Can you talk about the work you are leading at Eli Lilly & Company?
I lead External Strategy for Genetic Medicines at Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly). In other words, my team, Pablo Cabral (Senior Director), Antonieta Salguero (Associate Director), and Leonora Abdullahu (Associate Director), and I search globally for and evaluate the best nucleic acid-based technologies and associated delivery platforms, and partner them to complement our internal programs or expand our existing competencies. As the Lilly Genetic Medicines (LGM) Search & Evaluate team, we broadly support most therapeutic areas at Lilly, so our primary focus is on technologies currently in scope for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, Pain, Diabetes, Obesity, and Immunology.
What is your partnering philosophy with respect to delivery technologies for genetic medicines?
No company is too early for my team to review. We love to see technologies at their infancy and provide guidance. Our long-term goals are to partner with industry leading talent and companies with technologies that are not only within our scope, but also have stage-appropriate derisking so we can execute quickly on mutually beneficial deals. LGM strives to be the preferred industry partner, regardless of deal type or size, and is building a global brand of maximizing returns for all parties. We recognize that the greatest challenge for genetic medicines as a modality is delivery, so we are hyper focused on partnering an array of potential solutions. To do so, we leverage several traditional tools such as direct equity investment for seed through series B companies, small material transfer agreements for discovery stage proof of concept (PoC), larger strategic collaborations, in/out licensing only, and acquisition.
In collaboration with the Corporate Business Development teams, LGM also engages in more innovative partnerships. CHORUS is focused specifically on supporting entry into GLP toxicology through a lean clinical stage PoC. CATALYZE makes the internal platform capabilities of Lilly accessible to the biotech ecosystem. Together, CHORUS and CATALYZE offer a unique way to partner with Lilly.
"Our long-term goals are to partner with industry leading talent and companies with technologies that are not only within our scope, but also have stage-appropriate derisking so we can execute quickly on mutually beneficial deals."
How can pharma companies and drug delivery companies better ensure successful partnerships and collaborations?
Communicating the details will make or break any partnership. Before signing a contract, I recommend the following:
