harvard faculty, industry and the venture capital community. The Committee applies stringent criteria to help select the most consequential proposals for funding submitted by Harvard scientists as part of a competitive, reviewed process. A portion of future revenues that may be generated as a result of licensing projects supported by the Accelerator will be returned to the Accelerator Fund to help sustain future research and innovation at Harvard.

The members of the Accelerator Advisory Committee are:

• Julian Adams, PhD, President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer, Infinity Pharmaceuticals
• Joan S. Brugge, PhD, Chair, Professor of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
• Doug Cole, MD, General Partner, Flagship Ventures
• Geoff Duyk, MD, PhD, Managing Director, Texas Pacific Group Ventures
• Jean-François Formela, MD, Senior Partner, Atlas Venture
• Chris Mirabelli, PhD, Managing Director, HealthCare Ventures
• George M. Whitesides, PhD, Woodford L. and Ann A Flowers University Professor, Harvard University

About Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development
Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD) is responsible for all activities pertaining to the evaluation, patenting and licensing of new inventions and discoveries made at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. OTD also serves to further the development of Harvard technologies through the establishment of sponsored research collaborations with industry. OTD’s mission is to promote the public good by fostering innovation and translating new inventions made at Harvard into useful products available and beneficial to society.