Current Research
38 Active Trials at 32 Institutions in 29 Diseases in 8 Countries
We support investigator-initiated repurposing research projects in any unsolved disease including cardio, neuro, oncology, ophthalmic, vascular and rare diseases in pediatrics and adults. We support projects from accredited academic and nonprofit research institutions and large group medical practices located anywhere in the world. Our Impact Awards support early-stage companies bringing a repurposed treatment to market.
We take an impact philanthropy approach that prioritizes patient when selecting repurposing research projects. We support both philanthropic projects, which have little or no commercial value but have critical value to patients, as well as commercial projects, which industry may bring to regulatory approval and then to market. Our proof-of-concept funding of repurposing projects allows researchers and clinicians to leverage positive data into follow-on funding.
Our current projects were selected through a two-stage submission process. Applicants submit a brief proposal submissions usually followed by full grant applications. Project proposals are reviewed by an external, volunteer Grant Review Committee which represents academia, industry, clinicians and the patient voice. The committee helps staff and the Science Advisory Board select the strongest projects. Our customized approach allows donors to be as involved in the entire process as desired.
The diversity of our current projects reflects our disease-agnostic, patient-first approach:
- more than 75% adult, less than 25% pediatric
- more than 85% clinical, less than 15% pre-clinical
- more than 75% drug, less than 25% device or other
- more than 75% US-based, less than 25% outside of the US
Current Repurposing Research Projects
DISEASE AREA | INSTITUTION | LEAD RESEARCHER | PROJECT NAME | TYPE | OTHER | STATUS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diabetes | Massachusetts General Hospital | Dr. Faustman | Repurposing a Vaccine for Type I Diabetes | Vaccine | Adult | In Process |
Diabetic Ophthalmology | Northwestern University | Dr. Basti | Treating Cataracts in Diabetic Patients Using a Surgical Device | Device | Adult | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | House Ear Institute | Dr. Derebery | Reducing vertigo and hearing loss in Meniere’s disease by repurposing a common allergy drug | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | ibs Granada | Dr. Gallego-Martinez | Searching for Pharmacogenetic Targets in Meniere’s Disease Patients | Drug | Pre-Clinical | Started 2022 |
Ear Nose Throat | Stanford Medicine | Dr. Grimes; Dr. Santa Maria | Modulating inner ear fluid regulation to treat Meniere’s disease | Drug | Pre-Clinical | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research | Dr. Pathak | Investigating the effects of repurposed diuretic, steroid and immunosuppressive drugs in Meniere’s disease | Drug | Pre-Clinical | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | Medical University of South Carolina | Dr. Rizk | Assessing the efficacy of an antidepressant for improving vertigo attacks in Meniere’s disease | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich | Dr. Strupp | Combining a vertigo drug with a Parkinson’s disease drug to treat the inner ear disorder, Meniere’s disease | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | Dent Neurologic Institute | Dr. Zhang | Combining an anti-epileptic drug with an anti-anxiety drug to treat the inner ear disorder Meniere’s disease | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Ear Nose Throat | Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich | Dr. Zwergal | Identifying a Potential Biomarker and Repurposed Migraine Treatment in Meniere’s disease | Drug | Adult | Started 2022 |
Ear Nose Throat/Infectious Disease | University College Hospital Ibadan | Dr. Jatto | Repurposing a Widely Available Antiseptic in Pediatric Chronic Ear Infections in Nigeria | Drug | Pediatric | Started 2022 |
Ear Nose Throat/Infectious Disease/Rare | University of Utah | Dr. Rower | Repurposing the Antiviral Drug Valganciclovir to Treat Cytomegalovirus-Induced Hearing Loss | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Immune Disorder/Rare | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center | Dr. Abonia | Repurposing a Rare Disease Treatment for the Immune Disorder Eosinophilic Esophagitis | Drug | Adult | Started 2022 |
Immune Disorder/Rare | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | Dr. Nichols | Repurposing a Blood Cancer Drug to Treat an Immune Disorder (HLH) in Children* | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Infectious Disease | George Washington University, Universidad El Bosque | Dr. Chang | Repurposing a Flu Treatment for Severe Dengue Patients in Colombia | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Infectious Disease | University of Chicago | Dr. Meltzer | Can Vitamin D Reduce the Burden of COVID-19 in Chicago? | Nutraceutical | Adult | In Process |
Inflammatory Disease | SIDS Hospital and Research Centre | Dr. Mehta | Combining the Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Simvastatin with the N-Acetylcysteine for Chronic Pancreatitis in India | Drug | Adult | Started 2022 |
Liver Disease/Rare | Vietnam National Children’s Hospital/Big Leap Research | Dr. Nguyen | Improving Outcomes for the Rare Liver Disease Biliary Atresia with a Cancer Drug in Vietnam | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Muscular Disorder/Rare | The Hospital for Sick Children, National Institutes of Health | Drs. Dowling, Bönnemann | TAM4MTM: Tamoxifen Therapy for Myotubular Myopathy | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Neuro | University of California, Los Angeles | Dr. Ackerman | Testing a Repurposed Device to Improve the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women | Device | Adult | Started 2022 |
Neuro | The Pennsylvania State University and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center | Dr. Elfar | Repurposing a Multiple Sclerosis Drug in Severe Limb Trauma* | Drug into Diagnostic | Adult | In Process |
Neuro | University of New Mexico | Dr. Lewine | Repurposing N-Acetylcysteine to Reduce Oxidative Stress, an Important Factor in Traumatic Brain Injury | Drug | Adult | Started 2022 |
Neuro | Rush University Medical Center | Dr. Voigt-Zuwala | Enhancing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment for Veterans via Prebiotic Supplementation | Nutraceutical | Adult | In Process |
Neuro/Rare | Georgetown University | Dr. Anderson | Using a Cancer Drug in Huntington's Disease | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Neuro/Rare | McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Dr. Furr-Stimming | Treating Irritability in Huntington’s Disease with a Repurposed Neurological Drug | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | University of Cambridge | Prof. Allen | Testing Two Generic Drugs to Improve Outcomes in Osteosarcoma, a Rare Bone Cancer | Drug | Pre-Clinical | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | University of California, Irvine | Dr. Fleischman | Treating a Group of Rare Blood Cancers, Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, with N-Acetylcysteine* | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | Dr. Gordon | Enhancing Treatment Response in Recurrent/Metastatic Osteosarcoma with Hydroxychloroquine* | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | Loyola University Medical Center | Dr. Liotta | Repurposing the Blood Pressure Drug Minoxidil for the Treatment of Recurrent Chemo-Resistant Ovarian Cancer | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | University of Michigan | Dr. Pettit | Using a Skin Cancer Drug to Improve Current Treatment in a Rare Blood Cancer, Myelofibrosis | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | University of Michigan | Dr. Phillips | Improving Patient Response in Mantle Cell Lymphoma with Venetoclax | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Dr. Seif | Preventing Relapse After Bone Marrow Transplant in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) with a Personalized Treatment | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | University of Michigan | Dr. Swiecicki | Repurposing Old Drugs as New Therapies for Metastatic Thyroid Cancer* | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Oncology/Rare | Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, VUmc Cancer Center Amsterdam | Drs. Tannous, Arrillaga-Romany, Kouwenhoven | A Novel Combination of Generic Chemotherapy Drugs to Treat Brain Cancer | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Ophthalmic/Rare | University of California, Davis | Dr. Park | Repurposing Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy for Vision Loss Caused by Retinitis Pigmentosa | Other | Adult | In Process |
Ophthalmic/Rare | University of Michigan | Dr. Zacks | Testing a Generic Malarial Drug in a Rare Ophthalmic Condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Other | KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme | Dr. Hamaluba | Testing the Safety of a Metal Poisoning Drug to Treat Snakebite in Kenya | Drug | Adult | In Process |
Rare/Vascular | Stanford University | Dr. Teng | Treating Vascular Malformations Using the Cancer Drug Trametinib* | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
*CureAccelerator Live! winner