Skip to main content

INVOForward Therapeutics

Building a Data Package | Winter 2022

INVOForward Therapeutics: Building A Data Package is a mentorship program geared towards Northwestern faculty who are interested in translating their academic research into a potential therapeutic. In this program, faculty teams work with Northwestern professional staff experienced in the drug development process to map out a strategy for developing potential therapeutics. Unlike previous cohorts of INVOForward, which focused on the customer discovery process, this new initiative will focus on the assembly of an industry-standard data package based on a faculty PI’s research to be used for subsequent outreach efforts and/or funding opportunities. The objective of this program is to equip faculty teams with an improved understanding of the elements necessary for creating a compelling data package, and to help make projects competitive to various Northwestern accelerator/incubator opportunities as well as attract potential external partners or investors.

 

Program Details

Program Overview

INVOForward Therapeutics is a 7-week virtual program (January 21- March 4, 2022) that will feature a series of weekly presentations on key components of a data package and will provide each team an opportunity to compile data and develop their respective package. Teams will work directly with an assigned facilitator who will provide ongoing feedback to help strengthen each aspect of their portfolio. The program will culminate in data package presentations to a panel of representatives from venture capital and pharmaceutical companies, enabling useful feedback and networking for the teams. 

Weekly Sessions

Teams will meet on Friday mornings via Zoom sessions over the course of 7 weeks. During the first 5 weeks, sessions will range from 3-4 hours and focus on developing a specific component of the data package. Each of these weeks, a guest speaker with subject-matter expertise from the pharma and investment communities will provide topic-focused advice and real-world examples. The 6th and 7th weeks will be reserved for practicing and delivering final presentations.

Session Topics

The INVOForward Therapeutics curriculum will blend drug discovery principles and data package generation. Listed below are learning objectives for each session:

Week 1: Biological Rationale
Friday, January 21, 2022 10-10:45 am
  • Target identification and validation
  • Conventional and new therapeutic modalities to address “undruggable” targets
Week 2: Clinical Significance
Friday, January 28, 2022 10-10:45am
  • Patient identification/stratification (genetics, histologic markers, etc)
  • Biomarker strategy (target engagement and surrogates)
  • Quantifying unmet need
Week 3: Novelty and Competition
Novelty (Friday, February 4, 2022 9-9:55 am) and  Competition (Friday, February 4, 2022 10-10:45am)
  • IP landscape and strategy
  • Target/approach novelty and competitive analysis
Week 4: Common Pitfalls in Drug Discovery
Friday, February 11, 2022 10-10:45am
  • Overview of activities and stage-gate criteria
    • Focus on “discovery” stages: Hit ID, Hit-to-Lead, Lead Optimization
    • Minor discussion of “development” stages: Candidate selection/optimization, IND-enabling studies
  • Analysis of structure-activity relationship to improve chemical (or biological) matter
  • Building a compound progression plan of connected assays to triage molecules
Week 5: Pharma and In-Licensing
Friday, February 18, 2021 10-10:45 am

Mentorship

For the duration of the program, each team will be partnered with an internal Northwestern facilitator from INVO or Feinberg to assist with assembling their data package. Facilitators will meet one-on-one with their teams on a weekly basis (1 hour/week) to discuss specific tasks, overall progress, and next steps.

Final Presentations

In the 7th week of the program, each team will present their compiled data package via Zoom to a panel of venture capital and pharmaceutical representatives. During this final session, teams will have the opportunity to engage with members of the investment and pharmaceutical community and receive useful feedback on their projects to help inform next steps. 

Participation Criteria

Eligibility

Team Requirements

 

** Deadline:  Applications for Jan 2022 are now closed. **