OPINION:
Innovation has always been the foundation of progress, but how we innovate matters as much as the results we achieve.
Recent breakthroughs in aerospace and artificial intelligence prove that massive budgets don’t drive innovation, but efficiency, speed and a relentless commitment to doing more with less do. Success comes from embracing resourcefulness as a strategic advantage, fueled by deep passion and bold thinking. Yet, the biotech industry has been slow to adopt this mindset. It’s time to rethink how we innovate in this field, prioritizing agility, smart investment and transformative ideas over outdated, costly models.
Take SpaceX as an example. Elon Musk disrupted the aerospace industry not by spending more but by reimagining what was possible. SpaceX invested approximately $390 million in the initial development of the Falcon 9, including the transition from the Falcon 1 to the reusable Falcon 9. Its approximately $67 million per-flight cost is significantly lower than the nearly $1.6 billion NASA spent on the Space Shuttle. Mr. Musk proved that space travel could be more efficient and cost-effective while driving technological breakthroughs.
India’s recent space success echoes this principle. With a budget of about $75 million, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission demonstrated how developing nations can achieve extraordinary feats with efficiency and ingenuity. The spacecraft reached the moon and cemented India’s place as a global player in space exploration. It is a reminder that being competitive doesn’t mean being the biggest spender.
A prime example of cost-effective innovation comes from Mistral AI, a European startup that has rapidly gained recognition in artificial intelligence. With an initial investment of $113 million, a fraction of the billions poured into AI by OpenAI and Google, Mistral developed competitive large language models by prioritizing efficiency, modular design and open-source collaboration. Instead of trying to outspend industry giants, Mistral focused on building leaner, specialized AI models that could be fine-tuned for specific tasks, allowing them to achieve impressive results without the same level of capital investment.
For too long, the biotechnology industry has been dominated by large pharmaceutical companies clinging to a status quo mindset, slowing research and stifling innovation. Startups and smaller players with groundbreaking entrepreneurial ideas struggle to break through because of a complex, expensive and lengthy regulatory process. Moreover, the system prioritizes short-term quarterly profits over long-term patient outcomes, leaving critical advancements stalled in the pipeline.
Instead of fostering transformative medical breakthroughs, companies focus on immediate financial returns, sacrificing innovation for stability. We need a shift toward efficiency, inclusivity and entrepreneurship that prioritizes expertise, knowledge and passion over rigid financial metrics and thought processes. The industry must embrace a balanced approach: managing risk effectively while accelerating data analysis, ensuring patient safety and maximizing long-term benefits. Like any agile startup, biotech should be empowered to adapt quickly, refine processes and make necessary changes to bring lifesaving treatments to market faster.
The future of biotech depends on breaking free from the “bigger is better” mindset. Just as SpaceX redefined aerospace with reusable rockets, biotech must embrace scalable research models and AI-driven drug discovery to reduce time and cost. The U.S. has long been a global leader in the biotech community. Still, other nations such as China and Saudi Arabia are now being tapped by investors and making national commitments to expand the industry through streamlined processes. This additional competition for the U.S. should prompt changes to how the industry operates and innovates.
Regulatory frameworks and funding structures should support smaller biotechnology firms, not just large corporations. Biotech must realign toward patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary expenses in the drug development process while ensuring that therapies remain accessible without sacrificing quality and safety.
At Lamassu Biotech, we demonstrate that cutting-edge innovation doesn’t require massive spending but rather smart, strategic investment. Our SA-53 MDM2 therapy, a genetically targeted cancer treatment, embodies this philosophy, representing a novel anti-cancer therapy with the potential to benefit 50% of all cancer patients. By leveraging advanced screening techniques and a lean development strategy, we are accelerating the clinical pathway without the inefficiencies that plague the industry. Similarly, our RABI-767 therapy for acute pancreatitis, currently in phase 2 clinical trials in partnership with the Mayo Clinic and Panafina Inc., is a testament to our pioneering mindset. As the first company to deliver a drug via intraperitoneal injection, a method long dismissed simply because it had never been tried, we have demonstrated its safety and superior efficacy.
Biotechnology must embrace a similar revolution, but we must do it responsibly, ensuring that our advancements benefit patients while safeguarding our innovations from external threats such as China. The future of biotechnology does not belong to those who spend the most or cut the most corners. It belongs to those who innovate efficiently, empower more voices in the field and fiercely protect the integrity of their work.
• Dr. Gabi Hanna is the CEO and co-founder of Lamassu Biotech.
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