8 TECH OUTLOOKNovember - 2020IN MY OPINIONRevamping Drug Discovery and Development through Technology InnovationBy Dr. Michelle M. Chen, VP and Head of Corporate Development at WuXi Biologics In your opinion, how has the Drug Discovery and Development landscape evolved over the years? What are some of the advantages of the current technological evolution?When I first joined the biotech industry as a bench scientist fresh out of post doctorate training, it was during the time of the genomic revolution. With the completion of Human Genome sequencing and the introduction of DNA microarray, we predicted new biotechnologies would shorten the drug discovery and development timeline, and reduce overall development risks. Well, the reality is that the cost of developing a new drug today is more than 2 billion dollars, up from 800 million dollars in 2003. The success rate of clinical trials has dropped by half, down to 12 percent. On the positive side, we have witnessed positive impacts of technology innovations, particularly in precision medicine, bi-specific antibodies, antibody-ADC development, gene, and cell therapy. Take the bi-specific antibody as an example: 10 years ago, less than 10 percent of the antibody clinical pipeline had bi-specific antibody molecules. This percentage has increased to 25 percent in recent years, with multiple platforms available and 3 approved bi-specific antibody drugs. At WuXi Biologics, we launched WuXiBodyTM bi-specific platform in late 2018. Today we have 12 licensing partners and more than 20 on-going projects.I also believe the golden age of antibody-drug conjugates has arrived. I worked on the antibody-ADC in the early 2000s when the concept was new. It took the industry a long time to figure out how to control the ratio of toxin and antibody molecules to maximize the therapeutic window. Today, there are 8 antibody-ADC drugs approved by the FDA, 3 of which were approved in 2019 Dr. Michelle M. Chen
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