Date: February 13, 2002

Refer to:
Kindra Strupp 317-277-5170 (Eli Lilly and Company)
Joe Bennett 765-494-2082 (Purdue University)
Bill Stephan 812-855-0850 (Indiana University)

Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana University and Purdue University Join Forces
Unique Partnership Seeks to Advance the Study of Proteomics

Eli Lilly and Company together with Indiana University and Purdue University, through their affiliated foundations, announce the formation of the Indiana Proteomics Consortium. This marriage of the public and private sector provides an extraordinary opportunity for a world-renowned pharmaceutical company and two leading research universities to create a unique, synergistic environment for breakthrough innovation. The consortium’s vision is to develop novel proteomics instrumentation and analytical methods—currently the bottleneck in the science of proteomics—thus accelerating the advancement of the entire field and helping to address unmet medical needs.

Proteomics is the study of proteins. Genomics is the study of genes. Genes are largely the hardware of an organism, where information is stored. Proteins are largely the software and are synthesized from specific genes to perform a unique biological function. The study of proteomics holds great promise in advancing the molecular understanding of biology and accelerating drug discovery.

“Lilly is a worldwide leader in the field of protein sciences. Our expertise in this area extends over 80 years, from the development of the first insulin therapy (Iletin®) through the commercialization of Xigris™,” said Dr. August Watanabe, executive vice president science and technology, Eli Lilly and Company.

“Analytical chemistry has been a major force in the advancement of biotechnology over the past two decades, and IU and Purdue are widely recognized as two of the top three analytical chemistry departments in the world,” Watanabe said. “There are few other scientific disciplines within Indiana that can claim this level of international performance. Lilly is committed to finding additional protein-based medicines, and we believe that through more powerful analytical technologies the discovery, development and commercialization of these medicines will be accelerated.”

The proteomics consortium also represents an opportunity for the best and brightest among three of Indiana’s largest institutions to contribute to the general welfare of the Indiana economy.

“For some years, I and others have been speaking about the essential role Indiana’s two public research universities can play in helping to create a 21st century Hoosier economy,” said Indiana University President Myles Brand. “The proteomics consortium, which is part of a larger health and life sciences initiative for IU and the state, constitutes a major step in that direction. The consortium builds on the world-renowned expertise that Lilly, IU and Purdue scientists have in this growing field.”

“Indiana University welcomes the opportunity to be part of this promising public/private partnership,” Brand said. “It is alliances such as this that supported the development of Boston’s Route 128, California’s Silicon Valley, and North Carolina’s Research Triangle. I have no doubt that, working together, we can create an opportunity for a similarly productive research corridor in Indiana.”

Purdue University President Martin Jischke agrees. "This consortium represents an extraordinary opportunity. It will foster collaboration by scientists at Purdue, Indiana University and Lilly in the design and testing of innovative instruments for protein analysis,” he said. These efforts will speed the advance of proteomics by giving us faster and more accurate ways to analyze proteins of important biological and medical relevance."

"We hope this consortium is just the first of many synergistic collaborations and that it will demonstrate how universities and corporations in Indiana can cooperate not only to advance science but -- through resultant spin-off companies -- to enhance economic development in our state," Jischke said.

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

Indiana University is one of the oldest and largest state universities in the Midwest, with more than 110,000 students, faculty, and staff on eight campuses, one of which--IU Bloomington--has been designated College of the Year by Time Magazine. IU recently launched the Indiana Genomics Initiative, a series of research programs based on the decoding of the human genome that will literally transform the ability to cure diseases and improve health.

Purdue is Indiana’s land-grant university. Its mission is to serve the people of the state, nation and world. More than 68,000 students attend classes on five campuses in Indiana, including about 38,000 on the main campus in West Lafayette. Since its first class graduated in 1874, Purdue has conferred more than 400,000 degrees. Purdue’s vision is to be a preeminent university through discovery, learning and engagement. The university currently is developing Discovery Park, a $100 million interdisciplinary research complex that will expand the realm of knowledge in the life sciences and other disciplines.