"Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in China - there are more people in China with diabetes than in any other country in the world, with as many as three-quarters of them not having adequate control of their disease," said Bei Betty Zhang, vice president, China Research and site head and general manager, LCRDC. "The research community needs to better understand the genetic and environmental factors that underlie this epidemic so that we may discover medicines that address these factors. At the Lilly China Research and Development Center, we will explore innovative ways to address this unmet patient need, such as targeting pathways involved in disease pathophysiology and partnering with the Chinese academic network to investigate unique features of diabetes in Chinese patients, with the goal of discovering breakthrough treatments."

In the near term, the work at the LCRDC will focus on evaluating a pool of highly-selective targets with the potential to deliver robust candidates, helping to feed the Lilly portfolio with novel treatment opportunities.