1 / 28

Innovation in Life Sciences The View from the Bench

Innovation in Life Sciences The View from the Bench. Chris Mason University College London. Life Sciences Innovation. What is it? How is it produced in universities? Basic science + translation Barriers to academic innovation In addition to the scientific pursuit

raanan
Download Presentation

Innovation in Life Sciences The View from the Bench

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Innovation in Life SciencesThe View from the Bench Chris Mason University College London

  2. Life Sciences Innovation • What is it? • How is it produced in universities? • Basic science + translation • Barriers to academic innovation • In addition to the scientific pursuit • If and how scientists think about regulation? • If and how scientists think about end products?

  3. What is Life Sciences Innovation? • Satisfy genuine “market” need • Incremental step versus step change • Disruptive technology • Ethically acceptable • Ability to be translated/commercialized • Ability to eventually produce a safe, effective product at a price acceptable for routine clinical practice

  4. How is Life Science Innovation Produced in Universities? • Nature + Nurture • World-Class Scientists • World-Class Support + Infrastructure

  5. Ability to Join-Up the DotsAggregation Essential

  6. Adult Stem Cell Therapy

  7. Stem Cell Source

  8. 1-2 mm biopsy 2-3 weeks growth Healthy eye T-E Cornea Select stem cells Remove scar tissue Adult Stem Cell Therapy Damaged eye Before operation After operation

  9. Barriers to Innovation • Funding • Time • Complexity – Challenges of multi-disciplinary research • Academic demands • Patenting issues • Academia/industry linkage • Basic science versus translation

  10. Academia/Industry Linkage • Academia-commercial collaboration challenging but encouraged • Technology Strategy Board • Unidirectional travel only (UK) • Fear of IP reach-through • Inappropriate valuation/expectation of academic IP • Pieces of jig-saw only • Lack of suitable UK partners/companies

  11. Funding • Cost of life science research +++++ • Full Economic Cost • Grants • Novel but not blue sky • Hypothesis driven • Proof of concept required/Pilot study • ?Available funding

  12. Seed Funding • Spin-out company funding/Seed funding • Pier not a bridge • Lack of follow on funding – “Valley of Death” • Angel + VC • Need to develop technology for longer… • Incubate in university labs • ?Funding mechanism • Not hypothesis driven

  13. International Collaborative Funding • Challenging but increasingly possible • EU Framework Funding • International Stem Cell Forum • CIRM/MRC – MoO • Complex IP issues • Challenging + time consuming to initiate + manage

  14. Time • Life science experiments – Long duration • Multiple repeats/Statistically significant • Grant application time-lines – Long • “Miss the boat” • Time to commercial application – Decades • Time to translation – Many years…

  15. Complexity – Challenges of Multi-Disciplinary Research • Multi-disciplinary life science becoming the norm • Funding challenges • Who is responsible/Cross council funding • Falling in the cracks • Management of grant inc. timing complex • Risk of being service provider • IP – Who owns?

  16. Academic Demands • Increasing demand to measure output • RAE • Pressure to publish • Increasing student load/expectation • Less than 25% grant applications successful • Shortage of postdoc talent • Challenge of competing with industry/city

  17. Patenting Issues • Misunderstood by scientists +++++ • Publish versus patent • Time consuming • Lack of integration scientist/IP department • Too little incentive plus not part of RAE output cf peer-reviewed papers • Infrastructure demands • Keeping compliant lab books • Time-line • Patent applications frequently dropped - £££ • Time to develop versus patent life

  18. Basic Science Versus Translation • What exactly is “translation”? • Basic science – THE BASIS of university research • Funding only for hypothesis driven research • Publication challenges • Lack of joined up thinking • Science, Translation, Commercialization • UCL/LBS collaboration • PhD/MBA

  19. RESEARCH TRANSLATION Must Collaborate Early RESEARCH TRANSLATION

  20. Science + Translation Mike Lester

  21. Regulation • Basic science - Compliance required • Paperwork +++ • Translation • Good Laboratory Practice (cGMP) • Good Clinical Practice (cGCP) • Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) • £££££ + challenging to fund • Time consuming (No RAE value) • Service not research BUT ESSENTIAL

  22. University Hospital GMP Facility Collaboration with Julie Daniels, UCL IoO/Moorfields Eye Hosp.

  23. Clinical Trials • Time consuming + complex to set up • Lack of university GMP resources • CMOs expensive + slow • NHS – not an easy environment for research • Service driven • Funding challenging • Negative results – Hard to publish

  24. Requirement for Journals of NEGATIVE results

  25. End Products • Innovation or just fascinating science? • Medical device c.f. biopharmaceutical • Timescale • Cost • Commercialization cycle e.g. MAbs • Product or service? • Commercial or imbedded?

  26. How is Life Science Innovation Produced in Universities? • Nature + Nurture • World-Class Scientists • World-Class Support + Infrastructure

  27. How is GREAT Life Science Innovation REALLY Produced in Universities? • Chance • Collaboration • Cash

  28. Innovation in Life SciencesThe View from the Bench Chris Mason University College London

More Related