Opportunity Knocks

Despite its continued emphasis on tapping external innovation for new opportunities, industry is still leaving on the table scores of unexploited drug targets identified at universities, according to an analysis of BioCentury’s BCIQ: BioCentury Online Intelligence database and the Distillery section of BioCentury Innovations. While the data show the academic research community has consistently identified hundreds of new targets year after year, only about one third are being picked up for commercial programs.

Academic alliances and licensing deals are now a core part of the research strategy for almost every pharma and an increasing number of biotechs. In addition to providing companies with access to cutting-edge biology, the relationships are prime sources for new targets that can spawn preclinical programs. ...