(Rehovot, Israel and New York, NY, January 6, 2019)—Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd., the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm, today announced the development of an extensive translational research initiative. The research collaboration, Deerfield’s first outside the USA, is expected to catalyze the development of transformative treatments toward clinical validation for cures for diseases and improved quality of life.
Up to $130 million of initial funding will be made available by Deerfield to support the initiative over 10 years through a newly launched company called Orchard Innovations, LLC. Deerfield will additionally provide its operational, managerial and developmental know-how to further cutting-edge drug research spanning a range of areas in medicine, including difficult-to-treat and rare illnesses.
Gil Granot-Mayer, Yeda’s CEO, said, “We highly value the commitment, deep understanding and proficiency in early-stage development processes which Deerfield brings to our collaboration. Deerfield’s capabilities, together with Yeda’s commercial and translational expertise and the pioneering multi-disciplinary basic science of the Weizmann Institute, produce a rare synergetic relationship which we are confident will lead to scientific and therapeutic breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.”
Orchard Innovations, LLC, a private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield, will support R&D projects out of the Weizmann Institute of Science throughout various stages of drug exploration and advancement. Starting early 2020, Yeda will submit proposals on projects for consideration by a committee comprising scientific leadership representing the Weizmann Institute of Science, Yeda and Deerfield.
“Whether its Weizmann’s groundbreaking discoveries that led to the development of novel drugs for multiple sclerosis, immunotherapies that cure certain previousl