Lilly Systems Biology, the Singapore-based research and development arm of Eli Lilly and Company, is in talks with leading Indian drug companies and state-run research institutes and laboratories to collaborate on potential biotechnology and biomedical projects.
The targeted Indian collaborations of Eli Lilly are part of its initiative to further develop a growing portfolio of best-in-class pharmaceutical products by using inputs from the latest research by its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent
scientific organisations.
Lilly Systems Biology managing director Michael Schroter told
Business Standard the company was scouting for ideal research partners in India for collaborative projects as well as technology licensing.
"It is now very early to reveal the details of the projects. We hope we will finalise the Indian partners for the projects and the technology deals shortly," he said.
"Unlike traditional approaches, systems biology looks at all levels of biological information, from genes to RNAs to proteins in terms of the biological pathways or systems involved in physiology and disease. The promise of this type of integrated research is the ability to accelerate
the rate of drug discovery and enhance the quality of information gathered about drugs during the process," he said.
Lilly had set up a Singapore research arm as a creative approach to studying the whole biological system utilising contemporary biotechnology strategies, including bioinformatics, in parallel with conventional biomedical research, and to explore R&D opportunities in Asian countries like India and China.
Lilly's activities in Singapore include a clinical pharmacology centre that is a joint venture with the National University of Singapore.
Lilly's Centre for Systems Biology, which was set up a couple of years ago with an investment of $140 million, had added to the company's presence in the region and enhanced global research efforts.
"Our medical research is now conducted in an information-rich environment in the post-human genome sequence world, which requires a new paradigm to study biological systems. A systems biology approach will integrate and analyse biological information across the drug discovery disciplines of molecular biology, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical development, which will be essential for innovations in drug development," Schroter said.
