Research News

LifeArc—a UK-based, self-funded medical research charity—has initiated a new strategic collaboration with Cleveland Clinic that aims to accelerate the translation of promising scientific discoveries into new tests and treatments for patients.

Through the collaboration, LifeArc will sponsor two new postdoctoral fellowships within Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Therapeutics Discovery, which is part of Lerner Research Institute. LifeArc will provide funding for the researchers’ salaries and laboratory supplies over two years.

The fellows will carry out investigative research on early-stage innovative projects in therapeutic areas that closely align with the strategic priorities of both organizations, including: infectious disease; cancer, with a focus on early detection and precision medicine; and neurological disorders, including epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Other key shared areas of interest include diagnostics and biomarker development to create new tests that enable doctors to tailor treatments to patients.

The program will be led by Andy Merritt, PhD, director for medicinal chemistry at LifeArc, and Shaun Stauffer, PhD, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Therapeutics Discovery.

“We are delighted to kick off this new long-term collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, with our shared goal of advancing the translation of early-stage innovative discoveries into new life-changing medicines and diagnostics,” said Dr. Merritt. “Our new funding will help accelerate the fruition of exciting innovative ideas that are currently stuck at the lab bench but have huge potential to make a difference to patients. We hope this will help projects to reach a key tipping point, creating new opportunities to collaborate on future research programs where we can contribute our expertise in medicinal chemistry, antibody engineering or diagnostics within LifeArc laboratories.”

This new funding aims to foster early-stage research with potential to benefit patients that requires further validation. LifeArc will be given the first option to initiate new collaborations with Cleveland Clinic to advance the most promising discoveries.

Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Therapeutics Discovery, established in 2018, promotes the translation of basic science discoveries by Cleveland Clinic researchers into new therapeutics. Under Dr. Stauffer’s leadership, the center’s team has established a pipeline of innovative drug discovery research programs directed toward improving patient care with a true bench-to-bedside vision.

“We are extremely excited to work with LifeArc,” said Dr. Stauffer. “It is our shared goal that by establishing this long-term relationship, we will empower translational teams, investigators and clinicians to ask the most compelling questions between basic science and human investigation.”