David Broecker Named CEO of Indiana Biosciences Research Institute

May 19, 2015

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) announced today the appointment of David A. Broecker, a prominent life sciences industry executive and serial entrepreneur, as the Institute’s president and chief executive officer, and the selection of Wexford Science and Technology as the real estate development firm to lead site selection and development activities.

After serving most recently as president and chief operating officer, Broecker will now accelerate activities as president and CEO to advance the Institute’s mission, select a permanent home, secure key research recruitments, build a seasoned operations team and launch the IBRI’s first collaborative research initiatives in 2015.

“As our Board moves forward with creating the IBRI, it is increasingly clear that we need a CEO who truly covers all the bases, with the experience and the passion to build a world-class research institute in collaboration with our diverse and deeply committed array of industry and academic stakeholders,” said David L. Johnson, IBRI board member and president and CEO of BioCrossroads, which has facilitated the Institute’s early development. “We are fortunate indeed that David Broecker has returned home to Indiana and has enthusiastically accepted our appointment. There is no one in the country today better suited to deliver on the pioneering mission and immense promise of the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute,” Johnson added.

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute Board of Directors unanimously approved Broecker’s appointment, citing the impressive range of leadership experiences that have shaped Broecker’s career in the national life sciences industry and that are now resulting in substantial progress for the Institute.

"David brings a wealth of important experience to lead the IBRI at this critical stage," said Eli Lilly and Company Chairman, President and CEO John Lechleiter, Ph.D. "His strong track record of building and transforming organizations and in achieving outstanding business results makes him well suited for this important role."

"Drawing on three decades of experience in pharmaceutical and life sciences businesses, David Broecker has provided strong leadership as chief operating officer, helping build the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute from the ground up, and I look forward to continuing our productive collaboration as he moves into the role of president and chief executive officer," said David S. Wilkes, M.D., executive associate dean for research affairs at the Indiana University School of Medicine. 

The IBRI has hired Wexford Science and Technology, a BioMed Realty Company, to lead development activities, including: advising the IBRI on a permanent location, envisioning and planning an innovation district with IBRI as a catalyzing presence, and determining the feasibility of 16 Tech as a permanent location for such an innovation community.

Additionally, the IBRI is finalizing plans to lease 25,000 square feet of lab, office and collaboration space in the Indiana University Biotechnology Research & Training Center (BRTC) building located in downtown Indianapolis just north of the IUPUI medical school campus off of 16th Street as interim space until a permanent location is developed.

“Wexford’s broad life science development experience, deep university research relationships, and Knowledge Community vision and strategy made them a compelling fit for what our stakeholders envision for an IBRI-anchored life sciences community in greater Indianapolis, “said David Broecker, president and CEO of IBRI.

“With David’s appointment, the building of the IBRI will now rapidly move forward taking us one step closer to delivering on our promise of accelerating the discovery of new answers for metabolic disorders,” said Jack Phillips, president and CEO of Roche Diagnostics. “We are eager to launch research activities toward improved patient health in diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and nutrition.”

“Collaboration is essential to drive life science advancements in Indiana that can have impact around the globe, and today’s milestone is an important one to realize the potential of IBRI,” said Tim Hassinger, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences.  “Dow AgroSciences is passionate about being part of this group effort.”

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to build a one-of-a-kind research institute in Indiana and to be working with one of the world’s most successful and respected real estate development firms known for building thriving innovation communities,” said Broecker. “Many people outside the state don’t appreciate the strengths of our life sciences community. In addition to finalizing our site selection, I will focus on recruiting top scientists to the IBRI; fund raising that will lead to a sustainable business model; and building the capabilities to conduct world-class research.”

Broecker brings a long history of industry and entrepreneurial experience at Fortune 500 and start-up biotechnology companies in both Indianapolis and Boston where he has served in senior leadership roles with responsibility for new product development, organizational start-up, transformation and growth. Broecker began his career at Eli Lilly and Company as a process engineer, but quickly assumed leadership responsibilities throughout the company. He led new product planning for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems within the medical device division that was later spun-out of Lilly as part of Guidant. Broecker returned to the pharmaceutical division where he led strategic marketing and business planning support for some of Lilly’s blockbusters including Ceclor, Prozac and Zyprexa. He built the regional distribution center in Germany that provided sales growth in central and eastern Europe and led the expansion and transformation of manufacturing operations in Ireland.

In 2001, he left Indianapolis to join Alkermes in Massachusetts as chief operating officer and ultimately served as president and CEO from 2006-2009. During his tenure at Alkermes, Broecker led the strategic transformation of the company from a partner-driven, drug-delivery company to an integrated biopharmaceutical company with the capabilities to develop and commercialize proprietary products.  Under his leadership, Alkermes developed and launched Nutropin Depot with Genentech, Risperdal Consta with Johnson and Johnson, Bydureon with Amylin Pharmaceuticals, and Vivitrol, the company’s first proprietary product for the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependence.

Since 2010, Broecker has founded several new life science companies and provided executive leadership to multiple start-ups including Zorion Medical, a fully bio-resorbable intervascular stent company; BioCritica, a critical care company built around Lilly’s drug for sepsis – Xigris; DiaCarta, a precision cancer molecular diagnostics company; and most recently Apex Therapeutics, a cancer company based on novel science from Indiana University School of Medicine.

Broecker serves on the advisory board of Embera, a company focused on developing treatments for addictive disorder, and routinely consults with local scientists and entrepreneurs. He is also a trustee at Wabash College where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and graduated summa cum laude as a Lilly Scholar. He also was awarded a Master of Science degree in chemical engineering at MIT and an MBA in marketing and finance at the University of Chicago.