Letter from the Editor

Abstract

Innovative antibody research and development (R&D) is the vanguard of a variety of science, technology, and medical fields that require substantial investment of both time and money. However, new information from these fields has translated into new products at a slow pace. For example, although the overall level of R&D investment in therapeutics development has risen dramatically over the past decade, the number of new medicines reaching the market has decreased during this period. Valuable resources are wasted because government, academic, and industry R&D programs are not coordinated. Over the past few years, numerous groups, including academic centers, government agencies, and commercial firms located across the globe, have been asking the same question: What can be done to improve the efficiency of the innovation process?