John Bickel, head of Korea Lilly, said, "Lilly invested more than $4.5 billion (Hanwha 6.83 trillion won) in Korea last year, and will continue to expand investment in Korea going forward."
Bickel said this at the 150th anniversary event held at Korea Lilly's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd, saying, "We will continue to expand investment in Korea, improve access to medicines, and work to advance public health."
Eli Lilly and Company has contributed to the development of the pharmaceutical industry by mass-producing insulin and the polio vaccine since its founding. In the past 10 years, it has launched a total of 24 new drugs.
Lilly emphasized expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as one of its next strategies. He said, "We built the largest supercomputer in the pharmaceutical industry in partnership with Nvidia," and "We are also working with Insilico to use AI to discover new treatments."
AI is being applied not only to drug discovery but also across manufacturing and regulatory work. Bickel said, "Lilly is using AI not only in the drug development process but also in manufacturing processes and regulatory work," adding, "The aim is to speed up regulatory submissions and deliver medicines to patients worldwide more quickly."
AI capabilities are also applied to Lilly's biotech incubator model, "Gateway Labs." Korea is Lilly's second overseas base and the first example operated as a partnership. The facility will be established on the Samsung Biologics campus in Songdo, Incheon.
Bickel said, "We plan to establish Lilly Gate Labs in Songdo with Samsung Biologics," adding, "When it opens in 2027, it will be the largest in the world, able to house up to 30 domestic biotech corporations."
Tenant corporations will be able to use Lilly's AI platform "Tune Labs." The platform is based on the clinical pipeline and asset databases accumulated during Lilly's research and development (R&D) process.
Bickel said, "Tenant corporations can compare the assets they are researching with Lilly's clinical asset library," adding, "This can help them evaluate their own compounds and predict how the substance might act in humans."
He stressed that Gateway Labs Korea will become a global open-innovation hub that goes beyond a simple laboratory space.
Bickel said, "Gateway Labs Korea is set to be the largest base outside the United States," adding, "Up to 30 corporations will gain significant benefits by accessing Lilly's drug development expertise and Samsung Biologics' manufacturing expertise."
Bickel said corporations participating in Gateway Labs can use Lilly's AI model, "Tune Labs." Tune Labs is an AI platform based on the clinical pipeline and asset databases that Lilly has reviewed over years of R&D.
Accordingly, Gateway Labs Korea is expected to operate as an open-innovation hub that goes beyond merely providing lab space, enabling joint use of Lilly's drug development experience, Samsung Biologics' manufacturing capabilities, and Lilly's AI-based data platform.
He said, "Tenant corporations can compare the assets they are researching with Lilly's clinical asset library," adding, "This can help predict, by evaluating their own compounds, 'how it will act in humans' in the end."
Bickel also shared expectations for Gateway Labs Korea. He emphasized, "Gateway Labs Korea is set to be the largest base outside the United States," adding, "We expect up to 30 corporations to gain significant benefits by accessing Lilly's drug development expertise and Samsung Biologics' manufacturing expertise."