Choosing to Lead: The Race for National R&D Leadership and New Economy Jobs

R&D Breakfast e-Newsletter December 2004

R&D Briefing: Changes in Drug Development Pipeline Mean Jobs for Massachusetts

The challenges the Commonwealth faces and the value of public/private partnerships in bridging the drug development gap for Massachusetts' drug development industry was the topic of discussion among industry and academic leaders and experts on December 9th at Mass Insight Corporation’s fourth in a series of R&D Breakfast Briefings.

“We must do what we can to make sure biologics developed in the state are manufactured in the state,” stated Dr. Lee Allen, vice president, medical research oncology therapeutic area, at Wyeth Research in his introductory remarks to the more than 70 attendees at "The Drug Development Pipeline: The Massachusetts Agenda to Meet the Needs of Academic Researchers and Industry."  >LEAD STORY read more

Panelists cite successful model and ways to increase the flow of discoveries to drugs

Researchers and industry could share the development process and more good human therapeutics could potentially make it to the market. But more than money is needed in investment, say panelists.  >read more

R&D Breakfast Briefing Series continues on January 19, 2005: Nanotechnology
Contact SciTech@massinsight.com for more information.

Photo Highlights and Presentations from the Drug Development R&D Breakfast Briefing at Wyeth Research
>photo highlights and links to presentations and handouts

LEAD STORY

Hosted by Wyeth Research and sponsored by Goodwin Procter, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts, PAREXEL, and MassDevelopment, the briefing focused on the value of collaboration among universities, industry and government in Massachusetts in order to move promising academic discoveries to economic viability and compete within the lucrative drug development industry.

Few state-based research companies have in-state manufacturing capabilities
Tom Finneran, president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, challenged Massachusetts not to become complacent in its current role within the life sciences industry but to build upon its strengths. Mark Trusheim, also of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, noted that Massachusetts is strong early in the development pipeline with companies settling in the Commonwealth due to the proximity to major universities and the talented workforce. But, while biotech companies invest in Massachusetts during the research phase, they tend to leave when it comes time to manufacture the products discovered here. Only 13 of more than 100 state-based research companies actually have in-state manufacturing capabilities.

Trusheim identified areas of “leakage” in moving promising research ideas into economically viable therapeutic candidates: Keeping only the research — not the manufacturing products — here in Massachusetts, and being underrepresented in performing clinical trials. Success in these areas could bring the economic — not just the research — center of biotech to Massachusetts, bringing up to 150,000 new jobs to the state. "Success,” Trusheim said, “demands collaboration.”

PANEL HIGHLIGHTS

Moderator Josef von Rickenbach, CEO of PAREXEL, guided the panel discussion to increasing the flow of academic discoveries that turn into drugs. Ross Stein, director of the Lab for Drug Development in Neurodegeneration (LDDN), at Brigham and Women's Hospital, has already built a model facility to address one aspect of the pipeline. The LDDN, via a tight collaboration with academic laboratories, provides high-throughput screening, database informatics and medicinal chemistry capabilities. Promising research ideas are moved through this phase of the pipeline led by post-docs from the academic labs. The LDDN has just received a $12.5 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to significantly increase the number of projects it can support.

There are many good ideas that don't make it to the marketplace due to a lack of communication between researchers and the pharmaceutical industry said Professor James Dobson of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He maintained that with some mechanism by which researchers and industry could share the development process, more good ideas, more good human therapeutics could potentially make it to the market. Mark Leonard of Wyeth BioPharma agreed that there would be many advantages to such collaboration. He acknowledged challenges including intellectual property considerations and developing a clear plan for collaboration but believed those are manageable. He expanded the idea of collaboration beyond product candidates to other important areas such as process development techniques, analytical technology and work in drug formulation and delivery.

More than money needed in investment
Venture capital is only one financing mechanism and should not be viewed as the solution to all the challenges in turning research into products, said Dr. Steven St. Peter, principal of MPM Capital. Investing in the earliest stages of the drug development process does not match the venture capital time line well. Another challenge emerged from the success of venture investing in the life sciences: With a larger pool of money, venture firms must invest larger sums in each portfolio company to allow them to give each company an appropriate level of management attention. Early-stage companies typically do not merit such large investments.

Next steps
Mass Insight’s Drug Development Work Group will examine these and other areas in drug development in exploring opportunities for projects in the drug development chain that could be implemented through collaborative efforts among industry, academia and government and would be of significant benefit to the collaborating parties in improving the pipeline. Contact Michael Greis for more information on the Work Group at 617-722-4160 x21.

Photo Highlights and Presentations from the Drug Development R&D Breakfast Briefing at Wyeth Research

Click below for presentations and handouts:

Mark Trusheim, Treasurer, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council — Biotech’s Downstream Economic Impact for Massachusetts [Powerpoint 1.2MB]

Ross Stein, Ph.D., Director, Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neurodegeneration — A New Model for Academic-Based Drug Discovery [Powerpoint 400k]

Ross Stein — A new model for drug discovery—meeting our societal obligation [PDF 75k]

James Dobson, Ph.D., Professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School — Academic Research [Powerpoint 13k]

Mark Leonard, Director, Gene Expression Technologies, Drug Substance Development Group, Wyeth BioPharma — Bridging the Gap Between Discovery and Production [Powerpoint 66k]

Connecting the Collaboration Dots

“Boston Unbound,” a study funded by The Boston Foundation (a Mass Insight Technology Road Map sponsor) and the basis for a recent opinion piece in The Boston Globe, and an interview with Bill Guenther in this month’s Boston Business Journal make one consistent point: Higher education is at the center of economic development in any technology-based state. Both public and private universities are major contributors in fostering more collaboration. Both articles recognize the importance of universities and teaching hospitals to connect the dots more effectively between collaboration and a new competitive commitment.

Leadership needed from 'eds' and 'meds' (Boston Globe)

Going with the flow (Boston Business Journal)

Mass Insight Partners with Mass High Tech Newspaper for Special R&D Reports

Mass Insight is collaborating with Mass High Tech newspaper, read by over 50,000 technology decision makers every week, on four special technology center sections in Mass High Tech which will parallel the Road Map strategic alliance partnerships being developed by industry and university leaders.

Special Report on Drug Discovery (December 2004).

Special Report on Homeland Security (November 2004).

Special Report on Ocean Exploration (October 2004).

For advertising information, contact Jill Cohen, Advertising Director, Mass High Tech at 617-241-4360 or jcohen@masshightech.com or click here for more information on the special report series.

SAVE THE DATE

January R&D Breakfast Briefing: Nanotechnology

Be sure to join us for the next R&D breakfast to be held January 19, 2005 at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston. Watch your mail for more information or contact SciTech@massinsight.com.

Sponsors of Mass Insight’s R&D Breakfast Series and the R&D Strategic Alliances Clearinghouse:

The Massachusetts R&D Clearinghouse

The first ever directory of Massachusetts’ major science and technology research centers and their partners.

The first edition, published in 2004, will be expanded into an online, fully searchable database in 2005. A business development resource for technology stakeholders interested in investing and partnering in Massachusetts, the clearinghouse highlights the state’s leading university and nonprofit research centers to promote research activities and strategic partnerships.
2004 Edition [PDF]

To participate on our Clearinghouse Advisory Group or to submit your institution for inclusion in the directory, contact Joanna Manikas at jmanikas@massinsight.com.

About the Initiative

Two years ago, in the midst of an economic downturn, a group of industry, teaching hospital, and university leaders organized by Mass Insight at the Boston Foundation met to discuss how to cooperate to bring business to Massachusetts. That group, and the Science & Technology Initiative that resulted, supported the passage of the economic stimulus package now poised to fuel job growth through strategic projects joining industry, universities and teaching hospitals. In parallel, the group organized the Technology Road Map study.

The Science & Technology Initiative’s mission is to create a state policy to facilitate and support major science and technology education and research initiatives that improve Massachusetts’ competitive position and enhance its economic strength. For more information on the Initiative, click here.

Ross Stein, director of the Lab for Drug Development in Neurodegeneration

James Dobson, Ph.D., professor,
University of Massachusetts Medical School

Josef von Rickenbach, CEO, PAREXEL, moderated the panel discussion

©2004 Mass Insight Corporation, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 930, Boston, MA 02108. Mass Insight Corporation organizes leadership groups and facilitates public-private initiatives to improve state performance on issues that have a significant economic impact on Massachusetts. To be added to or removed from this distribution list, please send an email to scitech@massinsight.com.