And Synthon Chiragenics, a drug-discovery company in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, exploits carbohydrates such as lactose and starch abundant, freely available and notoriously chiral as building-blocks for more complex therapeutic drugs.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

Through Sage Bionetworks, the organization he started in 2010, Friend is championing the principles, practices, and incentives that will define what he believes is a new era of drug discovery.

FORBES: Open-Source Science: The New Norm

In summary, Precision Medicine, defined as rules (algorithm) based medicine by Clayton Christensen seems on the horizon, where medicine and drug discovery will ultimately be supported by intelligent systems (compare Watson) that will enable completely new therapeutic concepts, not least with the advent of mobileICT-based companion (monitoring)diagnostics.

FORBES: Does Pharma's Innovation Difficulties Reflect Bad Leaders or Tough Circumstances?