The Journey to Impact: Collaborating with a Corporate Sponsor on Early Detection of Lung Cancer
A central goal for us here at BU’s Technology Development office is to equip our faculty and research community with the information you need when thinking about bringing research to market. As such, we aim to share the variety of pathways that can be taken to secure backing and support to turn ideas into reality; into innovations that make an impact. One such pathway is corporate-sponsored research.
Sarah Mazzilli—Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Computational Biomedicine at BU’s School of Medicine—is utilizing this option in her work to enhance early detection and to identify novel intervention approaches for pre-cancerous and early stage lung cancer. Dr. Mazzilli’s research is in part supported by Johnson & Johnson, which also supports any licensing associated with research findings.
Rana Gupta (RG): Tell us about your current project and your goals.
Sarah Mazzilli (SM): Our research group is focused on understanding early lung cancer development to develop biomarkers and tools for early detection and intervention of lung cancer, to this I first had three main objectives:
- Begin an independent research career;
- Establish a independent research lab; and ultimately,
- Improve the lives of lung patients.
RG: What market have you identified, and what path have you chosen to meet the above objectives?
SM: I’m working with a corporate sponsor, Johnson & Johnson (J&J). As part of this collaboration, J&J offers academic support and funding, which in turn allows us to do more and improve our technical approaches. In addition to the valuable research support, the funding gives us the opportunity to undertake work that’s expensive and explores novel techniques.
I want to note that there are addition sponsors and collaborators as part of these research efforts. They include numerous academic collaborators at BU and abroad, as well as support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Moonshot, and Stand Up To Cancer, with additional support from Lungevity and the American Lung Association.
RG: What was most surprising about your work with corporate sponsorship? How does it differ from research work?
SM: Surprisingly, much of what I had to undertake to get things off the ground were legal obligations, which was very new to me. With the shared partnerships and number of collaborators, it required—and continues to require—many negotiations, from evolving research goals to data sharing.
The second difference is in regards to dealing with timelines. With J&J, time is critical—everything needs to be done yesterday. Grants with timelines often are more relaxed. Also, at any time, J&J could say that we are done—so we need deliver on obligations and maintain interest.
Third is the obligation to manage collaborations with other universities. Most of our academic collaborators are new to working with industry and all of the associated obligations.
RG: You were asked by the audience at our 2021 Innovator’s Journey event how you dealt with the transition from lab research to collaborating with business partners to pursue commercialization.
SM: My work with J&J started during my postdoctoral training. I was working closely with colleagues at BU, in Dr. Avrum (Avi) Spira’s group, on a sponsored research program to understand the early molecular changes associated with lung cancer development in an effort to identify new biomarkers for lung cancer early detection. Dr. Spira had been leading these collaborative industry-funded programs, but with his transition to being employed by J&J, I took on leading the sponsored research for the pre-cancer efforts funded by J&J.
The transition was bumpy as I went from being a postdoc to faculty member at BU, while in the midst of finding a good rhythm for the Johnson & Johnson-BU alliance. I was on a steep learning curve, finding my way as a new faculty member that needed to lead a large collaborative study with many outside collaborators and managing industry funds, as well as foundation and federal funding.
Watch Dr. Mazzilli’s Presentation, From The Innovator’s Journey
RG: Sarah, how do you handle the different priorities of your professional life, such as your own research interests versus those of J&J’s?
SM: I’m still learning how to do this. It’s the hardest part of my job. I would say it’s a continual evolution or process. I work closely with Dr. Spira to make sure our group is effectively supported. I spend a lot of time on administrative and reporting tasks for J&J, reporting on progress against milestones and similar items. But getting my own lab established has enabled me to get work done in both spaces.
RG: What is your reaction to invention versus innovation definitions?
SM: The intention is to create innovation and not just inventions. Innovation is about customer adoption, which is not our decision. It’s up to J&J to decide if it’s appropriate and want to push to make it an innovation.
RG: In your field in the next five years, what do you predict will be the most important innovations?
SM: Better biomarkers to identify lung cancer, and new ways to intervene in the progression or establishment of disease.
RG: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your work? Have there been any benefits in terms of a collective focus on lung health?
SM: Everything came to a screeching halt, as it did everywhere for months. We then were only able to work at 50 percent or less, and that slowed the generation of data significantly. Our clinical collections all were greatly reduced and in some cases are still just ramping back up. Overall, I’d say the pandemic slowed things down by a year if not more. Most programs are back online now, however it’s variable given that we work with teams in Europe, and they’ve certainly had their challenges, as well.
In terms of learning from research associated with the pandemic, we have a new window into immune response induced in the lungs by SARS-CoV-2, which helps us when we look at the ability for the lung microenvironment to fight off cancer in the lungs; and the ability to mount an appropriate immune response. We have also received some new funding NCI funding associated with lung cancer and COVID-19 as it relates to on-going atlas work to look at the lungs of patients who did or did not have the virus, so we’ll be able to look at immune responses and how they may change the course of lung cancer progression.
RG: What advice can you share with peers and colleagues at BU who are investigating ways to get their research sponsored?
SM: I would say building relationships is the most important way to start. Science is about people, not about data. Attend conferences or big meetings where industry and academia meet and are places that enable relationship building. Locally at BU, learn which offices to work with, for example Industry Engagement or Technology Development. Get to know what each office does and how they can help you. These offices will provide guidance and all of the necessary legal support, but ultimately will look to you to fully understand the commitments that come with sponsored research agreements. So asking questions is imperative, as not knowing what you need is often the biggest hurdle.
Rana K. Gupta formerly served as director of faculty entrepreneurship at Boston University. He helped BU researchers bring technology and other research breakthroughs to the marketplace to increase their impact through programs and workshops, one-on-one consulting with faculty, educational resources, and community building among BU innovators.