IBD: Biotechnology Firms Get Business Backing, Join Forces

Galectin Therapeutics turns a common substance into a breakthrough drug.

by Sonja Carberry
Investor's Business Daily
March 24, 2015, 01:43 PM ET

Medical leaps benefit from a business push. How the disciplines work hand in hand to bring breakthroughs to light:

• Stay curious. "It is only by immersing yourself in a field in a very deep way that you can spot opportunities," said Gil Amelio.

The former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO also led National Semiconductor in the early 1990s and holds 17 patents.

In the 1970s, he co-invented the charge-coupled device technology that's used in scanners, digital cameras and the Hubble Space Telescope.

He's now delving into the pharmaceutical sector as a board member of Galectin Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GALT).

"I like to be involved with companies that make important contributions," Amelio told IBD.

• Aim high. Galectin is taking on a type of cirrhosis called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a disease that affect as many as 15 million Americans, including kids.

James Czirr, Galectin executive chairman, calls NASH a silent killer: "The dis…