To that end, they're either partnering with multiple smaller companies pursuing a variety of research avenues or acquiring them outright. That not only increases the potential that they'll have the next breakthrough already licensed when it occurs, it also provides a bird's eye view into multiple lines of scientific inquiry. That, in turn, may help companies put the pieces of some very complex disease puzzles together, increasing the potential of creating revolutionary new treatments. Biogen Idec, for example, has already achieved domain domination in multiple sclerosis, with two first-generation drugs and a second-generation one, as well as varied additional lines of research. With only a first-generation drug for blood cancers, Celgene isn't as far along, but the company has signed more than 25 external partnerships since 2012 in its effort to find a second-generation blockbuster. And that, says Mehrotra, is a sign that it aspires to domain domination.