Blavatnik Family Foundation advances next wave of discovery at HMS

$21 million in new commitments will strengthen HMS-Israel scientific ties and drive translational progress.

By Randy Fox

Image: Gretchen Ertl

The Blavatnik Family Foundation recently made more than $21 million in new commitments to Harvard Medical School to accelerate the work of exceptional early-career investigators at HMS, support the advancement of promising new therapies through translational research, and expand opportunities for postdoctoral trainees from Israel.

“I am proud to support the School’s mission and to help empower scientists—at every stage of their careers—who are dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of disease and driving breakthroughs in health,” says Len Blavatnik, MBA ’89, head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation and a member of the HMS Board of Fellows.

Accelerating discovery among early-career faculty

A $5.75 million investment from the foundation will pilot the Blavatnik Institute Early Career Investigator Awards, an initiative designed to propel bold, curiosity-driven research by exceptional early-career faculty on the HMS Quad. These awards will serve as a launchpad for future translational breakthroughs, helping to identify and support promising investigators at crucial moments in their careers. (Read about the 10 award recipients announced Nov. 6.)

“Supporting the next generation of scientists is at the heart of our mission,” says HMS Dean George Q. Daley, AB ’82, MD ’91, PhD. “Through the generosity of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, we are giving early career investigators the resources and confidence to tackle important scientific questions—often those that are too bold or novel for conventional funding. We are profoundly grateful for Len’s vision and commitment, which continues to inspire hope and progress in our community and beyond.”

I am proud to support the School’s mission and to help empower scientists—at every stage of their careers—who are dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of disease and driving breakthroughs in health.”

Len Blavatnik

Fueling translation from lab to clinic

The foundation is also investing $13.1 million to ensure that the Blavatnik Therapeutics Challenge Awards (BTCA) continue to propel high-impact therapeutics research at HMS and its affiliates. These competitive awards address a critical bottleneck in translational science by providing essential funding and expertise to academic teams seeking to advance discoveries toward clinical application, ultimately bringing life-changing therapies to patients.

“Thanks to the Blavatnik Family Foundation, we can continue to expedite the translation of the extraordinary science within our community,” says 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. “BTCA’s model of providing both technical support and vital catalytic funding has led directly to new companies and to novel therapies entering clinical trials. This new commitment could not be more timely, given the current difficulties in funding early-stage therapeutics companies.”

Launching opportunities for next-generation scientists from Israel

The foundation is providing $2.4 million to establish the Blavatnik Postdoctoral Fellowship Fund, which will support scientists from Israel as they conduct research at HMS for four years. Galit Lahav, PhD, Novartis Professor and chair of the Department of Systems Biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, is spearheading the initiative together with HMS Kalaniyot, which aims to deepen scientific ties between HMS and Israeli institutions.

“These new fellowships will have a transformative impact on both the scientists from Israel who participate and the HMS research community,” Lahav says. The fellows will have access to world-class resources, mentorship, and collaborative networks at HMS, as well as exposure to cutting-edge research methodologies and diverse scientific perspectives. “This experience will empower them to bring new knowledge, skills, and partnerships back to Israel, enriching their home institutions and the broader scientific community,” she adds.

Lahav notes that hosting talented postdoctoral fellows will infuse the HMS research community with fresh ideas, unique expertise, and new cultural perspectives, sparking innovation and the exchange of ideas within research teams. “When scientists from different backgrounds collaborate and share knowledge, it accelerates progress and drives innovative solutions to global health challenges,” she says.

Fueling tomorrow’s treatments
Blavatnik Therapeutics Challenge Awards (BTCA) recipients have achieved several milestones since the first cohort was selected in 2020, including: 2020 cohort: Steven Greenberg, MD ’88, an HMS professor of neurology based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, founded a company stemming from his work to develop a first-in-class asthma treatment. 2021 cohort: Vijay Sankaran, PhD ’09, MD ’10, the Jan Ellen Paradise, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), successfully completed his BTCA project focused on developing a gene therapy for pediatric anemia. With matching funds from BCH, the therapy completed IND-enabling* studies, and plans are underway to begin clinical development. 2022 cohort: Kevin Hodgetts, PhD, an HMS associate professor of neurology based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-founded Modulate Bio drawing on his work to develop novel small molecules for the treatment of essential tremor. The company is now actively fundraising. 2023 cohort: Michael Eck, MD, PhD, an HMS professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology based at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, used the BTCA funding to support IND-enabling studies of EAI-432, a mutant-selective EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitor for lung cancer that he developed with colleagues Pasi Jänne, MD, PhD, MMSc ’02, and David Scott, PhD, and former Dana-Farber colleague Nathanael Gray, PhD. The IND-enabling studies were also supported by The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. The BTCA support enabled the successful licensing of the compound to a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company. 2024 cohort: Jeannie Lee, AB ’86, MD, PhD, an HMS professor of genetics based at Massachusetts General Hospital, is completing IND-enabling studies for a novel RNA technology that excises pathogenic triplet repeats, such as those that cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

Fueling tomorrow’s treatments

Blavatnik Therapeutics Challenge Awards (BTCA) recipients have achieved several milestones since the first cohort was selected in 2020, including:

2020 cohort: Steven Greenberg, MD ’88, an HMS professor of neurology based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, founded a company stemming from his work to develop a first-in-class asthma treatment.
2021 cohort: Vijay Sankaran, PhD ’09, MD ’10, the Jan Ellen Paradise, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), successfully completed his BTCA project focused on developing a gene therapy for pediatric anemia. With matching funds from BCH, the therapy completed IND-enabling* studies, and plans are underway to begin clinical development.
2022 cohort: Kevin Hodgetts, PhD, an HMS associate professor of neurology based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-founded Modulate Bio drawing on his work to develop novel small molecules for the treatment of essential tremor. The company is now actively fundraising.
2023 cohort: Michael Eck, MD, PhD, an HMS professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology based at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, used the BTCA funding to support IND-enabling studies of EAI-432, a mutant-selective EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitor for lung cancer that he developed with colleagues Pasi Jänne, MD, PhD, MMSc ’02, and David Scott, PhD, and former Dana-Farber colleague Nathanael Gray, PhD. The IND-enabling studies were also supported by The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. The BTCA support enabled the successful licensing of the compound to a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company.
2024 cohort: Jeannie Lee, AB ’86, MD, PhD, an HMS professor of genetics based at Massachusetts General Hospital, is completing IND-enabling studies for a novel RNA technology that excises pathogenic triplet repeats, such as those that cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

*IND-enabling studies are the laboratory and animal tests required to demonstrate that a new therapy is safe enough for human clinical trials. “IND” stands for Investigational New Drug, the application required by the Food and Drug Administration before a new treatment can be tested in people.