Image: Simon Skafar/Getty Images
IMAGE: STEVE GILBERT
The late M. Lee Pearce, MD, a longtime Harvard Medical School benefactor and member of the HMS Board of Fellows, once posed a crucial question: “What good is all the medical science in the world in extending life if it is not accompanied by an acceptable quality of life for a broad number of people and nations?”
Driven by this question, The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Inc., has awarded a $3 million grant to the Quadrangle Fund for Advancing and Seeding Translational Research (Q-FASTR) at HMS, with the goal of propelling significant advances in aging and chronic disease research. This grant, distributed over three years, demonstrates the foundation’s commitment to bridging the gap between health span and lifespan, while supporting Q-FASTR’s mission to turn fundamental biomedical discoveries into tangible health solutions.
We anticipate exciting developments in reducing the burden of chronic diseases that underlie the health span-lifespan gap.
Michael A. Carpenter
As part of HMS’s Therapeutics Initiative, Q-FASTR catalyzes innovation by funding research projects with high translational potential. This grant will not only enhance Q-FASTR’s capacity to support Pilot Awards and Development Awards but also enable the introduction of Accelerator Awards (see award details below). “The new Accelerator Awards build on early-stage research by enabling critical experiments essential for securing further funding, with the ultimate aim of advancing toward clinical application,” says Ifat Rubin-Bejerano, PhD, senior director of translational research at HMS and a leader of Q-FASTR.
The grant aligns Q-FASTR’s innovative framework with the Pearce Foundation’s vision, presenting a significant opportunity to advance aging research. “Increasing the number of disease-free years to match longer lifespans is the Pearce Foundation’s primary goal for medical research,” says Michael A. Carpenter, president and chairman of the board of the Pearce Foundation. “The incredible leadership at Harvard’s Q-FASTR program and the emphasis on moving research into commercialization and patient care are an ideal fit for our foundation.”
Since its inception in 2016, Q-FASTR has impacted every basic science department at HMS, with 48% of Quad-based faculty having applied for funding. QFASTR has invested roughly $13.3 million in 80 projects, resulting in five new companies, 51 patents, and more than $180 million in follow-on funding.
Both Rubin-Bejerano and fellow Q-FASTR leader Mark Namchuk, PhD, the Puja and Samir Kaul Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Innovation and Translation and the executive director of therapeutics translation at HMS, expect that a robust selection of projects related to age-associated diseases will be eligible for funding. “So many chronic and serious diseases, ranging from neurodegenerative disease to cancer to metabolic syndrome, are associated with aging,” says Namchuk.
Encouraged by the potential interest, Carpenter says, “We anticipate exciting developments in reducing the burden of chronic diseases that underlie the health span-lifespan gap.”
A recent study of 183 World Health Organization member countries documented an average health span-lifespan gap of 9.6 years. The United States had the largest gap—12.4 years—according to the study’s senior author, Andre Terzic, MD, PhD, a Mayo Clinic researcher and a board member of The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Inc. |
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Types of Q-FASTR Awards
Applicants may submit proposals for three types of awards:
- Pilot Award: Up to $100,000 for one year; supports critical experiments to validate therapeutics-related concepts, forming a basis for further funding or commercialization.
- Development Award: Up to $300,000 for two years; targets advanced-stage projects to produce clear, practical results that demonstrate potential for clinical or commercial success and attract further investment.
- Accelerator Award (new): Up to $400,000 for an additional two years; fuels further development of projects previously funded by Q-FASTR, propelling them toward commercialization and clinical application.