1. Innovation in Life Sciences The 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 Dots Aggregation Essential

6. Adult Stem Cell Therapy

7. Stem Cell Source

8. Adult Stem Cell Therapy
1-2 mm biopsy
2-3 weeks growth
T-E Cornea
Healthy eye
Select stem cells
Remove scar tissue
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 +++++ Grants
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. Must Collaborate Early
RESEARCH
TRANSLATION
RESEARCH
TRANSLATION

20. Science + Translation
Mike Lester

21. Regulation Basic science - Compliance required Translation
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 Sciences The View from the Bench
Chris Mason
University College London