Matthew Coghlan
Vice President, External Innovation Data Science Diabetes Obesity & Cardiometabolic TA Eli Lilly & Co.
Matthew Coghlan, PhD, is a leader in diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic research, currently serving as Vice President of External Innovation & Data Science for the Diabetes, Obesity & Cardiometabolic Therapeutic Area at Eli Lilly and Company. In this role, he drives strategic partnerships, data-driven discovery, and portfolio advancement to accelerate next-generation therapies.
With over two decades of experience in biopharmaceutical R&D, Matthew has held key leadership positions at Novo Nordisk (Senior Director, Search & Evaluation), MedImmune/AstraZeneca (rising from Team Leader to Research Director), and GSK (Project Leader & Senior Scientist). His deep expertise spans incretin biology, insulin resistance, and biotherapeutics, rooted in his academic training, including a PhD from the University of Cambridge on the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance and postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School on PI3K and G-protein signalling.
Seminars
Join this session to explore how obesity trials and treatment paradigms must evolve with GLP-1 agonists as the new backbone therapy. Experts will debate optimal approaches for testing combinations and sequencing therapies, addressing critical questions about trial design, phenotypic targeting, and weight rebound mitigation.
- Determining patient-centric cardiometabolic endpoints to extend beyond weight loss while satisfying payer demands
- Combining dual GLP-1 and myostatin inhibitors to reduce muscle mass loss for greater metabolic health and explore composite endpoints that reflect real-world patient priorities to lower trial dropout rates
- Exploring sequential therapy protocols to reduce GI side effects for improved long-term adherence
- Reducing weight cycling by shifting focus from acute weight loss to sustained metabolic outcomes
