Lilly

Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company committed to bringing new therapies to slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Lilly has a history of innovation and was the first to manufacture commercial insulin and the polio vaccine. Lilly continues to develop innovative and life-saving treatments with neurology, diabetes, immunology and oncology targets in their pipelines. Donanemab, an anti-amyloid therapeutic for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, was developed by Eli Lilly and has shown positive results in a phase 3 clinical trial, resulting in a 35% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline compared to placebo. Donanemab was approved by the FDA in July 2024 and by the MHRA in October 2024.

In December 2020, UK DRI announced a partnership with Lilly to identify new potential treatments for dementia. Lilly has been committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real world needs for almost 150 years. By joining forces with a major industry partner like Lilly, UK DRI complement their knowledge and experience of bringing treatments to market with the varied expertise across the Institute to hand-pick a bespoke portfolio of projects.

In the first phase of this partnership, Lilly committed a total investment of over £1m in funding for four projects led by UK DRI researchers to explore promising new avenues for treatments. A further project exploring fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer’s dsease was added to the partnership in 2023.