A new Innovation Center for Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolic Disease is rising in Boston, USA

From the buzz around recent obesity medications known as GLP-1 agonists, it might seem that science has finally got a grasp on a condition that affects one in eight people worldwide1. That challenge is only set to grow, with a projection that nearly half of the world’s population will live with overweight or obesity within the next decade, with significant medical and financial impacts due to related comorbidities. But despite the progress these therapies represent, much unmet need remains. The underlying biology of obesity remains only partly understood, and there is still an urgent need for deeper discovery and more comprehensive solutions to truly meet the needs of patients, fewer than 20% of whom currently receive treatment2.

To compete in this fast-moving space, Roche and Genentech are taking a bold new approach: building an innovation center, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, that will bring together discovery biologists, clinical experts, and computational scientists, as well as external academic collaborators to tackle this challenge from the earliest stages of drug discovery through late stage development for CVRM diseases. Uniting these different disciplines will allow Roche and Genentech scientists to deploy an integrated E2E approach, including leveraging AI breakthroughs in scientific discovery to benefit patients.

Roche and Genentech scientists are already working internationally in CVRM, and the addition of the Boston center will provide a critical mass to further drive discovery and development forward.

There is lots of other biology to discover, too, that will ultimately help patients. “For example, there’s still much to learn about how energy homeostasis is regulated, especially by the brain, which is increasingly being recognized as a critical organ impacting the pathophysiology of obesity,” explained Manu Chakravarthy, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM) Product Development, and the site head of the Roche Genentech Innovation Center in Boston. “How the brain senses fullness, how it regulates energy expenditure during metabolic adaptation, and how it talks to the gut, are all yet to be fully understood.”

Located in Boston, a city known as “The Hub” that is noted for its strength in biomedical research, the Roche Genentech Innovation Center will be embedded within a vibrant CVRM discovery ecosystem with world-leading CVRM expertise from academic research labs in the Boston/Cambridge area through active collaborations.

“We’re also passionate about our end-to-end approach,” added Manu, who emphasised that both research and clinical leadership will be an integral part of the Center. “We need to talk about science and medicine in the same breath, on the same continuum, which creates a virtuous cycle of learning, agility, and breakthroughs for patients.”  

In his view, the Innovation Center in Boston is an exciting opportunity for those who are not only enthusiastic about the enormous scientific opportunities to benefit patients, but also interested in strategic thinking to establish a completely new approach to tackle them. Blending biopharma, academic, and start-up cultures, the center will provide an entrepreneurial environment for engaging with one of the major biomedical challenges of our time.