Research & Development
Bold Science Happens Here
Every day, we choose to be bold—to write new chapters in science—so people can have a chance at better health.
Core Areas of Innovation
While most of our portfolio is within our core therapeutic areas, we continue to invest in additional scientific opportunities, spanning large and small molecules, genetic medicine and other novel capabilities.
Alzheimer's Disease
We’re approaching Alzheimer’s disease from every angle, working with speed to advance the science that could lead to breakthrough therapies and discovering new ways to facilitate timely and accurate diagnoses.
Cancer
We are expanding a portfolio of programs based on high biologic conviction to give people living with cancer more options. Our early-stage molecules under investigation include a KRAS G12C inhibitor, Next-Gen RET inhibitor and PI3Kα inhibitor.
Diabetes
Our focus remains on breakthroughs and curative approaches to improve the lives of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, such as investigating novel therapeutic approaches that simplify glycemic control.
Immunology
To address the unresolved impact of immune-mediated diseases, we’re delivering innovative medicines that provide better results. We are investing in next-generation medicines and exploring new innovation in our immunology-related clinical programs.
Obesity
We’re pursuing innovations in GLP-1s, novel drug targets and in-combination therapies to treat obesity and its associated diseases.
Pain
We’re advancing innovative science and non-opioid medicines to enable a better approach to comprehensive pain management.
Champions of Bold Science
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(The video begins with Laura Michael sitting in a chair by a window with a view of the outside.)
Over 10 years ago, we conceived of a project that was really technically challenging and a lot of people found it very hard to believe we could create a molecule.
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And through many learning cycles, we've increased the potency and the specificity of this molecule.
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But we had one side effect that we were always worried about.
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And in fact, it happened.
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It emerged in preclinical models, and the team felt so discouraged that we wouldn't be able to carry the molecule forward until we sat back, studied the reason why it was happening, and we learned that it probably wouldn't happen in people and we could explain it from a molecular standpoint.
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We were given the chance to put it into people and it was potent, efficacious, and it didn't have the side effect because we designed it.
0:48
And that was so elating to know that the team worked so hard and thought so critically about that molecule and how it should work.
0:59
And then to see the results in phase one clinical trial was so inspiring.
1:05
So you have to continually challenge yourself to think something through, maybe in a different way.
1:11
The camera fades off Laura, and the white Lilly logo appears over a red background.
0:00
(The video begins with Lisa Broad sitting in a chair by a window with a view of the outside.)
We're doing a lot of work in chronic pain.
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So we were working on a molecule, which once again, we've taken all the way through to clinical proof of concept in chronic pain conditions.
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I think one of the very cool things about this particular project, we were able to put it into the Chronic Pain Master protocol, which is a really cool, innovative approach that Lily's done that no one else in pain has done.
0:25
If you take a molecule forward, you often don't know what pain state it's going to work in, and you have to guess.
0:32
So we've taken that guesswork out of the equation with the Chronic Pain Master Protocol.
0:37
The drugs all go into three big representative chronic pain States and we were able to put our molecule into that Chronic Pain Master protocol.
0:46
And Lily has done that for three now 4 molecules in the last couple of years and done 9 proofs of concept studies.
0:52
That's really bold, that's really innovative.
0:55
And that enabled us to to get to data for that method mechanism.
0:59
The second example I have is we are working on ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
1:06
That's a newer area for Lily.
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The project team I'm working on for ALS is in Phase 1.
1:12
So it's in the clinic and it's a first in class opportunity.
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So, so Lily is in the lead with delivering that potential new therapy to patients.
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It's very exciting.
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And the innovation there comes from actually being able to perhaps put that molecule into an external master protocol.
1:29
Again, we talked about how master protocols are very efficient.
1:32
They enable you to, to get to data faster and again, that will be tremendous for us to tap into external master protocol that's already going and doing well.
1:42
You know, I've, I've been working in this business for over 25 years, 30 years.
1:48
And I'm like, I don't have that many years left, you know, to, to continue.
1:51
So for me that there's this urgency, right?
1:54
To take everything I've learnt and to have impact, have impact the patients, but also to help train the next generation of drug hunters, right, because there's still so much to do.
2:06
The camera fades off Lisa, and the white Lilly logo appears over a red background.
0:00
(The video begins with Michael Krautkramer sitting in a chair by a window with a view of the outside.)
One of the most exciting things about working at Lily is so many of the projects that we get sometimes don't look very possible and it fails more often than not.
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So you kind of start, start from a position of like, like, is this impossible?
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And I think those are the most fun projects to work on, right?
0:14
So one of the the projects that been most excited to be a part of was this project to figure out how do we deliver our drugs better into the brain.
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And when you deliver a drug peripherally like less than 1% actually gets into the brain.
0:31
So like anything we can do to increase that to 2% is 100% improvement for Lilly.
0:36
It's a big deal to hit portfolio, Andrew.
0:37
We were able to move not one, not two, but three assets into the portfolio.
0:42
You're fortunate, maybe call it locked up the PO CS work to the science that our team predicted ended up playing out.
0:48
We know that's not always the case, but but I think that there is this this again element back to like the the trust we put in the individual team members to deliver on what they needed to deliver.
0:59
The camera fades off Michael, and the white Lilly logo appears over a red background.
Additional Resources
References
1.Eli Lilly and Company. 2023 Annual Report. https://assets.ctfassets.net/srys4ukjcerm/2LjSsnwVhoMTIp9BfLlSqC/690331b3a3619e831e0a91369196b7ba/ELI_LILLY__2023_Annual_Report.pdf
2. Herper, M. (2023, July 6). With savvy bets, a dynamic duo makes Eli Lilly one of pharma’s biggest success stories. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/06/eli-lilly-pharma-success-david-ricks-daniel-skovronsky/
3. Eli Lilly and Company. Current Medicines. https://www.lilly.com/our-medicines/current-medicines