Industry-Led Biosciences Centre to Target Global Diabetes & Obesity in Indiana
Academia, Government and firms including Roche, Eli Lilly, Dow and Cook will combine research, knowledge and capabilities to target metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, whilst bringing jobs and investment to the State in a “unique” $60m Research institute.
The focus will be on research that can be commercialized, which will lead to jobs and start-up companies in the region, according to Eli Lilly’s Senior VP Bart Peterson, who told stakeholders his company was “absolutely committed” to the project in last week’s unveiling of the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI).
He spoke of the partnership being forged between academic bodies in the State with industry in order to break down barriers between the two. “Research silos must be broken down if we’re going to be more effective,” he said, adding the enormity of this “opportunity to do collaborative research.”
CEO of Roche Diagnostics Jack Phillips also spoke at the launch saying the work to be done at the Institute would target the growth of diabetes and obesity, not just in the established world but also in emerging markets and “is why our healthcare systems globally are bankrupt.”
“The global focus will put the spotlight on Indiana as being a life sciences leader,” he said, adding the State had 714,000 diabetes sufferers and an obesity rate of 30 percent.
Patents, Property and Partnerships
With Dow Agrosciences, Biomet and Cook Medical also on the steering committee – as well as not-for-profit company Indiana University Health – questions were asked regarding funding, patents and eventual revenue distribution.
Cook’s Chairman Steve Ferguson told participants that specific details had not yet been figured out, but such collaborations between firms happen daily in business, and therefore milestone payments and royalties would depend on who inputs what to each project.
The issue of intellectual property has also been scrutinized since the idea was conceived, according to Dow AgroScience’s CEO, Antonio Galindez, with lawyers continually working on a framework.
As for funding, the initial cost could not be broken down into which company invested how much and when, but it did include a $25m commitment by the State which “is to be returned tenfold,” according to Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana, through the creation of jobs and attracting talent and entrepreneurs, as well as milestone payments.
As well as industry, the IBRI is supported by State growth initiative BioCrossroads and the academic institutes: Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame.
