Voices of Discovery speaker to discuss role of technology in reducing drug costs on Sept. 9 | Today at Elon

How can we harness technology and innovation to reduce the cost of life-saving medicines?

Tayo Sanders, the co-founder of Arrowpoint Labs and consultant with the Venture Studio at Southern Research, will explore that topic with Elon audiences next week in the first Voices of Discovery lecture of the 2024-25 academic year. Sanders will deliver “Reimagining Drug Discovery and Manufacturing: Engineering a Path Towards Affordability” on Monday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. in McCrary Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public.

Science often yields new pharmaceutical therapies but at staggering costs for consumers and businesses. The price of life-saving medications continues to rise, challenging both patients and healthcare providers. Further, the average cost of bringing a drug to market rose from $800 million to $2.6 million over the last two decades, according to the Journal of Health Economics. Reducing those costs is critical to human health.

Sanders is a scientist, investor and founder focused on finding solutions in the complex landscape of drug development and delivery. His lecture will tell the stories of two technologies being developed by companies he consults with — cell-free RNA and protein manufacturing, and high throughput, high dimensional live cell imaging — illuminating scientific challenges and their potential to reduce costs.

Before co-founding Arrowpoint Labs, Sanders was the director of the Venture Studio at Southern Research, supporting the development of companies working toward therapies in oncology, pain, addiction and neurodegenerative disease. He is strategic advisor to Birmingham, Alabama’s Biden-Harris Tech Hub.

Voices of Discovery brings preeminent scientists and mathematicians to campus to share their experiences and perspectives with Elon students and the community. Sponsored by Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Elon University, the annual speaker series is fundamental to creating a science-conscious community and students who graduate as informed, critically thinking citizens.

Two additional Voices of Discovery speakers are scheduled for the 2024-25 academic year.

• Mary (Missy) Cummings, director of George Mason University’s Autonomy and Robotics Lab will deliver “The Promises and Perils of AI,” on Nov. 11.
• Kate Brauman, deputy director of the Global Water Security Center at the University of Alabama, will speak on March 10 about “Water Security: Making Sense of Global Trends in Water Availability and Water Use.”