#BIOSPAIN2023Interview | We discover the first collaborative project between Alexion and AstraZeneca to drive innovation in healthcare

R&D and innovation are at the heart of the business model for all companies within the biotechnology ecosystem. This is an industry that heavily relies on science and talent, and its work results in disruptive innovations that have a significant impact on society and the sustainability of the planet.

Biotecnología has enabled remarkable advancements aimed at improving and safeguarding people's lives, as demonstrated in recent years with the COVID-19 pandemic. This health crisis has underscored the urgent need to invest in research and science through robust commitments and policies that enable proper funding for innovation.

In this context, we focus on the AstraZeneca Global Research and Development Center in Barcelona. This space's primary objective is to become one of the largest private centers of excellence in clinical development and innovation in Europe. We learn more about this initiative from Alexion and AstraZeneca, Gold Sponsors of BIOSPAIN 2023, through the insights shared by Gonzalo de Miquel, the hub's director.

AseBio. The new hub houses global teams in all therapeutic areas of Alexion and AstraZeneca. What can we find in this innovative space?

Gonzalo de Miquel. This global development center in the Catalan capital is the first collaborative project between Alexion and AstraZeneca to drive global health innovation and provide solutions to unmet patient needs, accelerating the development of new treatments that improve their lives in all therapeutic areas in which we operate: Oncology, Rare Diseases, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, Respiratory and Immunology, Vaccines and Immunotherapies. Additionally, the center hosts cross-functional teams in areas such as Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Statistics, among others.

AseBio. One of the main objectives of this hub is to become one of the largest centers of clinical excellence and innovation in Europe. How do you plan to achieve this?

Gonzalo de Miquel. Indeed, our goal is to become one of the largest Global Research and Development Centers in Europe. This represents an unprecedented investment, the largest ever made in R&D in Catalonia.

Since its inception, we have been hiring a diverse range of scientific profiles, including physicians from various specialties, biologists, pharmacists, engineers, mathematicians, and data analysis specialists. This allows us to lead international projects in different therapeutic areas and cross-disciplinary support fields, significantly increasing our ability to lead and manage the company's clinical trials in the most relevant phases. This will increase Spain's presence in global research. For example, in the area of rare diseases, we are already leading three pivotal trials from Barcelona, involving around 20 countries and hundreds of patients.

AseBio. You expect to recruit up to 1,000 people by 2025 through a strong focus on talent. Where are you currently in this process?

Gonzalo de Miquel. Indeed, we expect to hire up to 1,000 people by 2025, which is a major challenge in a globally competitive environment for qualified talent. However, Barcelona as a city provides an incredible response in attracting local and international talent. It is easier for us to attract talent here than from other European cities.

Currently, we have more than 250 employees, and this number continues to grow with approximately fifteen new employees each month. They all form part of this multicultural space, comprising people from 31 different nationalities. Additionally, we strongly promote female talent, with almost 70% of our staff being women, and this figure reaches 75% in positions of greater responsibility. As I mentioned earlier, this diversity also extends to the professional profiles of our multidisciplinary teams, including individuals from biomedical, technological, or digital backgrounds.

AseBio. What role does collaboration play in this hub?

Gonzalo de Miquel. Collaboration is crucial. It's one of our strategic objectives. In fact, the clinical research we conduct in the Hub is unthinkable without collaboration with hospitals and healthcare centers that carry out clinical studies to assess the efficacy and safety of our treatments.

Our multidisciplinary teams design, implement, and manage various clinical trials. However, for conducting these studies, the participation of external researchers, clinical physicians treating real patients, is essential. Therefore, selecting the best clinical investigators and the most suitable hospitals for our clinical studies is crucial.

At the same time, progress in biomedicine is happening at a rapid pace, and it's challenging to be at the forefront of all scientific disciplines. Therefore, at AstraZeneca and Alexion, we are aware that access to cutting-edge technology can only be achieved through collaboration. In this regard, both AstraZeneca and Alexion have been collaborating with numerous public and private entities and institutions for many years. Many of these collaborations have been the basis for significant scientific advances, allowing us to provide new solutions for patients and their families.

This collaborative spirit is ingrained in our company's DNA, and I am confident that it will open many doors to innovation in collaboration with the institutions present in the rich and diverse healthcare ecosystem that Barcelona and BioSpain offer.

AseBio. Investment in R&D is crucial for the development of innovation and progress toward new treatments that ensure people's health and enhance societal well-being. How does the hub work in this regard?

Gonzalo de Miquel. In these modern offices, you won't find test tubes, laboratories, or vivariums. The R&D center manages the various phases of clinical development of our drugs with the aim of providing new solutions for diseases with unmet medical needs.

Currently, from our Hub in Barcelona, teams from various specialties are involved in over 130 clinical trials conducted in hospitals and healthcare centers worldwide.

As many readers in the sector are aware, the process of bringing a new drug from the initial test to FDA approval and ultimately to the market is long (more than 13 years from discovery to approval), costly, and risky, with almost 95% of drugs entering human trials failing. Only 50% of those that start a phase 3 trial get approved.

Therefore, our Hub has the challenging task of optimizing and accelerating this process, hiring the best clinical development professionals to successfully bring our drugs in development to healthcare systems and offer new and more precise therapies to patients who need them.

AseBio. Why did you choose the city of Barcelona?

Gonzalo de Miquel. Barcelona boasts an incredible healthcare ecosystem that many European capitals would envy. In fact, even the locals in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain may not be fully aware of the potential we have. We could harness it much better than we currently do.

Barcelona is the birthplace of the Spanish pharmaceutical industry, and many local and family-owned companies founded in Barcelona in the 20th century still exist today. In their day, their presence helped attract other multinational healthcare companies that established subsidiaries and some production plants here. This trend slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s, but in the last decade, we have seen a resurgence in the creation of new companies and startups in the digital and healthcare sectors. Today, there are more than 1,300 companies dedicated to the healthcare sector in Barcelona alone. This solid and growing private sector base is complemented by the enviable network of university and private hospitals in the city, known for their high-quality healthcare and research. Additionally, there are basic and technological research centers in Barcelona, such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Center for Genomic Regulation, the ALBA Synchrotron, the Institute of Photonic Sciences, the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, among many others.

All of this makes Barcelona a true Global Hub for biomedical sciences and technology in southern Europe. Moreover, Barcelona stands out for its active and growing scientific and business collaboration between the public and private sectors. It's an environment that will open doors to collaborations with partners in the biopharmaceutical and digital healthcare sectors.

Furthermore, around this ecosystem, a considerable amount of talent has been generated, enabling us to have access to scientific profiles with the capabilities required for our research areas. In summary, we chose Barcelona for its healthcare and biotechnology ecosystem and the available talent, and we made the right choice.

AseBio. What do you expect from BIOSPAIN 2023?

Gonzalo de Miquel. BioSpain solidifies Barcelona as the largest biomedical ecosystem in southern Europe. It reaffirms our decision to transform the Global Research and Development Center into one of the leading centers of clinical excellence and innovation in biomedicine on the continent, opening up new opportunities for collaboration with the global and local biomedical and digital healthcare environment.

The BioSpain program becomes more appealing each year. It features an active schedule of one-to-one meetings with numerous companies and stakeholders in the biomedical and biopharmaceutical sectors, research institutions, and startups. In just two or three days, we have multiple interactions and new opportunities for collaboration and business development that would be very difficult or unlikely to achieve otherwise.

It's also essential to highlight that one of our main focuses at this event is to showcase the significant career opportunities in science and innovation offered by our center. Thanks to BioSpain, we can identify and connect with professionals and experts in the sector who can strengthen our talent network and contribute to the development of new treatments that improve the lives of patients in all therapeutic areas in which we operate.

Our R&D Hub in Barcelona is part of AstraZeneca's commitment to investing in R&D, and obviously, we couldn't miss such a significant event as BioSpain in Barcelona.