Corporate business development
More than a century ago, we collaborated to
launch the world's first commercial insulin. Today,
we continue to leverage our rich history of
partnering to help improve health around
the world.
Search & Evaluation
The Search & Evaluation teams, dedicated to each of our core therapeutic areas, identify promising science worldwide that can benefit from our support.
Transactions
With designated team members representing our core therapeutic areas, the Transactions team engages in a variety of deal structures that include in- and out-licensing, direct equity investments, mergers and acquisitions and innovative partnerships.
Alliance & Innovation Management
Partnerships benefit most from dedicated teams and focused insights. The Alliance & Innovation Management team helps maximise the value of each strategic partnered asset, keeping the long-term vision in mind.
Cardiometabolic health
We've been a global leader in diabetes care for over 150 years and remain strongly committed to expanding horizons in diabetes research and related complications.
Areas of interest include:
- Obesity / metabolic health and related indications (e.g., cachexia, sarcopenia, bone health, longevity-related indications, rare endocrinological diseases)
- Heart failure (HFpEF and HFrEF) and related indications (e.g., hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation)
- Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)
- Chronic kidney disease (Primary focus on stage 3b-4)
- Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
We are also broadly interested in the following:
- Technologies: Novel peptide delivery (e.g., oral / sustained-release formulations or ingestible devices) or tissue / organ targeting (e.g., adipocytes, beta-cells, skeletal muscle)
- Targets: New targets via genetic/-omics and AI/ML approaches.
Specific areas of interest by indication are listed below:
Obesity / Metabolic health and related indications
Mechanisms of Action (MoAs) of interest:
- GLP-1 / incretin add-on (both oral and injectable)
- Body composition (e.g., preservation / promotion of lean body mass)
- Energy expenditure
- Mitochondrial health
- Durability / set-point modulation
Heart failure and related indications
MoAs of interest:
- Next generation oral/injectable approaches on myocardium and heart function, e.g., mitochondrial function, inflammation, repair/regeneration
- Cargo delivery to cardiomyocytes
- Target identification / validation
- Novel preclinical platforms (improve predictability / translatability)
Diabetes
Specific areas of interest:
- Beta-cell boosters / improvement in beta-cell health and function
- Beta-cell access to provide cargo delivery
- Islet cell therapy
- Gene editing to improve immunotolerance and viability
- Next-gen immunomodulation
Chronic kidney disease
MoAs of interest:
- Remodeling / regeneration of tissue
- Technologies of interest: Delivery to specific kidney cell types / structures
Digital health
We're excited to support innovative medicines with cutting-edge digital technology. We're broadly interested in the following across our pipeline and indications:
- Validated digital biomarkers and endpoints: To measure safety / efficacy or medications, including technologies that enable novel digital biomarker development
- Patient-facing drug companion application / digital solutions (medication initiation to medication management): For adherence, management / monitoring of comorbidities / side effects, titration optimisation, dosing optimisation, outcomes measurement
- Clinical devices (approved / ready for research): Connected vitals devices (e.g., BP, HR, pulse ox, temp), connected ECG devices (multi-lead)
- Clinical software / applications: Telemedicine app / SaaS with auto-translations, "virtual" and on-demand Clinical Service Providers, adjudication management software, multi-system security manager to enable SSO, EMR / EHR integration software (between Clinical Research data collection and EMRs), central certification / mutual recognition for imaging centers for research, compliant and research-ready calendaring and messaging
Genetic medicines
We're working to advance genetic medicine therapeutics by fostering innovation and transformational science. We look to expand our pipeline within and beyond our core therapeutic areas of interest and serve the unmet needs of patients, including adjacent comorbidities.
Technologies of interest:
- Novel delivery and expression methods (e.g., viral and non-viral vectors, promoters and other regulatory elements)
- Genome editing tools
- Oligonucleotide therapeutics (e.g., ASOs, small RNA platforms, mRNA therapeutics, gene replacement)
- Novel routes of administration (e.g., device-assisted delivery, cell/tissue-specific bioconjugates)
- Solutions that can improve the specificity, potency, and toxicity profiles of our molecules (e.g., AI, non-animal models)
Targets of interest:
- Heritable gene mutations
- Gene-environment interactions-based targets (e.g., epigenetic)
- Functionally curative targets
Immunology
We have a growing portfolio of solutions for patients in areas of high unmet need, including dermatology, rheumatology and gastroenterology. Indications of interest include:
Dermatology
- Atopic dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Hidradenitis suppurativa
- Urticaria
Rheumatology
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Spondyloarthropathy (PsA, axSpA)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Gastroenterology
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Eosinophilic esophagitis
- Celiac disease
Other
- Fibrosis (e.g., IPF, SSc)
- Progressive forms of multiple sclerosis
- Type 1 diabetes (T1DM)
Our additional areas of interest include:
- Nanoparticles for use in immune tolerance
- Protein knockdown (e.g., siRNA, protein degradation)
- Tissue-targeted delivery platforms
- Cellular therapeutics
- In Vivo CART
- Precision medicine
Molecule innovation
We are broadly interested in novel platforms across most indications, including:
Biologics
Protein platforms of interest:
- Antibody discovery
- Antibody engineering
- AI/ML applications to drug discovery and development
- De novo protein design
- GPCR and multi-pass transmembrane proteins
- Conjugation
Other delivery technologies of interest:
- Oral delivery of large molecules
- BBB transporters
Synthetic molecules
Novel synthetic molecule drug development methods of interest:
- Conjugate manufacturing and development (e.g., ADC, ARC)
- Oligonucleotide manufacturing capabilities
- Continuous manufacturing capabilities
Other technologies of interest:
- Delivery technologies (e.g., lipid nanoparticle, oral peptide)
- Small molecule RNA modulation
- Antibody / drug conjugation (linker/payload)
- Novel ligand identification
- Modulation of protein – protein interaction
- Small molecule discovery via computational methods and AI/ML
- Protein degradation technology (e.g., bi-functional degradation, molecular glue etc.)
- Novel screening methodologies
Neuroscience
We're working to find medicines for the treatment of neurological disease, psychiatry and chronic pain.
Neurology
Indications of interest include:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Other related proteinopathies (e.g., Huntington’s, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, frontotemporal dementia)
- Related monogenic neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., lysosomal storage disorders, leukodystrophies)
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Neurological disorders characterized by neuronal hyperexcitability e.g., seizure
MoAs of interest include:
- Inhibition of protein misfolding, accumulation, aggregation and spread
- Proteostasis
- Inhibition of neuro-, axonal- and synaptic degeneration
- Symptomatic treatments for neurological disease with clinical evidence (e.g., psychosis, cognitive impairment, agitation, mood, movement, sleep)
Technologies of interest:
- Blood-brain-barrier delivery
- Protein knockdown (e.g., siRNA, protein degradation)
- Exon splicing modulation
- Gene therapy and editing
- Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease
Pain:
Indications of interest:
- Chronic neuropathic pain (e.g., diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, neuropathic back pain, post-traumatic neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis pain)
- Musculoskeletal pain (e.g., osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia)
MoAs of interest:
- Symptomatic relief of pain and improvement of function
- Prevention or repair of peripheral nerve damage and neuropathies
- Damage prevention or joint repair in musculoskeletal disease
Technologies of interest:
- Delivery (e.g., blood-brain barrier, peripheral nerves)
- Protein knockdown or modulation (e.g., siRNA, gene therapy, protein degradation)
Oncology
We're actively seeking oncology partnerships with world-class industry and academic collaborators to optimise and accelerate the development of new cancer medicines. We're focused on opportunities across discovery and development stage assets with the potential to:
- Demonstrate unequivocal activity early in the drug development process
- Deliver outsized and differentiated effects for patients
We are agnostic to the biologic basis of programs, so long as we have high conviction in the science and believe they will matter for patients.
