Through research collaborations, consortia, licensing, investments, and acquisitions, the emerging science and innovation team at Pfizer seeks to harness external, cutting-edge preclinical assets and novel technologies in emerging therapies. Increasingly, the focus is on true first-in-class mechanisms, if not only in-class programs, that would allow real breakthroughs for patients. Chris Spivey, editorial director, interviews Uwe Schoenbeck, senior vice president and chief scientific officer for emerging science and innovation at Pfizer. Some of the areas discussed include repeat expansion disorders, senescence, DNA damage response and nucleic acid sensing, deubiquitinase pathways, and neuroinflammation. Pfizer feels these hold special promise for new innovative therapies.SPONSORS: Curia and Samsung Biologics