The Lilly Institute for Genetic Medicine builds on its 2020 acquisition of New York City-based gene therapy company Prevail Therapeutics, and will focus on RNA- and DNA-based therapies. Lilly expects to move into the site in 2024.

"Establishing the Lilly Institute for Genetic Medicine will allow us to pair cutting-edge technologies with our deep biological expertise in several areas including neuroscience and diabetes," said Andrew Adams, vice president of genetic medicine at Lilly and co-director of the Institute. "Lilly will focus on medicines acting at the nucleic acid level to advance an entirely new class that target the root cause of diseases, an approach that is fundamentally different than medicines available today."

Through the work of the Institute, Lilly intends to fuel the development of genetic medicines, which already account for more than 20% of its diabetes, immunology, and central nervous system research portfolio. Within five years, the Indianapolis-headquartered pharma projects that the Boston site will grow from 120 to more than 250 research biologists, chemists, data scientists and other gene therapy experts, while the New York site will grow to include up to 200 scientists.

The site will also include a shared startup space, modeled on the Lilly Gateway Labs in San Francisco that opened in December 2019. This space will support biotech startups in the Boston area and will provide dedicated and configurable lab and office space, access to Lilly scientists, and opportunities for collaboration. Lilly expects up to 150 new jobs will be created once this startup space is fully occupied.

Lilly is not the only major drugmaker to make a major investment in genetic medicines research. Last June, French pharma Sanofi announced plans to set up a vaccines mRNA Center of Excellence, with 400 dedicated staff working at sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Lyon, France. Sanofi intends to invest about €400 million annually in the center.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist