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Interview C is for


collaboration


Steve Arlington is president of the Pistoia Alliance – a global, not- for-profit alliance of life science companies, vendors, publishers, and academic groups


Can you give a quick round- up of your previous career? My career began in the 1970s, and I’ve worked in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry for more than 40 years. I began as a research scientist in the field of immunology, and developed and launched many products in this arena. I am a retired partner from PwC and led the pharmaceutical team in advisory services; I also previously led the IBM life sciences and pharmaceutical global teams. In my career, I have grown two global consultancies into billion-dollar businesses and launched a biotech company; I’ve also served on the advisory boards of major pharma and diagnostic companies, startups, venture capitalists and health providers. I became president of The Pistoia Alliance in 2015.


Please explain what the Pistoia Alliance is about The Pistoia Alliance is a global, not-for-profit alliance of life- science companies, vendors, publishers, and academic groups. We established the Alliance in 2009. The founding members who came from AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis and Pfizer, initially met at a conference in Pistoia, Italy. Our mission is to work together to lower barriers to innovation in R&D. We run a series of


projects that aim to transform R&D innovation through pre- competitive collaboration. By bringing together the


key constituents, we seek to identify the root causes that lead to R&D inefficiencies. We then develop best practices and technology pilots that help to overcome these common obstacles. Any company that can contribute in some form to life sciences discovery is welcome in The Pistoia Alliance. There are currently more than 80 member companies ranging from global organisations such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, to smaller and medium size enterprises, such as Linguamatics, Databiology and Dotmatics.


Why is collaboration so important to the life sciences industry? Life sciences R&D has changed beyond recognition. We are no longer in an age of blockbuster drugs; the era of personal genomics and Big Data generation is upon us. So whether it’s searching for a cure for cancer, aiming to personalise drugs and treatments for every individual, or integrating R&D into the Internet of Things – life science companies increasingly must look outside of their own four walls to achieve these goals. In essence, life sciences organisations can no


28 Research Information December 2016/January 2017


longer afford to go it alone. To overcome the problems that society faces – from antibiotic resistance to Zika – sharing, partnering and collaborating will be essential, to accelerate innovation, and to make the lives of patients better. Modern research generates


huge volumes of data, much of which is ‘pre-competitive’; sharing this data could significantly boost innovation in the life sciences industry. Currently, there are no industry-wide standards that make this data discoverable and sharable – whether it comes from regulators, partners, competitors or internally. At the same time, the life sciences industry is being asked to do more to incorporate technologies, such as wearables devices, into their remit. And as mHealth and the Internet of Things gain traction, the complexity of R&D continues to deepen. To address this, life sciences companies could, and do, build


heavily regulated industry. It’s also an industry that typically fiercely protects what it sees as proprietary information. So between worrying about breaking regulatory rules and fear of giving away too much information to competitors, life science companies haven’t historically tended towards collaboration. There are more practical


and technical barriers too. In recent years, there has been much merger and acquisition activity in life sciences. This has left companies with a plethora of research and data tools in use throughout their business, which hampers data sharing. Data formats also vary widely between, and within, companies. Some teams or companies may be using ‘off the shelf’ tools, while others may have invested many millions in building their own in-house systems. On top of this, the growing number and types of data sources is compounding


“Modern research generates huge volumes of data, much of which is pre-competitive”


solutions themselves, but this is an expensive dead-end, which results in tools that are not interoperable. When data is locked in these systems, it is unusable. This is why collaboration is so important to the industry – to realise the potential of big data in a way that will benefit patients.


What are the biggest barriers to collaboration today? One of the main barriers lies in the fact that life sciences is a


the issue. For instance, data today can originate in varied circumstances – from wearable devices used in clinical trials, to patients’ social media posts. Another complicating factor is the impact of technology companies, such as Google and Apple, and the shift to personal genomics. It’s possible today to have your entire genome sequenced for under a thousand dollars. Or, send away a swab and receive a genetic analysis for just a


g @researchinfo | www.researchinformation.info


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