“Molecules” – Translating Cutting-Edge Biodiscovery to Expanding Healthspans

Session Overview

Indiana and Illinois have robust industry clusters in sectors like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, agricultural biotechnology, and bio-manufacturing—positioning the region to become a significant global hub in bioscience research, technology, and innovation. This panel discussed how the Indiana-Illinois Innovation Corridor strategically aims to lead in bioscience innovation and, in doing so, positively transform the world.

Key Session Insights

To support economic partnerships, a culture of innovation—like the one present in the Indiana-Illinois Innovation Corridor—is needed to unify academia, industry, and government. Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois Chicago Joanna Groden pointed out that the cultural attributes of the Chicagoland and Illinois-Indiana corridor are crucial to the innovation capacity of the region.The region's collaborative spirit, anchored in a robust university network, creates an environment ripe for addressing significant scientific questions. Dr. Groden cited the Chicago Biomedical Consortium as a model of successful collaboration, enabling the transition of discoveries from major universities into entrepreneurial ventures.

“When we think about radical collaboration, thinking big works out.”
The Hon. John Fernandez
Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, The Mill; Regional Innovation Officer, Heartland BioWorks

Group Vice President for Molecule Discovery and Director of the Lilly Institutes of Genetic Medicine at Eli Lilly and Company Andrew Adams detailed his company's strategic research partnership with Purdue University as another example of robust and fruitful collaboration. Dr. Adams illustrated the importance of addressing technical challenges associated with new medicines, particularly RNA-based therapies, which gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eli Lilly anticipates RNA medicines becoming more prevalent for diseases like Alzheimer’s, but scaling this technology will require advancements in other supporting scientific research, such as a better understanding of how the flow of cerebrospinal fluid works, and the company is working with Purdue University on this problem and others like it, paving the way for future medical advances that could benefit millions.

“We used gene therapy to treat a child who was born completely deaf. After exposing this child to novel gene therapy, he now has hearing better than most of the people in this room.”
Dr. Andrew Adams
Group Vice President, Molecule Discovery; Director, Lilly Institutes of Genetic Medicine, Eli Lilly and Company

Dr. Adams articulated a vision for leveraging genomic technologies and nanomedicine as pivotal areas for innovation. In one notable case, a child with profound deafness had their hearing restored by genome therapy. Similarly, advancements in nanomedicine could position the region as a leader in delivering complex treatments, with Dr. Adams arguing that while Boston currently leads in this space, Indiana's investments in this area could change that narrative.

Collaboration is also crucial in the Midwest’s health system, especially when serving disadvantaged and underrepresented populations. Dr. Groden shared that the University of Illinois Chicago health system primarily serves minority families from underserved communities. Because of its location, the health system gathers essential health information from minority groups, which can otherwise be tricky—data that informs predictive algorithms but also provides access to diverse populations for research studies. Dr. Groden noted, “Genetics can be individual, but it can also be population-based.” By taking advantage of a varied population, the health system is learning more about the effects of chronic health problems and shaping ways to address them.

Collaboration could also be seen in initiatives like Analytics In, a partnership among Indiana University, Purdue University, and Notre Dame, focusing on creating a robust database of human samples. President & CEO of BioCrossroads Vince Wong explained that the repository currently holds 35,000 sequenced human samples linked to phenotypic data through IU Health, the largest health system in Indiana. This collaboration allows for significant discoveries in areas such as diabetes and cardiovascular therapy development. Mr. Wong asserted, “The spirit of collaboration across universities, pharmaceutical companies, and philanthropy allows us to develop a pretty compelling asset.”

While new advances could generate huge benefits for patients, they also raise privacy concerns. Dr. Groden highlighted the necessity of ensuring privacy for participants in clinical trials, especially vulnerable populations, saying, “The ethics of using new technologies are always open for discussion and important.” This sentiment was echoed by Mr. Wong, who mentioned how Notre Dame has become a center of excellence on studying the ethical implications of application technology in healthcare.

Founder & CEO of Stemloop Khalid Alam then shifted to the broader scope of life sciences, and the importance of considering planetary and economic health alongside human health. Specifically, the One Health concept, which integrates human, plant, and animal health, is a perspective that underscores the interconnectedness of various health sectors and their potential to drive economic growth.

“This panel is about expanding healthspans. What about planetary and economic healthspans?”
Dr. Khalid K. Alam
Founder & CEO, Stemloop, Inc.

Dr. Adams brought artificial intelligence into the conversation, noting that AI has already been responsible for improvements, with new systems like AlphaFold able to better find new molecules and medicines than traditional methods of search. However, these systems are not yet perfect, with challenges like how to account for the dynamic nature of proteins remaining. Still, he noted, “If you look over the course of a decade, I think you’ll see that the field has shifted dramatically.”

Addressing the labor challenges facing the Midwest, Adams pointed out the importance of retaining talent within the region. Many skilled individuals come to the area for training at its elite universities but often relocate elsewhere for better career opportunities. To counter this trend, Dr. Groden suggested the Midwest needs to do more to market itself as an attractive place to be for high-skill workers. Advantages like a high quality of life, low living cost, and opportunities in high-tech industry often go unrecognized or downplayed, leading to the talent outflow. Instead, the Midwest must be portrayed as a thriving center of life sciences and innovation.

“The Midwest is a little too modest about the assets it has. Marketing is a key ingredient for bringing a larger workforce here and making people appreciate the quality of life the Midwest brings.”
Dr. Joanna Groden
Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Illinois Chicago

Mr. Wong agreed with the call for a more robust regional marketing strategy. Echoing Dr. Chiang’s earlier call for curated densification, Mr. Wong stated, “We need to be really focused on where we can be the epicenter of the world”—promoting key areas of expertise like neurodegenerative diseases and cardiometabolic health.

“We need to focus our regional messaging on what we are amazing at accomplishing. As a region, the best thing we could do is to focus on those issues where we can be the global epicenter of excellence.”
Mr. Vince Wong
President & CEO, BioCrossroads

However, while the Midwest has several world-leading centers of innovation, early-stage startups still struggle with a lack of funding. “Ambitious people want to work ambitious jobs, and they tend to gravitate towards startups,” Dr. Alam pointed out. While large corporations with vast resources may solve certain kinds of problems, startups remain a critical piece of the innovation ecosystem. Unfortunately, while federal and state investments have increased, venture capital in the region remains cautious, particularly concerning deep tech companies with long development timelines.

This is an acute problem for bioscience startups, according to The Hon. John Fernandez, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at The Mill, and Regional Innovation Officer at Heartland BioWorks. With such a lengthy regulatory process, finding investment for projects that may take decades can be an uphill battle, with most investors looking elsewhere for more immediate opportunities. As Mr. Fernandez put it, “The runway is just too long.” In response, Mr. Wong acknowledged ongoing efforts to address the challenge, noting that organizations like Elevate Ventures are working to fill crucial funding gaps for startups, even if it is slow.

Dr. Adams concluded the conversation by sharing his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when unprecedented collaboration led to rapid advancements in antibody development. “What usually takes us several years, we did in six months.” With a unified approach to investment, marketing, and talent retention, the Indiana-Illinois Corridor and broader Midwest stand poised to become global leaders in bioscience research and development, harnessing its strengths to address pressing health challenges.

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