Being able to change your vision based on experimental results is essential to the success of any small biotech.
Using the pivot in biotech.
The lean
startup involves "the
pivot". The idea being that you should change your vision or
"pivot" it based on new data.
Every hear of Sildenafil citrate? This was a drug being tested to reduce hypertension and ischemic heart disease.
It didn't work. It did however have an unexpected side
effect and the compound later became known as VIAGRA.
The pivot is about staying grounded while deciding on a new direction.
Scientists continually move into the unknown using trial and error however there has to be a starting point before each experiment can begin. This is the pivot point.
Experiments should be used to confirm a hypothesis or direction. If the experimental data does not support the hypothesis...step back...pivot...and reshape your hypothesis using the new data set.
A "leap of logic" can produce an unstable pivot point.
I've seen several times where scientists are pivoting from a bad position. The data that led them to their current state is either flawed or assumptions were made that caused a "leap of logic" to occur.
I once saw 3 months of work tossed out because early in the experimental process the researcher made an unfounded assumption. In biotech a waste of time is more costly than the monies spent.
With proper planning and solid experimental data, the use of the pivot can have a huge impact.
Think about how different our lives would be, and Pfizer's revenue stream, if that pivot would have never happened.
