Marathon Pharmaceuticals has opened the Marathon Bioscience Center in Chicago. The facility houses the company’s research, clinical and regulatory staff, who develop and register new treatments for rare diseases.

Under Dr. Timothy Cunniff, executive vice president for R&D, the Marathon Bioscience Center is developing new therapies for cancer, central nervous system diseases, endocrine deficiencies, gastrointestinal diseases and movement disorders. The majority of treatments in the company’s pipeline are focused on patients with rare diseases whose medical needs are unmet.

“Marathon is developing new medications for patients who currently have no treatment options. The rapid growth of our pipeline is creating high-tech bioscience jobs in Chicago,” said Jeffrey S. Aronin, Marathon Pharmaceuticals chairman and CEO.