13TH ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM
May 19-21, 2026 | Cleveland, Ohio
Have a question? Email Questions@HarringtonDiscovery.org
AGENDA
Sessions are by invitation only unless otherwise indicated
Tuesday, May 19 – Pre-Symposium
5:00 PM -
8:00 PM
CASUAL SCHOLAR RECEPTION & DINNER
Bar 32, Hilton Cleveland Downtown Floor 32
Wednesday, May 20 – Pre-Symposium
7:30 AM -
8:30 AM
BREAKFAST BUFFET
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Superior A Ballroom Floor 5
8:00 AM -
2:50 PM
SCHOLAR PROJECT TEAM MEETINGS
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Floor 5
All scholars and advisors have been emailed calendar invites with a specific time and room.
A printout will be posted at the Hilton.
8:30 AM -
9:15 AM
SCHOLAR WORKSHOP I
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Superior B Ballroom Floor 5
Topic: Idea to Asset: Navigating the Patent Maze
Presenter: Jan Rosenbaum, PhD, Advisor, Therapeutics Development Center
10:00 AM -
10:45 AM
SCHOLAR WORKSHOP II
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Superior B Ballroom Floor 5
Topic: The Innovator’s Roadmap: Strategic Paths for Commercializing University Technology
Presenter: Rahul Aras, PhD, Advisor, Therapeutics Development Center
This talk unpacks the pivotal choice every academic innovator faces: build a company or partner with one, and how that decision shapes the future of your breakthrough. With real-world insights and a clear decision framework, it reveals how to align your science, team, and ambitions with the right commercialization path. Walk away with a roadmap to turn discovery into real-world impact.
12:00 PM -
1:00 PM
LUNCH BUFFET
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Superior A Ballroom Floor 5
1:00 PM -
1:45 PM
SCHOLAR WORKSHOP III
Hilton Cleveland Downtown / Superior B Ballroom Floor 5
Topic: The Investor’s Lens: Crafting a Deck They Can’t Ignore
Presenter: George Arida, MBA, Advisor, Therapeutics Development Center
Wednesday, May 20 – Symposium Day One
4:00 PM -
5:30 PM
PLENARY SESSION
Open to All Guests
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Murch Auditorium
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The Rt Hon the Lord Cameron
Chair, Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Council
Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom
SCHOLAR EXPERIENCE
Timothy Yu, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital
2020 and 2023 Harrington Scholar-Innovator
2024 Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar
SCHOLAR EXPERIENCE
Barry Coller, MD
Rockefeller University
2015 Harrington Scholar-Innovator
5:30 PM -
6:15 PM
RECEPTION
Open to All Guests Attending Plenary Session
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
6:30 PM -
8:45 PM
PRIVATE DINNER & HARRINGTON PRIZE PRESENTATION
Severance Hall / Grand Foyer
Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD
University of Michigan
2026 Harrington Prize Co-Recipient
Thursday, May 21 – Symposium Day Two
7:30 AM -
8:30 AM
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
Cleveland Institute of Music / Pogue Lobby
8:35 AM -
9:53 AM
Andrew Hsieh, MD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Title: Targeting mRNA Specific Translation in Cancer
Jordan Winter, MD
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Title: Novel Pharmacologic Approaches to Target Wild-Type IDH1 in Pancreatic Cancer
Deepak Nijhawan, MD, PhD
UT Southwestern
Title: Development of LSS Inhibitors for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
Russell Pachynski, MD
Washington University St. Louis
Title: Novel Tumor-Targeted Chemerin Immunotherapeutic
9:55 AM -
10:15 AM
BREAK
10:20 AM -
11:38 AM
Bowen Li, PhD
University of Toronto
Title: Development of a Novel tRNA Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Caused by Nonsense Mutations
Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg, MD, PhD
Washington University St. Louis
Title: Novel Maternal Staphylococcus Aureus Vaccine to Provide Infant Protection
Demetrios Braddock, MD, PhD
Yale University
Title: Rare Clues, Broad Cures: Leveraging Rare Disease to Develop Enzyme Therapeutics for SLE
Carlos Subauste, MD
Case Western Reserve University
Title: Small Molecule Inhibitors of CD40 for the Treatment of Inflammatory Disorders
11:45 AM -
11:55 AM
WALK TO CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN
12:00 PM -
1:25 PM
LUNCHEON & PRESENTATION
Cleveland Botanical Garden / Clark Hall
Refreshments on the patio
Panel Presentation: Managing Science and Innovation – Harrington Scientific Advisory Board
1:45 PM -
2:00 PM
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Cleveland Institute of Music / Mixon Hall
2:05 PM -
3:43 PM
Timothy Yu, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital
Title: Gene- and Allele-Specific Therapies for Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies
Carlo Rinaldi, MD, PhD
University of Oxford
Title: An Isoform-Switch Oligonucleotide Therapy for Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy
Julie Saba, MD, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Title: Adeno-Associated Virus Mediated SGPL1 Gene Therapy as a Life-Saving Treatment for Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Lyase Insufficiency Syndrome (SPLIS)
Jacquelyn Bower, PhD
University of North Carolina
Title: A Novel Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Gene Therapy Approach for the Treatment of Rare Uveal Melanoma Tumors
Michele Jacob, PhD
Tufts University
Title: Identifying a Lead Compound for Efficacious Treatment of CTNNB1 Syndrome
3:45 PM -
3:55 PM
BREAK
4:00 PM -
4:46 PM
Rosemary Jackson, PhD
University of Dundee
Title: Using Protein Thermal Shift and a Novel Cellular Thermal Shift Assay to Uncover and Progress Small Molecule Correctors of ApoE4
Timothy Richardson, PhD
Indiana University
Title: Lead Optimization of SHIP1 Modulators for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
David Yan
Case Western Reserve University
Title: Reversible Inhibition of XPO1 is a Therapeutically Actionable Target for T Cell Driven Autoimmune Disorders
4:50 PM -
4:55 PM
CLOSING REMARKS
Seth Field, MD, PhD