At no other time in history have we been this close to translating basic scientific discoveries into novel therapeutic strategies to benefit humankind. However, the traditional missions of academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry are almost diametrically opposed. Have we reached the point where ‘publish or perish’ is being replaced by ‘patent and prosper’? Participants had a timely discussion with Dr. Mary Hendrix, President and Scientific Director, Children’s Memorial Research, about the role of industry competitiveness in biomedical research and its impact on the future of health care.