The Biomarkers Consortium: Practice and Pitfalls of Open‐Source Precompetitive Collaboration

Precompetitive collaboration is a growing driver for innovation and increased productivity in biomedical science and drug development. The Biomarkers Consortium, a public–private platform for precompetitive collaboration specific to biomarkers, demonstrated that adiponectin has potential utility as a predictor of metabolic responses to peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR) agonists in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Despite the challenges overcome by this project, the most important lesson learned is that cross-company precompetitive collaboration is a feasible robust approach to biomarker qualification. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2010) 87 5, 539–542. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2009.227