Current Research
33 Active Projects at 28 Institutions in 21 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 |
| Infectious Disease | Obafemi Awolowo University & Teaching Hospitals Complex | Prof. Adewole | Treating Tuberculosis with the Lipid Lowering Drug Atorvastatin in Nigeria | Drug | Adult | Started 2020 |
| Infectious Disease | George Washington University, Universidad El Bosque | Dr. Chang | Repurposing a Flu Treatment for Severe Dengue Patients in Colombia | Drug | Pediatric | Started 2020 |
| Infectious Disease | University of Chicago | Dr. Meltzer | Can Vitamin D Reduce the Burden of COVID-19 in Chicago? | Nutraceutical | Adult | Started 2020 |
| Infectious Disease | Northwestern University | Dr. Rado | Repurposing an Antidepressant to Prevent Hospitalization in COVID-19 | Drug | Adult | Started 2020 |
| Infectious Disease/Inner Ear | University of Utah | Dr. Rower | Repurposing the Antiviral Drug Valganciclovir to Treat Cytomegalovirus-Induced Hearing Loss | Drug | Pediatric | Started 2021 |
| Inner Ear | Curtin University | Dr. Brown | Testing a generic diuretic to improve drug delivery to the inner ear in Meniere’s disease | Drug | Pre-clinical | Started 2020 |
| Inner Ear | House Ear Institute | Dr. Derebery | Reducing vertigo and hearing loss in Meniere’s disease by repurposing a common allergy drug | Drug | Adult | Started 2020 |
| Inner Ear | Stanford Medicine | Dr. Grimes | Modulating inner ear fluid regulation to treat Meniere’s disease | Drug | Pre-Clinical | Started 2020 |
| Inner Ear | 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 | Started 2020 |
| Inner Ear | Medical University of South Carolina | Dr. Rizk | Assessing the efficacy of an antidepressant for improving vertigo attacks in Meniere’s disease | Drug | Adult | Started 2020 |
| Inner Ear | 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 |
| Inner Ear | 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 |
| 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 | Johns Hopkins Medicine | Dr. Kumar, Wang | Repurposing Over the Counter Cough Medicine as a Rapid Acting Antidepressant | Drug | Adult | In Process |
| Neuro | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab | Dr. Lieber | Repurposing a Blood Cancer Treatment to Treat Muscle Contractures in Cerebral Palsy Patients* | Drug | Pediatric | Started 2020 |
| 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 | The Hospital for Sick Children | Dr. Suwwan | Low-Level Laser Therapy to Address Treatment Side Effects in Pediatric Cancer Patients | Device | Pediatric | 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 | Started 2021 |
| Oncology/Rare | University of California, Irvine | Dr. Fleischman | Treating a Group of Rare Blood Cancers, Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, with a Nutraceutical* | Nutraceutical | Adult | Started 2020 |
| 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 | Started 2020 |
| 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 | Started 2020 |
| 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 | Started 2020 |
| 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 | Started 2020 |
| Rare | The Hospital for Sick Children, National Institutes of Health | Drs. Dowling, Bönnemann | TAM4MTM: Tamoxifen Therapy for Myotubular Myopathy | Drug | Pediatric | In Process |
| 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 | Started 2021 |
| 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 |
*CureAccelerator Live! winner