Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator

The Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) are pleased to offer Harvard University researchers a unique funding opportunity to support projects executed at Landmark Bio. This opportunity, distinct from other Accelerator RFPs, is well suited for investigators looking to develop a therapeutic candidate or develop, prototype and/or evaluate process and analytical technologies with applicability to advanced therapies (e.g., cell therapy, gene therapy, mRNA). Investigators will benefit through interactions with Landmark Bio’s team of experienced drug developers and by leveraging Landmark Bio’s state-of-the-art development and manufacturing facilities.

A significant obstacle in moving early-stage discoveries from the bench to the clinic is access to pharmaceutical development Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) expertise to translate lab protocols into processes suitable for execution in manufacturing facilities meeting current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) requirements for human use. To bridge this gap, Harvard has partnered with MIT, five Harvard-affiliated hospitals, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, and Cytiva to create Landmark Bio, an innovative advanced therapies translational contract development and manufacturing organization in Watertown, Massachusetts. Landmark Bio’s mission is to translate groundbreaking research into life-changing therapies, and its vision is to create a world where advanced therapies are accessible to all. Academic investigators can quickly bridge the gap from bench to patient by leveraging Landmark Bio’s expert CMC translational and GMP manufacturing services, deep industry expertise, and flexible partnership models. Today’s advanced therapies often incorporate diverse genomic, cellular, and delivery technologies. Landmark Bio’s modular, reconfigurable manufacturing capabilities were designed from the ground up to support a diverse cell and gene therapy technology toolbox.