Background

Innovative enabling technologies drive the R&D processes that produce breakthrough medicines. These transformative technologies foster discovery of novel drugs that may otherwise remain overlooked, and also facilitate faster and more effective development of new medicines and diagnostic procedures. Historical examples of impactful enabling technologies include PCR, PET, antibody humanization technologies and more recently RNAi and gene microarrays.

Despite the importance of these technologies, over the last few years most traditional life science investors have diverted their funding towards late-stage therapeutic programs. As a consequence, important discoveries of great strategic value to pharmaceutical companies are not being commercialized. In addition, enabling technology and platform start-up companies typically function independently of their potential pharma customers in the early stages, and do not always design their products to address the core unmet needs of the pharma industry.

With diminishing access to innovative venture-backed technology platforms, pharma groups have been left to conduct translational technology development themselves. As they attempt to address similar core needs, there is a costly duplication of efforts and a distraction of focus from drug discovery. Enlight provides a unique mechanism through which pharma companies partner to foster rapid and tailored development of high impact enabling technologies and platforms that directly address their most pressing common needs.