BioCrossroads Launches BioSignals, a New Podcast Spotlighting Indiana's Life Sciences Momentum
BioCrossroads is proud to launch BioSignals, a new podcast dedicated to decoding the pulse of Indiana’s rapidly growing life sciences sector.
Hosted by Vince Wong, President and CEO of BioCrossroads, BioSignals is designed to amplify the compelling stories, breakthrough innovations, and bold leadership shaping Indiana’s position as a global life sciences hub.
“As we’ve watched the Indiana life sciences ecosystem transform into a global powerhouse, the challenge is that not enough people know that about us,” said Wong in the inaugural episode. “So, we created this podcast to transcend borders and share these stories with the world.”
That mission is backed by real momentum. In 2024, Indiana became the nation’s leader in life sciences exports, surpassing California. This is a milestone that reflects the scale and strength of the state’s life sciences industry.
For the first episode, Wong is joined by a guest whose career reflects the history and trajectory of Indiana’s ecosystem: Dan Peterson, Vice President of Industry and Government Affairs at Cook Group and Chair of the BioCrossroads Board of Directors. Peterson has been closely connected to BioCrossroads since its earliest days and has spent nearly four decades at Cook, one of the companies that helped shape Indiana’s life sciences foundation.
“This is one of the benefits of being around a long time,” Peterson joked. “You can provide the historical context.”
Peterson reflected on the formation of BioCrossroads in 2002, describing a moment when Indiana already had world-class life sciences assets, but lacked a mechanism to connect them.
At the time, Indiana’s strengths were already clear; the orthopedics sector in Warsaw, major pharmaceutical leadership in Central Indiana, and minimally invasive medical device innovation anchored by Cook in Bloomington. Yet, despite the scale of these players, collaboration across regions and subsectors was limited.
“We had amazing life sciences assets in this state… and yet none of us really did anything together,” said Peterson. “There was not a mechanism for all of us to come together and look at common, non-competitive issues.”
BioCrossroads was created to serve as that mechanism by bringing leaders together to align strategy, tell a collective story, and pursue opportunities that would strengthen the ecosystem as a whole. Peterson noted that early BioCrossroads work involved deep research, funded studies, and strategic planning to identify where Indiana could lead. But one milestone stands out as a defining turning point: the creation of the Indiana Bioscience Research Institute (IBRI).
“It was the first time where we… didn’t just talk about the strategy,” said Peterson. “We brought it to life.”
Peterson described the IBRI’s formation as a powerful example of what can happen when corporate leaders, state government, local partners, and community stakeholders align behind a shared vision. He credited the initiative’s momentum to collaborative leadership, including then-Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter, who helped challenge the ecosystem to think bigger.
Today, the IBRI continues to grow into its role as a key statewide asset driving research, innovation, and long-term competitiveness.
Wong and Peterson also discussed Indiana’s unique position in the national life sciences landscape. One of the state’s defining advantages is its ability not only to innovate, but to manufacture.
“We not only innovate it here and develop it here,” said Peterson. “We make it here.”
That combination has become a major differentiator as Indiana continues to attract new investments and expand its global reach. It is also a central focus of BioCrossroads’ 10-year life sciences sector strategy, launched in January 2024.
The strategy is built around four pillars:
- Advancing innovation and entrepreneurship
- Expanding life sciences manufacturing
- Strengthening workforce development
- Elevating Indiana’s global life sciences brand
Peterson emphasized that all four pillars are critical, and that their combined impact will help Indiana grow more aggressively and at greater scale. Every time visitors from outside the state see the ecosystem firsthand, he noted, the reaction is the same: Indiana has far more life sciences capability than most people realize.
The conversation also offered listeners a deeper look at Cook Group, a privately held global medical device company that has remained deeply rooted in Indiana since its founding. Peterson shared Cook’s entrepreneurial beginnings: Bill and Gayle Cook started the company in a spare bedroom in Bloomington with their one-year-old son. Today, Cook employs 12,000 to 13,000 people worldwide, with operations across Indiana including Bloomington, Indianapolis, and West Lafayette.
Cook specializes in minimally invasive medical devices, which Peterson described as technologies that allow clinicians to diagnose and treat conditions through small punctures rather than open surgery, all guided by advanced imaging. One example of how far medicine has come, he said, is the disappearance of “exploratory surgery” as a common practice.
“That phrase is gone,” said Peterson. “That doesn’t happen anymore because of the advancements in imaging paired with the devices that we make.”
Wong noted that one of the most underappreciated aspects of Cook’s impact is how its innovation culture has generated new companies and new industry branches throughout Indiana. Peterson highlighted examples including Cook-founded ventures that later became major employers and anchors in the region, such as Cook Pharmica (now Novo Nordisk) and Cook Pharmaceutical Solutions (later acquired by Baxter and spun into a new company).
The result is what Wong described as a “Cook coaching tree,” a growing network of alumni, spinouts, and downstream innovation that continues to strengthen the ecosystem.
Peterson also discussed how Cook’s culture extends beyond product innovation into community impact. When Cook identifies a challenge that affects workforce stability or quality of life, the company is willing to “lean in” and help build solutions. One major example: workforce housing. In response to housing shortages in Southern Indiana, Cook has taken direct action to help develop affordable housing in communities such as Owen County and Orange County, with plans to expand those efforts further. Cook has also partnered with organizations like Goodwill to create workforce opportunities through an FDA-approved medical device manufacturing facility on Indianapolis’ Near East Side, supporting individuals who historically have had limited access to stable employment.
One of the most exciting innovations discussed in the episode was Cook’s work in interventional MRI, a next-generation platform that could redefine how minimally invasive procedures are performed. Traditionally, these procedures rely on X-ray guidance, which exposes both patients and clinicians to radiation and often requires contrast dye. Interventional MRI could dramatically reduce those burdens while offering far greater imaging precision.
Cook has partnered with Siemens to co-develop a platform that enables clinicians to perform minimally invasive procedures using MRI guidance—opening the door to earlier-stage treatments, including potential breakthroughs in cancer care The platform launched in Europe in fall 2025, with a broader U.S. rollout expected this spring.
“It’s really an early-stage platform that could revolutionize a big part of procedural medicine,” said Peterson.
BioSignals’ inaugural episode sets the tone for what the podcast aims to deliver: thoughtful conversations with leaders who are shaping the future of health, science, and innovation, right here in Indiana.
With guests like Dan Peterson, the series begins with a strong reminder that Indiana’s life sciences success is not accidental. It is the result of decades of collaboration, long-term strategy, and an ecosystem willing to invest in bold ideas.
And now, BioSignals will help ensure those stories are heard well beyond Indiana’s borders.
Listen to the first episode of BioSignals now and subscribe for upcoming conversations featuring innovators, executives, and change-makers from across Indiana’s life sciences community.