Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Boston Children’s Hospital and Astellas have formed an alliance to identify and fund promising research to advance novel therapeutics. For this round of proposals, Boston Children’s Hospital and Astellas invite proposals that are focused on AAV programs for genetic disease in Neuro-Muscular Disease, CNS or ophthalmology areas.
Please see the full call for proposals here.
Contact Matthew Powers at Matthew.Powers2@childrens.harvard.edu with any questions!
Deerfield has pledged up to $65 million with the goal of facilitating the translation and commercialization of novel biomedical research at Boston Children’s Hospital through a new collaboration called Blackfan Circle Innovations. Through Blackfan Circle, Boston Children’s Hospital scientists have the opportunity to submit therapeutic proposals for potential funding.
Deerfield will provide research funding and operational support in product development and commercialization to co-develop the jointly-selected research therapeutic candidates with the goal of achieving Investigational New Drug (IND) readiness. Successful projects that reach IND-enabled status may receive additional funding.
We would like to invite BCH investigators to begin the submission process to Blackfan Circle Innovations, the newly established entity created to accelerate research at BCH.
Areas of Interest:
- Broad interest across all therapeutic areas and modalities
- Early-stage projects with potential to progress to IND-enabled status, early clinical development, and human proof-of-concept
Proposal Process:
- Proposal Concept Sheet
- Letter of Intent
- Full Proposal and Presentation
In order to engage initial interest with Blackfan Circle Innovations, TIDO encourages BCH investigators to submit one or more Proposal Concept Sheet(s), each of which will constitute a brief overview of the proposed project focusing on the areas listed below.
- Genetic Evidence
- Biologic Rationale
- Preclinical Execution
- Unmet Need
- Clinical Development (if applicable)
- Novelty/ Differentiation
A Proposal Concept Sheet submission template will be provided by TIDO. For more information on proposal submission to Blackfan Circle Innovations, a copy of the Proposal Concept Sheet, or questions related to the application process, please contact Sabrina Kamran, Strategic Alliance Manager at Sabrina.Kamran@childrens.harvard.edu.
If your Proposal Concept Sheet is selected for advancement, you will be asked to complete a Letter of Intent with a more detailed description of the proposed project. Finally, at the Full Proposal stage of evaluation, you will be asked to submit a detailed research plan and budget and meet with the Deerfield review team to discuss your proposal. Deerfield Discovery and Development experts will be available to consult with you on your proposal throughout the entire evaluation process.
Who Can Apply:
- Full-time BCH Principal Investigators
- Principal Investigators with faculty appointment who are subject to Boston Children’s policies regarding the conduct of research and ownership of intellectual property
Submissions:
Proposal Concept Sheets submitted to Blackfan Circle Innovations will be considered on a rolling basis, with operational and scientific guidance and support from TIDO during the submission process.