Eli Lilly and Company and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have formed a multiyear collaboration to research new cancer medicines. Per the agreement, over the course of three years Dana-Farber will provide research and development expertise for a number of early-stage Lilly oncology compounds. Dana-Farber researchers and Lilly scientists will work collaboratively on preclinical and clinical studies. The agreement also allows Dana-Farber scientists to conduct independent studies on select Lilly compounds. Following research conducted at Dana-Farber, the evaluated compounds will still be fully owned by Lilly. Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has expertise in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of NCI and National Institutes of Health grant funding, according to Lilly.

In a separate development, Eli Lilly and Company and the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) have formed a strategic partnership to co‑develop an investigational oncology compound, LY3023414, a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor. Under the agreement, SCRI will collaborate with Lilly to provide clinical development expertise and program design, as well as medical oversight and trial management. Patient enrollment for the initial Phase II clinical trial is underway. SCRI is the research arm of HCA’s global cancer enterprise, Sarah Cannon, and a clinical research organization conducting community-based clinical trials in oncology, cardiology, and orthopedics through affiliations with a network of more than 1,000 physicians across the United States and United Kingdom.

Source: Eli Lilly (Dan-Farber) and Eli Lilly (SCRI)