Dr Steve Arlington, president of The Pistoia Alliance, a global not-for-profit organisation advocating for greater collaboration in biopharma, has called on the life science industry to learn the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and seek out more opportunities to collaborate.
COVID-19 dealt the sector a complex challenge, but it has also been a catalyst for organisations to come together in ways not seen before. Life science organisations, charities, diagnostics firms, governments, regulators, and academia have collaboratively focused their resources on vaccine and therapy development. Now, Dr Arlington is urging life science organisations to maintain their willingness to work together in the hope of continuing to make breakthroughs at the pace of the last twelve months.
Dr Arlington said: “One hundred years before COVID-19, the world experienced another pandemic. With limited knowledge, it pulled together then to mitigate the spread of influenza and treat the many millions affected. Similarly, during COVID-19, the incredible work of scientists around the globe has seen collaborative projects produce hugely valuable outcomes. From repurposed therapies to novel vaccines, the normal timeline of R&D has been accelerated beyond measure.
“In the one hundred years between these two world-changing events, we’ve learned a lot more about the science of pandemics. But we’ve learned far less about the art of collaboration. This must change. Let’s not wait another hundred years to collaborate. You only have to look at the many viable vaccines produced in just ten short months, and the openness we’ve seen around sharing data and knowledge, to understand the value of working together to tackle big problems. Mindsets must change from ‘we should collaborate’ to ‘we must collaborate to save lives’.”
Society faces other multifaceted challenges that require a cross-disciplinary approach as well as COVID-19. From antibiotic resistance to treating dementias, to the effects of climate change on humans. In a post-COVID-19 world, stakeholders must look for further opportunities to collaborate and address the pre-existing hurdles to cooperative working that hinder progress. For example, though willingness to share data has increased, the infrastructure to allow organisations to safely share data is still lacking.
The rapid innovation in the life sciences industry throughout COVID-19 has also opened many people’s eyes to what the sector can achieve. Dr Arlington comments that the industry can collectively use this interest to attract more people to a career in science, who might not previously have considered it. This includes new entrants to the sector, but also those with skills in other areas, like data scientists, or people from any level considering a career change.
“A global pandemic isn’t over until we have global solutions. In the past year, I have seen members of the Pistoia Alliance step up their efforts even further, and my hope is that all stakeholders now realise the value of cooperation in solving problems. We also have an opportunity to capitalise on the current interest in our industry by making sure that young people see biopharma as a place where minds meet, and innovation happens. At the Alliance, we’ll be continuing efforts with our collaborative projects, and encourage anyone interested to get involved.”
