BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN DISCOVERY AND COMMERCIALISATION: a charity’s perspective

Victoria Taylor – Research Translation Advisor

♥ Research spend of approx. £100m a year

♥ Traditionally hypothesis-driven basic research

♥ Now have a Translational Award to support development of innovative medicines and treatments

Who are we?

Why is BHF supporting translational research?

Discovery research

Pre-clinical development

Clinical development

Approval and market

Industry Academia

Industry Funding gapAcademia

Traditionally:

Now:

♥ Significant clinical unmet needs remain ♥ BHF now playing a key role to support early stage CV innovation

BHF Translational Award

The BHF now has:

♥ A new Translational Award

♥ A Translational Advisory Group

How did we get there?

♥ We did our own due diligence

♥ Sought advice from experts

♥ Found our niche

Aim: to de-risk projects so they attract further investment:

Basic research

Pre-clinical development

Clinical dev.

♥ We want to ensure projects we fund continue along the development pathway (e.g. further charitable funding, industry investment)

Experts help us select and shape projects:

Translational Award Advisory

Group Scientific and

clinical experts

♥ Key to our process: Flexibility, support, mentorship

Application tips:

♥ Target validation and clinical relevance

♥ Think beyond project you want funding for – what does your proof of concept clinical trial look like? Have you spoken to the regulatory agencies?

♥ Would it make sense to outsource some of the work?

♥ Competitive advantage (proof of relevance)

Project examples:

♥ Changing clinical end-points♥ Fund regulatory consultant and FDA meeting to understand if

development plan is sensible

♥ Lead optimisation of a small molecule ♥ Outsource work and hire a project manager

Often the science is not the hurdle…

♥ 20 outlines 9 invited to full application so far made 4 awards

Next steps.. more than just a funding scheme:

♥ Engaging with industry and involving them early on in the process

♥ Education workshops for academics ♥ Mind-set change

BHF

Academia

Industry

VC

Clinicians

Patients

Charities

BHF can be a cardiovascular hub for: