Eli Lilly Invests $42M in AI-Powered Digital Health Hub in Singapore
Lilly Digital Health and the Lilly Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, subsidiaries of Eli Lilly (IN, U.S.), have launched a $42 million digital health innovation hub in Singapore. It aims to accelerate research and development for AI-driven technologies and advance AI-led scientific research.
AI-Driven Patient Insights
The hub aims to offer a unique perspective into patient health outside of clinical settings, in therapeutic areas such as cardiometabolic health, neurodegeneration, and oncology, to name but a few. The hub will use Eli Lilly’s proprietary AI platform, Magnol.AI™, to collect and analyze high-frequency sensor data from wearable devices, such as those measuring sleep quality or gait. This allows clinicians to conduct health-related research that records data in real-time, assisted by AI.
One example of this AI-assisted data collection is the use of smart toilets during clinical trials, which are equipped with pressure sensors that automate data collection during routine use. This technology eliminates the need for manual tracking, reducing participant burden during clinical trials, and ensures data collection is consistent and thus, more accurate.
“One of the key domains we are interested in is sleep quality, which has direct implications on quality of life. Poor sleep quality can also be an important symptom of many medical disorders.”
Jian Yang, Vice President and Digital Health Medical Officer at Eli Lilly.
“The Digital Health Innovation Hub will establish a cutting-edge Digital Circadian Rhythm Center of Excellence, where we validate digital health technologies that can objectively and efficiently measure sleep quality with far less burden on patients compared to traditional methods,” Yang continued.
With 49 beds available for clinical trials, researchers can now monitor data from overnight participants to identify patterns in sleep quality and circadian rhythm, enhancing their capabilities to collect vast amounts of data and increase their precision during clinical research.
“We are confident our expansion of digital health innovation capabilities will accelerate Lilly’s global drug development programs that are boldly tackling some of the most complex health challenges we face.”
Rich Carter, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Eli Lilly.
Expanding Research and Collaborations
The $42 million investment will also go toward two Centers of Excellence—the Lilly Gait Center (Biopolis, Singapore) and the Lilly Computer Vision Center (Biopolis, Singapore)—which aim to develop tools for gait analysis and diagnostic imaging, expanding the hub’s research capabilities.
This initiative aligns with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, which promotes AI-driven innovation across various industries, including healthcare.
“Eli Lilly’s decision to establish its Digital Health Innovation Hub in Singapore will strengthen Singapore’s capabilities in utilizing AI-driven digital health technologies to accelerate global clinical development,”
Goh Wan Yee, Senior Vice President and Head of Healthcare at Singapore Economic Development Board.
Through the Biomedical Sciences Industry Partnership Office, Eli Lilly plans to collaborate extensively with local academic, clinicians, and researchers, leveraging Singapore’s integrated healthcare systems to foster breakthroughs in digital health research and reaffirming the country’s position as a leader in AI innovation.