Issue Overview

Nonprofit biomedical organizations, including HRA members, play an outsized role in speeding the translation of biomedical science into applications that improve health, including identifying and adopting effective practices in funding health research.

To this end, HRA has convened the Drug and Other Therapy Working Group to focus on advancing HRA members’ efforts to accelerate discovery and development of drugs and other therapies. As well, HRA has organized sessions and discussions designed to help funders better understand best practices and approaches needed to turn scientific discoveries into improved health.

Among the topics HRA Members have delved into are:

• Crossing the “valley of death”
• Identifying biomarkers needed to accelerate clinical development
• Developing more efficient clinical trials
• Investing in translational research

Speeding up the rate of progress requires collaboration across sectors and industries in the biomedical system. HRA continues to bring in leaders at the forefront of the different organizations and institutions at the helm of progress, including:

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
• Venture Philanthropy Groups