Therapeutics Accelerator
Through strategic funding and translational initiatives, we de-risk cutting-edge innovations and move assets from discovery to preclinical and early development studies.
Our Focus Areas
Eshelman Innovation drives innovation curation, aligns drug discovery objectives with key stakeholders, develops scientific talent for translational science, and builds enabling infrastructure to transform novel academic biology into impactful therapies. With more than $30 million granted toward therapeutic efforts, Eshelman Innovation accelerates the development of partner-ready assets through robust translational support to tackle the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
Technology
Through the Innovation Curation Program, the institute solicits RFPs with highly specific problem statements and funds technology concepts that leverage cutting-edge discoveries in target discovery, target validation, and platform technologies.
Projects supported by the Institute have access to translation resources through funding, regulatory guidance, market intelligence and project management capabilities.
Please see below for more details.
Translational Infrastructure
Enabling discovery of novel therapeutic targets at UNC through fully functional, whole genome functional CRISPR screening facility.
Leads drug discovery project funding in partnership with Drug Discovery Initiative (DDI) at UNC, and enabling technology collaborations with technology platform companies for future collaborations (Hitgen, Charles River, Eurofins, and more).
Talent
The Translational Academy helps postdocs transition into translational scientist roles, advancing platform technologies seeded by Eshelman Innovation. Rankin Innovator Awards support junior faculty, postdocs, PhD, and PharmD students with training in commercialization and leadership.
UNC’s differentiated internship offers PhD/PharmD students hands-on research, strategic analysis, and industry mentorship to deepen translational and market insights.
With our partners at Alexandria Real Estate, Orange Grove Bio, and Triangle-CERSI, Eshelman Innovation hosted the Shaping the Future of Autoimmune Therapies Summit to foster collaboration and drive innovation in the field of autoimmune disorders. The Autoimmune Summit is part of Eshelman Innovation’s therapeutics curation strategy to accelerate the development of new therapies by bringing together leading researchers, clinicians and industry partners.
During a lively panel discussion, experts from academia, industry, government and law tackled a range of topics — NIH budget cuts, the promise and perils of AI, drug manufacturing and more. From left: Sue Mahony, Ned Sharpless, Larry Robbins, Patrik Jonsson, and Kathleen Sebelius. Photo Credit: Tim Robbins
Executive Director, John Bamforth, PhD, speaks at the 2024 Radiopharmaceuticals Summit hosted by Eshelman Innovation and NC Biotech Center. Following the event, Eshelman Innovation will partner with UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to fund strategic research in radiopharmaceuticals.
Eshelman Innovation Executive Director John Bamforth (left) speaks with former U.S. Senator and READDI board member Richard Burr during “Ready on Day 1,” a September 2023 symposium addressing the importance of pandemic preparedness and broad-spectrum therapeutics, READDI’s signature approach.
Associate Director of Brain Slice Technology Andrew Satterlee (right) and his team meet with pediatric neuro-oncologist Dr. David Kram (middle) to discuss new data collected on an ongoing clinical trial. The trial seeks to determine the feasibility of engrafting, treating, and analyzing patient brain tumor tissue on organotypic brain slice cultures.
Director of Therapeutics Commercial Strategy Sumitra Pati (middle) meets with her Therapeutics Accelerator team to review the latest developments within the Eshelman Innovation therapeutic portfolio.
Innovation Curation Program
At Eshelman Innovation, our comprehensive support begins with the initial project consultation and design, extending through submission, review, and execution to the proof-of-concept stage. We bring industry-level competitive intelligence, efficient project management, and valuable connections to our industry advisory board and external partners. Our goal is to propel projects from conceptualization in the lab to becoming investment-ready, commercially-viable therapeutic solutions.
- Build deep ecosystem level engagement across N.C. universities, biopharma, venture capital, and funders
- Align incentives across key stakeholders like research faculty, strategic investors, clinical/regulatory experts, and biopharma.
- Scientific retreat that weaves together stakeholders to co-create opportunity concepts that leverage cutting-edge science across key domains.
- Encourage early alignment and identify novel approaches that warrant investment and collaboration by leveraging NC research activities.
- Funding to support innovation project solutions for the specific disease or problem area of interest.
- Create opportunities to partner on high value therapeutic programs with biopharma and venture.
- Launch advantaged companies with seed funding from proof-of-concept stage with local entrepreneurial talent.
Let’s create the next breakthrough together.
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Our Portfolio
Developing therapeutic solutions with an early-stage pipeline focused on novel target discovery, target validation, and platform technologies for unmet patient needs.
Portfolio Brands
READDI is a biotechnology company working in the public interest to create medicines for the next viral pandemic. The world didn’t know what SARS-CoV-2 was before COVID-19 emerged. No one knows which specific viral threat will come next. READDI’s solution is to develop small molecule antivirals that work broadly against all viruses in the highest-risk virus families.
The UNC Drug Discovery Initiative takes drug discovery and development at UNC further than ever before, offering health science researchers additional tools to identify and screen targets, and help to advance therapies to patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded $50M to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University to establish the Research Triangle Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation. The center will also involve collaborations with North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University, a leading historically black university.
Initiatives
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HLA-E Targeted Immunotherapies
Phase: Target ID / Screening
- Targeting antigens expressed on HLA-E to develop transgenic cellular therapeutics that are tumor specific with less off target toxicity
- Relevant to large fraction of patients
affected by the lymphomas being targeted
Multiple Myeloma Inhibitors
Phase: Lead Optimization
Newly developed ligands against a novel target recently identified as a crucial mediator of tumorigenicity in multiple myeloma
Identifying Novel Targets for Opioid Addiction
Phase: Target ID / Screening
- Leveraging RNA sequencing technologies to identify opioid-sensitive neurons in the brain
- Discovery and characterization of drug targets for the development of innovative treatments
Novel Treatment for CNS Injury
Phase: Lead Identification
Novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of CNS edema caused by stroke or traumatic injury via inhibition of aquaporin-4 localization
Light Activated Therapeutics
Phase: Technology Development
- Proprietary chemistry allows for light-directed drug delivery for lower total dose/higher local dose and minimize systemic tox
- POC in thrombolytics, expansion into oncology; local delivery of systemically toxic drugs
- Expansion to other delivery vehicles such as liposomes
Pro-LEAP2 Therapeutic for Obesity
Phase: Lead Optimization
Developing a pro-LEAP2 therapeutic through protein engineering and directed molecular evolution, with the goal of increasing its relative levels and/or activity. This analog would be able to decrease Ghrelin-mediated signaling represents an attractive novel mechanism for obesity therapeutic intervention.
Preventing Disease Flare in Lupus via Lysosome Restoration
Phase: Pre-Clinical
- Uses a bispecific antibody that restores endo-lysosome function in human disease
- Reduces signal transduction from activating FcγRI and/or FcγRIIa (human only) by co-localization with inhibitory FcγRIIb
