Autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes, affect around 15 million Americans. Despite significant advancements in understanding autoimmune diseases, the exact causes remain elusive.
Following the success of the 2024 Radiopharmaceuticals Summit, which resulted in two funded research projects, Eshelman Innovation is pointing its therapeutics curation model at autoimmune disorders to foster collaboration and drive innovation in the field.
“Shaping the Future of Autoimmune Therapies: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Innovation,” scheduled for May 1 in the Research Triangle Park (RTP), brings together leading researchers, clinicians and industry partners with the goal of accelerating the development of new therapies and improving the quality of life for millions of patients worldwide.
“The goal of this therapeutics curation model is to engage stakeholders early to find out the needs and opportunities in a particular field,” said Dr. Sumitra Pati, commercial strategy director for Eshelman Innovation’s Therapeutics Accelerator. In the traditional model, researchers work in a silo and seek out translational partners, like venture capital investment firms, to commercialize promising breakthroughs. “The science is hard enough. If we can be strategic about all the other pieces, including what the market wants, we’ll have a much better chance of success.”
Proof of concept
The 2024 Radiopharmaceuticals Summit was a great start in proving Eshelman Innovation’s therapeutics curation concept. Radiopharmaceuticals, a promising new class of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, are radioisotopes that bind with biological molecules for targeting specific human tissues or cells.
“Oncology is already an interesting therapeutic class for investors, and now radiopharmaceutical therapy, being something new in oncology, is going to get a lot of attention,” said Dr. Norman “Ned” Sharpless, UNC School of Medicine professor of cancer policy and innovation, and co-chief executive officer of Jupiter BioVentures. “Bringing people together around a topic with a funding opportunity attached forces them to get down to brass tacks and say, ‘here are the critical questions we must address.’ You need honest, forthright scientific exchange of the most relevant new data. The curation model helps make that possible.”
