• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • AI
    • Blockchain
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Life Sciences
  • Investments
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage

Duke, Deerfield Management Form Four Points Innovation to Invest Up $130M in Drug Discovery

by Fred Pennic 01/06/2020 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Duke, Deerfield Management Form Four Points Innovation to Invest Up $130M in Drug Discovery

– Duke University and Deerfield Management Company form major translation research collaboration company, Four Points Innovation.

– Deerfield will invest up to $130 million of initial funding to accelerate drug discovery at Duke for 10 years. 

Duke University and Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm has announced the creation of a major translational research collaboration company, Four Points Innovation. Spearheaded by Duke University’s Office of Licensing & Ventures (OLV), the alliance is expected to accelerate the preclinical development of new drugs for improved quality of life and cures for disease.

Up to $130M Focused on Accelerating Drug Discovery

As part of the collaboration, Deerfield will invest up to $130M of initial funding to back the initiative for 10 years.  Deerfield also will provide development expertise in support of Duke’s innovative drug research across a span of high-need therapeutic areas, as well as those targeting patients who suffer from hard-to-treat and rare diseases.

Four Points Innovation Investment Focus Areas

A private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield, Four Points Innovation will support Duke R&D projects throughout preclinical stages of drug discovery and development. Beginning approximately in March 2020, Duke researchers will have the ability to submit proposals on projects for consideration by a Four Points Innovation committee comprised of scientific leadership representing both Duke and Deerfield.

Accepted projects will include a development plan aimed at achieving Investigational New Drug (IND) readiness. Deerfield will provide funding and operational support for accepted projects, and successful projects that achieve IND-enabled status may be eligible for additional capital from Deerfield. Under the terms of the agreement, Four Points Innovation would receive an option to license Four Points Innovation-funded intellectual property developed at Duke.

Duke’s History of Startup Innovation

Duke’s Office of Licensing and Ventures broke previous records last year with 354 invention disclosures, 120 agreements, and 32 exclusive agreements. Duke faculty and staff formed sixteen new start-up companies during the year, bringing the university’s total to over 140 new companies. Over the last two years, 29 of the university’s 32 startups have chosen to stay in North Carolina.

Impact of Four Points Innovation

“This is an exciting day for Duke and the patients we serve,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, Dean, Duke University School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs. “This new partnership will help further Duke’s commitment to improve the lives of people in our own community and around the world by supporting and accelerating the translation of research into new therapies to treat and cure society’s most formidable healthcare challenges.”

Featured image credit: NCATS

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tap Native

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Featured Insights

Digital Health Funding Q3 2025: Choppy Undercurrents Beneath a Steady Surface

Featured Interview

ConcertAI VP Shares View on AI Hallucinations and the Fabricated Data Crisis in Scientific Publishing

Most-Read

Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures Form Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Healthcare Innovation

Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures Form Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Healthcare Innovation

Northwell Health Selects to Deploy Abridge’s Ambient AI Across 28 Hospitals

Northwell Health to Deploy Abridge’s Ambient AI Across 28 Hospitals

Omada Health Launches "Nutritional Intelligence" with AI Agent OmadaSpark

Omada Health Launches AI-Powered Meal Map to Transform Nutrition for Cardiometabolic Patients

From Overwhelmed to Optimized: How AI Agents Address Staffing Challenges and Burnout in Healthcare

From Overwhelmed to Optimized: How AI Agents Address Staffing Challenges and Burnout in Healthcare

Qualtrics Acquires Press Ganey Forsta for $6.75B to Create the Most Comprehensive AI Experience Platform

Qualtrics Acquires Press Ganey Forsta for $6.75B to Create the Most Comprehensive AI Experience Platform

Pfizer and Trump Administration Announce Landmark Agreement to Lower Drug Costs

Pfizer and Trump Administration Announce Landmark Agreement to Lower Drug Costs

KLAS Report: Epic's Native Ambient Speech Tool Reshapes Customer AI Strategies

KLAS Report: Epic’s Native Ambient Speech Tool Reshapes Customer AI Strategies

Epic Unveils MyChart Central and New APIs to Advance Interoperability at Open@Epic

Epic Outlines Roadmap for Next-Generation Data Sharing at Open@Epic

Epic Launches Comet: A New AI Platform to Predict Patient Health Journeys

Epic Launches Comet: A New AI Platform to Predict Patient Health Journeys

RevSpring to Acquire Kyruus Health, Creating a Unified Patient Experience

RevSpring to Acquire Kyruus Health, Creating a Unified Patient Experience

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Op-Ed Submission Guidelines
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2025. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |