Indiana Biosciences Research Institute and Roche Diagnostics Announce Launch of Quantum Leap Award

Award provides $50,000, lab space and mentors to an early-stage life science startup

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI), a leading translational research organization, is pleased to announce the launch today of its new Quantum Leap Award in partnership with its inaugural sponsor, Roche Diagnostics.

“The IBRI is proud to partner with Roche on this innovative award,” said Alan Palkowitz, PhD, president and CEO of the IBRI. “This competition is about more than access to lab space. It’s about enabling the best science to leap forward and catalyze scientific innovation through access to state-of-the-art capabilities and collaboration.”

The winner of the Quantum Leap Award will receive up to two wet lab biology benches rent free for one calendar year, use of desks in co-working space with conference room access, and participation in the IBRI’s AXIS Mentoring Program, as well as a cash prize of $50,000 to support research.

The Quantum Leap Awardee will also gain access to shared equipment in the IBRI labs and will have the opportunity to use the IBRI’s Dr. August M. Watanabe Drug Discovery Laboratory; access group pricing for license of drug discovery platforms (e.g., Schrodinger Suite of Tools, CDD Vault), and lab supplies; and partner with the IBRI to collaborate with its scientific capabilities:

• Small molecule or antibody drug discovery platforms.
• Enabling technologies (e.g., bioinformatics and computational biology and advanced cellular pharmacology).
• iPSC technology.

“As a world leader in healthcare research and development, we strive to bring cutting-edge diagnostic solutions to patients across the United States,” said Hany Moselhi, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Roche Diagnostics North America. “We also know, we’re not in this alone. There are entrepreneurs who have ideas for life-changing diagnostics or treatments but are facing challenges. This award will provide support to help accelerate those ideas from concept to clinical practice.”

Startups with a primary focus on therapeutics or diagnostics relating to neurodegenerative and neuromuscular research, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are preferred, while those with oncology or immunology areas of focus will be considered. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply.

Applications, which are available at www.indianabiosciences.org/quantum-leap-award, are open now through early fall. The top three applicants will be notified and asked to give a virtual presentation in the fall with a winner being announced in November 2023. The Quantum Leap Awardee will move in to the IBRI’s incubator space by Jan. 1, 2024.

About the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute

The IBRI is a leading translational research institute that advances academic and industry science through collaboration. Our scientists work daily on powerful discoveries to defeat challenging biomedical problems without solutions, like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and pediatric rare diseases while providing molecular innovation and antibody drug discovery platforms and enabling technologies to translate the research of today into tomorrow’s patient needs. For more information about the IBRI, visit www.indianabiosciences.org.

About Roche Diagnostics

Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalized healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.

In recognizing our endeavor to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.

Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.

For more information, please visit www.roche.com.