Our four major Research Areas

Our new discovery research strategy aims at enhancing our capacity for innovation and at encouraging scientific creativity for diseases with high unmet medical need. It is based on three pillars:

Four Discovery Research Therapeutic Areas
Build on our strengths in R&D by focusing on core diseases for which we have built expertise over time and are actively investing from early research, through clinical development, to the market phase.

Scientific platforms
Focus on highly dynamic research fields such as immune modulation and regenerative medicine which may impact and create synergies among several of our Discovery Research Therapeutic Areas.

Research Beyond Borders
Explore emerging science and technology for but also beyond our Discovery Research Therapeutic Areas in order to prepare a timely and efficient entry into emerging new medical and scientific fields and technologies.

 

Boehringer Ingelheim's successes in research & development continuously strengthen our portfolio of medications and offer patients true therapeutic benefit.

Our strategy focuses on four therapeutic research areas with high unmet medical need:

  • Immunology & Respiratory diseases,
  • Cardiometabolic diseases,
  • Central nervous system diseases, and
  • Oncology.

Cardiometabolic Diseases Research

CardiometabolicMany years of experience in this therapeutic area have allowed us to help millions of patients affected by potentially life-threatening cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Our research and development has resulted in important achievements in recent years, especially in thromboembolic diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Our current research efforts focus on new strategies for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), diabetic retinopathy, and chronic kidney disease. Together these therapies complement each other to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

Around 300 scientists work in our fully integrated drug discovery centre of excellence for Cardiometabolic research at sites in Biberach, Germany and Ridgefield, CT, USA. With extensive capabilities in both small molecules and biotherapeutics, they are working with many academic and corporate partners to discover new treatments to address continually evolving unmet medical needs.

Our Discovery Research focus is on:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Micro- and macrovascular complications of diabetes – e.g. diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney diseases, CV outcomes
  • Liver diseases – e.g. NASH
  • Obesity
     

Central Nervous System Diseases Research

Central Nervous SystemProgressive degeneration of the nerve cells is typical for all chronic neurological diseases. Our scientists are investigating ways of identifying and developing new treatments which can intervene in the process. The aim is to provide patients and doctors with improved treatments to address the symptoms of these diseases, and to find ways of inhibiting the basic pathological processes, which are responsible for disease progression.

Recently, we extended our research efforts into psychiatric diseases. We recognize that the current classification of psychiatric diseases does not reflect the underlying neurobiology. Therefore, our goal is to identify and analyse multiple psychiatric diseases.

More than 200 scientists work at our fully integrated CNS drug discovery centre in Biberach, Germany. Using their own capabilities in both small molecules and biotherapeutics, and working together with their academic and corporate partners, their focus is on disease pathophysiology and genetics to drive pathway and target selection.

Our Discovery Research focus is on:

  • Psychiatric diseases
    • Schizophrenia
    • Depression 
  • Alzheimer’s disease  (cognition)

 

Immunology and Respiratory Research

ImmunologyBoehringer Ingelheim is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide in the treatment of respiratory diseases.

It has been recognized that respiratory diseases such as COPD or Asthma are heterozygous syndromes that are often associated with an aberrant immune response of the afflicted patient. Therefore it made sense to create a new Discovery Research Therapeutic Area that combines our long-standing competence and success story in respiratory diseases with our expertise in immunology.

Within this newly formed department, more than 200 scientists work in our fully integrated drug discovery centre of excellence for Immunology and Respiratory Diseases research at sites in Biberach, Germany and Ridgefield, CT, USA.
With extensive capabilities in both small molecules and biotherapeutics, they are working with many academic and corporate partners to discover new treatments to address continually evolving unmet medical needs.

Our Discovery Research focus is on:

  • Crohn’s disease & ulcerative colitis
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus/lupus nephritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Systemic sclerosis-scleroderma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Asthma
  • Pulmonary fibrosis
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

 

Oncology Research

OncologyOpportunities for effective drug discovery in oncology have never been better. Blueprints of the genetic and biochemical workings of cancer cells allow scientists in our laboratories to focus on promising targets for potential new therapeutic approaches. The impact of modern cancer genetics and immunotherapy on drug discovery is already changing the practice of medicine in oncology, with both biopharmaceuticals and small-molecules contributing to a growing repertoire of therapies.

Our fully integrated drug discovery centre in Vienna, Austria has more than 250 scientists with extensive capabilities in both small molecule and biotherapeutic discovery. A large number of collaborations with both academic partners and biotechnology companies are supporting our search for novel targets, biomarkers, drug candidates and treatment modalities.

Our Discovery Research focus is on:

  • Cancer cell-directed therapies
  • Immune cell-directed therapies