News & Events
March 26, 2021
Northwestern investigator Paul DeCaen, PhD will be supported through a multi-year drug discovery partnership
CHICAGO — Lakeside Discovery, LLC, the collaboration between Northwestern University and Deerfield Management, will support the laboratory of Paul DeCaen, PhD in a multi-year partnership to advance new therapies for genetically driven polycystic kidney disease.
“We are excited to partner with Deerfield to progress Paul DeCaen’s project, which so clearly exemplifies the translational mission of Northwestern University,” said Alicia Loffler, Executive Director of Northwestern’s Innovation and New Ventures Office.
DeCaen, a member of the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, has made seminal contributions to the field of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) over the past ten years. DeCaen’s lab works to develop a structural and functional understanding of how the mutations that cause ADPKD cause disease, along with new methods of identifying potential therapeutics to improve outcomes for patients.
“This initiative has a clear vision toward making an impact in a clinical indication with defined genetic causes and a need for new therapeutic approaches to meet the needs of patients,” said William Slattery, Partner at Deerfield.
“Lakeside Discovery is thrilled to support such a passionate and dedicated investigator as Dr. DeCaen,” said Eric Schiffhauer, PhD., the Scientific Collaboration Director for the Lakeside/Northwestern collaboration “We are looking forward to working with Paul to translate his molecular understanding into therapeutic benefit for patients with ADPKD.”
Lakeside Discovery partners academicians with a team of seasoned drug discovery experts in a new model for therapeutic innovation. Applicants submit project proposals, then partner with drug-discovery experts to develop a multi-year, milestone-driven workplan and budget.
The Lakeside Discovery program is designed to support investigators from early stages of drug discovery through to an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA. Project approval and guidance is provided by a Joint Steering Committee of Northwestern and Deerfield members. For approved projects like DeCaen’s, a joint Lakeside-Northwestern project team executes the multi-year project plan toward the clinic.
About Lakeside Discovery
Lakeside Discovery was formed in 2018 with the goal of accelerating the translation of transformative biomedical technologies. Deerfield is providing up to $65 million in targeted funding and development expertise to advance promising Northwestern research.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM (CDT)
Prentice Women's Hospital, 3rd Floor, L North Conference Room
Chicago, IL
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION/ REGISTRATION
Missed the event? Contact LDP@northwestern.com for information from this event.
April 8, 2019
Scientists will lead multi-year projects to advance pharmaceuticals for muscular dystrophies and cancer
CHICAGO --- Lakeside Discovery, LLC, the collaboration between Northwestern University and Deerfield Management, will support two Northwestern labs to advance their drug-discovery projects.
"We are excited that the two foundational projects for Lakeside Discovery reflect our commitment to advance Northwestern’s transformational innovations to the patient,” said Alicia Löffler, executive director of Northwestern’s Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) and member of the joint steering committee.
“These projects are precisely the kind of transformative research our collaboration is striving to push forward,” said James E. Flynn, managing partner at Deerfield Management. “By supporting the outstanding work of the Northwestern physician-scientists, we are taking the first step in addressing unmet needs in oncology and muscular dystrophy—ultimately benefitting patients at the bedside.”
Lakeside Discovery reflects a new model for drug discovery, partnering academicians and drug-discovery experts. The Lakeside application process consists of two stages. In the first, any interested Northwestern investigator is invited to submit project proposals. Upon review of the proposals, Lakeside Discovery then invites select investigators to participate in the second stage, during which time the Northwestern investigators partner with Lakeside experts to develop a detailed milestone-driven development plan and budget. The joint steering committee determines the final project selections to receive funding, which will support the project through an investigational new drug (IND) filing.
A dedicated joint Lakeside-Northwestern project team will then work on the multi-year projects to advance the science through the drug-discovery process.
“These innovative projects from two of Northwestern’s top laboratories are paving the way for a new model of drug-discovery research,” said Amie Phinney, alliance manager at Lakeside Discovery. “Everyone involved is excited to demonstrate the potential of the novel way in which the Lakeside Partnership brings together academic innovation and drug discovery expertise.”
Lakeside Discovery was formed in 2018 with the goal of accelerating the translation of transformative biomedical technologies. Deerfield is providing up to $65 million in targeted funding and development expertise to advance promising Northwestern research.
About Elizabeth McNally and Alexis Demonbreun
McNally directs the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. As the Elizabeth J. Ward Professor of Genetic Medicine, McNally is a cardiologist with expertise in the genetics of myopathic processes that affect the heart and muscle. Her work focuses on understanding genetic mechanisms of myopathies and using these genetic signals to drive therapy development. She has a special interest in neuromuscular genetic diseases like muscular dystrophy and testing genetic correction strategies in models of these diseases and ultimately in patients.
Demonbreun’s research focuses on muscle regeneration and repair. Recognizing a lack of drugs aimed at enhancing repair or reducing membrane injury in skeletal and heart muscle, Demonbreun has been leading a team to advance understanding of injury-induced resealing mechanism that can be used to develop therapies. By combining gene discovery with the use of model systems and defining the mechanisms by which genetic modifiers act, it is possible to better understand disease biology and evaluate the potential of new biologics.
About Ali Shilatifard
For more than two decades, Shilatifard, the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor and Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
and Pediatrics and the director of the Simpson Querrey Center for Epigenetics has been chipping away at understanding the molecular mechanism that could be exploited to slow the progression of cancers.
Using his proprietary research model of chromosomal translocation, which has been adopted by hundreds of labs since being introduced, Shilatifard’s goal is to significantly improve the survival rate of cancer patients.
September 10th, 2018
Please welcome our new Director for Alliance Management Amie Phinney, PhD, MBA. Amie will manage the alliance between Northwestern and Deerfield Management. As a leader for Lakeside Discovery, she will work closely with Northwestern investigators and the joint steering committee to advance promising research. Amie has over 18 years in life sciences and pharmaceutical industry experience and joins us after managing alliances at Abbvie for the past 7 years. She can be contacted directly at 1-847-491-4732 or amie.phinney@northwestern.edu.
June 18th, 2018
By Jon Yates
CHICAGO - Vowing to advance medical research designed to improve people’s lives,
Northwestern University and Deerfield Management on Friday launched Lakeside Discovery,
LLC, formally announcing the partnership to a capacity crowd at Hughes Auditorium in the
Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center on Northwestern’s Chicago Campus.
Deerfield will provide up to $65 million of targeted funding and deep development expertise
to advance promising Northwestern research, with a goal of accelerating the translation of
transformative biomedical technologies.
Northwestern President Morton Schapiro said the collaboration enables the University and
Deerfield to bring breakthrough discoveries to market – and impact people’s lives.
“This is a big step forward, it really is. The $65 million is great for us, it’s great for
Deerfield and it’s going to be great for humanity,” President Schapiro said.
“That, at the end of the day, is what we’re after.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the partnership
“an important part of Chicago’s future,” adding that biomedical research and innovation are
an essential part of the city’s growing economy.
“This exciting partnership combines two cutting-edge institutions under one roof to
serve patients and save lives,” Mayor Emanuel said. “As a global hub for health care
innovation, Chicago is the perfect home for this new venture, and we look forward to
working together as we continue to advance medical care in the 21st century.”
Dr. Eric G. Neilson, vice president for medical affairs and the Lewis Landsberg Dean of
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said Lakeside Discovery provides needed
funding that can speed up the research process.
“Society is quite impatient for great advances, but biomedical research is not a sprint,
it’s more like a relay,” Neilson said. “It takes an unpredictable amount of time.
If society wants to quicken the pace, it has to provide more fuel, and this is where the
Deerfield partnership can be a great benefit for our shared goals.”
Combined with the 2019 opening of the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey
Biomedical Research Center, Lakeside Discovery will further strengthen Northwestern’s
position as one of the leading academic medical research centers in the world, said Alicia
Löffler, executive director of Northwestern’s Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO).
“Northwestern has a long history in therapeutic innovation that started with the discovery
of Lyrica 30 years ago. Lakeside will accelerate the translation of these life-saving innovations,”
said Löffler, who is also the University’s associate provost for innovation and new
ventures and associate vice president for research. “Lakeside will highlight Chicago as a
preeminent hub for tomorrow’s cures, with the best medical researchers and clinicians
working to improve the lives of patients. We are excited to partner with Deerfield
Management on this transformational new venture.”
Lakeside will tackle projects approved by a joint steering committee comprised of members
from the Northwestern and Deerfield scientific leadership teams. Northwestern members will
initially include Neilson; Richard Silverman, the Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor of Chemistry
and Molecular Biosciences in Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; and Löffler. Also
included on the committee is Jim Audia, Executive Director of the Chicago Biomedical
Consortium, who will play a non-voting advisory role.
The Northwestern committee members will use their experiential scientific knowledge,
in consultation with Deerfield, to assess each proposal’s potential biological and commercial
success. Projects will be selected based on many criteria, with an emphasis on the novelty
of biological insight, regardless of its stage of development.
Projects accepted by Lakeside will be supported with a complete development plan,
including vital experiments needed to reach Investigational New Drug (IND)-readiness in an
expedited time frame. Deerfield also will support Lakeside with operational expertise.
Successful IND-ready projects will have access to additional Deerfield capital, accelerating
the time to market by eliminating the need for investigators to perform other capital raises.
“Northwestern’s first-class track record and leadership position in basic and translational
research, exceptional investigators and forward-thinking leadership, combined with Lakeside’s
ability to execute projects, creates the perfect synergistic system for drug development,”
said James Flynn, Deerfield’s managing partner. “Additionally, supporting life-science
discovery with INVO as a resource can help enhance the ecosystem at large in Chicago.
We are looking forward to a very productive collaboration.”
Over the past decade, Northwestern has captured more than $4.2 billion in National Institutes
of Health funding. The collaboration between Deerfield and the University will add to an
already thriving healthcare community in Chicago that includes research institutions like
Northwestern, the Chicago Biomedical Consortium, major healthcare industry partners and innovative tech spaces.
May 31st, 2018
Deerfield’s investment of up to $65 million will translate novel biomedical discoveries from
Northwestern
CHICAGO and NEW YORK, May 31, 2018 --- Northwestern University and Deerfield
Management announced today the launch of Lakeside Discovery, LLC, with the mission to
accelerate the translation of transformative biomedical technologies. Deerfield will provide up to
$65 million of targeted funding and deep development expertise to advance promising
Northwestern research.
“Lakeside Discovery, together with the 2019 opening of the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K.
Querrey Biomedical Research Center, will further strengthen Northwestern’s position as one of
the leading academic medical research centers in the world,” said Alicia Löffler, executive
director of Northwestern’s Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO). “Northwestern has a
long history in therapeutic innovation that started with the discovery of Lyrica 30 years ago.
Lakeside will accelerate the translation of these life-saving innovations.”
“Lakeside will highlight Chicago as a preeminent hub for tomorrow’s cures, with the best
medical researchers and clinicians working to improve the lives of patients,” said Löffler, who is
also the University’s associate provost for innovation and new ventures and associate vice
president for research. “We are excited to partner with Deerfield Management on this
transformational new venture.”
Lakeside will tackle projects approved by a joint steering committee comprised of members from
the Northwestern and Deerfield scientific leadership teams. Northwestern members will initially
include Dr. Eric G. Neilson, vice president for medical affairs and the Lewis Landsberg dean in
the Feinberg School of Medicine; Richard Silverman, the Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor of
Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences in Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; and Löffler.
The Northwestern committee members will use their experiential scientific knowledge, in
consultation with Deerfield, to assess each proposal’s potential biological and commercial
success. Projects will be selected based on many criteria, with an emphasis on the novelty of
biological insight, regardless of its stage of development.
Projects accepted by Lakeside will be supported with a complete development plan, including
vital experiments needed to reach Investigational New Drug (IND)-readiness in an expedited
time frame. Deerfield also will support Lakeside with operational expertise.
Successful IND-ready projects will have access to additional Deerfield capital, accelerating the
time to market by eliminating the need for investigators to perform other capital raises.
“Northwestern’s first-class track record and leadership position in basic and translational
research, exceptional investigators and forward-thinking leadership, combined with Lakeside’s
ability to execute projects, creates the perfect synergistic system for drug development,” said
James Flynn, Deerfield’s managing partner. “Additionally, supporting life-science discovery
with INVO as a resource can help enhance the ecosystem at large in Chicago. We are looking
forward to a very productive collaboration.”
Over the past decade, Northwestern has captured more than $4.2 billion in National Institutes of
Health funding. The collaboration between Deerfield and the University will add to an already
thriving healthcare community in Chicago that includes research institutions like Northwestern,
major healthcare industry partners and innovative tech spaces. The University’s commitment to
innovation and entrepreneurship is designed to be a catalyst for positive change among
individuals, communities and the world.
About Northwestern
Founded in 1851, Northwestern University is one of the country’s leading private research and
teaching universities with an enrollment of approximately 8,000 full-time undergraduate students
and approximately 8,000 full-time graduate and professional students and approximately 2,000
part-time students on campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar.
About Deerfield
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through
investment, information and philanthropy.
For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jon Yates at 847-491-4892 or jon.yates@northwestern.edu
Karen Heidelberger at 212-551-1600 or karenh@deerfield.com
12-1pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Robert Lurie Research Center, 303 E. Superior Street
Join us on Wednesday, September 4th, 2019 for an Information Session on Lakeside Discovery's Fall Request for Proposals. Members of the INVO, Lakeside and Deerfield teams will provide an overview of the upcoming request for proposal cycle, present information on their expanding capabilities to support projects and will be available for questions.
Virtual Information Session
West Loop Innovations and Lakeside Discovery are hosting a Joint Virtual Information Session on Wednesday, November 11th, at 1:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM ET. Please see registration details below.
This information session will focus on Deerfield’s expanding drug discovery capabilities. The program will explore project characteristics for a successful therapeutic program focused on the treatment and potential cure of monogenic rare diseases.
Speakers for this virtual event include William Slattery and Matthew Nelson of Deerfield Management, Melissa Maderia from West Loop Innovations and Eric Schiffhauer from Lakeside Discovery.
West Loop Innovations is a collaboration between The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Deerfield Management to support UIC's innovative translational research and leverage Deerfield's expertise in accelerating state-of-the-art drug development. For more information, please visit www.westloopinnovations.com.
Lakeside Discovery is an innovative drug discovery collaboration leveraging Northwestern’s most promising biomedical research and Deerfield’s strategic expertise to develop life changing medicines. For more information, please visit www.lakesidediscovery.com.
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
Lakeside Discovery supports Northwestern lab to treat Polycystic Kidney Disease
March 26, 2021
Lakeside Discovery supports two Northwestern labs
April 8, 2019
Director of Alliance Management
September 10th, 2018
‘A big step forward’: Partnership between Northwestern and Deerfield Management to serve patients and save lives
June 18th, 2018
Jon Yates
Northwestern University and Deerfield Management Launch Lakeside Discovery to Provide Tomorrow’s Solutions in Healthcare
May 31st, 2018
Accelerating Biomedical Commercialization: Rare Genetic Diseases
November 11, 2020
Lakeside Discovery Information Session
September 4, 2019
INVO & Lakeside Discovery Seminar | Transforming Antibodies into Drugs Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Missed the event? Contact LDP@northwestern.com for information from this event.