Here in Massachusetts, we hold a firm belief that springtime is a time of renewal.  The days grow longer and brighter as the resident’s moods begin to elevate for the season to come.   This “renewal” is certainly analogus to a seismic shift over the past few months within the pharmaceutical industry, for which Big Pharma is beginning to evaluate their future R&D strategies.  Major industry headlines are broadcasting drastic billion dollar cuts in internal R&D spending due to the lack of substantial drug development productivity over the past decade.  In response, multinational pharmaceutical companies are beginning to search for external opportunities to nurture the innovation process, namely through collaboration and alliances with external research organizations, academia, and emerging biotechnology companies. The overarching concept is it that these distinct groups posses the necessary resources and IP to develop disruptive biopharmaceutical technologies that have the potential to treat major unmet medical needs that will revolutionize the industry.

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