The translation of cutting-edge science into new clinically-relevant therapeutics is the ultimate goal of many academic investigators, industry researchers, and investors. This stage of R&D is the most challenging, and typically frought with scientific and technical risks: taking a new approach or biological target, discovering a lead drug candidate to interact with the target in the right way, tuning the drug-like properties around pharmacology, safety, and PK/ADME to find the ideal Development Candidate, and then ultimately testing the hypothesis in clinical studies to show if it delivers the desired outcome to patients.
There are many possible modes of failure in this process, and all of us involved in this part of the ecosystem spend a lot of time thinking through how to derisk projects, reduce those costly false positives, and channel capital towards the right innovations. The ingredients of success are multiple – sound science, titration of capital, clear early development path, the right exploratory markers, etc…
To read the original article: Unleashing Biotech Innovation With The Currency of Entrepreneurship - Forbes
