Top 3 Biosciences Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2023
1. mRNA-based therapeutics are booming.
The approval of COVID-19 vaccines is a positive first step, but much more research needs to be done to fully realize the great potential of mRNA vaccines. Based on previous experience, using the in vitro transcription technique to develop vaccines provides the advantage of speeding up development, lowering costs, shrinking the production footprint, and being more flexible when it comes to manufacturing process adjustmentment. Apart from the COVID-19 vaccine, a number of viral infectious-related vaccines using in vitro transcription methods are being developed, including those for the Ebola, influenza, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) etc. Furthermore, throughout the past few decades, researchers have concentrated on developing cancer vaccines, not just for the general cancer genes, but also for individualized cancer vaccines that target each patient's unique mutation.
Aside from mRNA use in vaccines, it is being explored by an increasing number of firms as a potential therapy to repair or restore other therapeutic proteins, such as developing a cure for rare genetic diseases, autoimmune disorders, CNS disorders, and antibody production in vivo without triggering immune responses.
A growing number of businesses compete in this market, including CureVac, Arcturus, Remix, GSK, not to mention the well-known corporations from the past three years, Mordena and BioNTech. Corresponding to the market circumstances, in 2021, the market for mRNA therapeutics was estimated to be worth USD 39.91 billion. From 2022 to 2030, the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.7%.
2. Cell therapy is being taken to the next level.
Cell therapy is used in a variety of therapeutic fields, including cancer treatment, immunotherapy, and regenerative medicine. Currently, most cell therapies are in the early stage of development, and it includes various cell types, like stem cells, NK cells, dendritic cells, tumor cells and T cells. Up to date, more than 250 clinical studies concentrating on CAR-T cell treatments and other therapies have been conducted which contributes to a striking growth of the cell therapeutic market. One of the important processes of CAR-T cell therapy is genome editing. And the key of genome editing is PRECISE. In these two decades, scientists have used the CRISPR/Cas9 system as gene editing tools for braden range of experiments, especially for cell therapy. In 2016, there is a cutting-edge technique, called base-editing, which reduces the errors by avoiding double-strand breaks, but enabling more modifications with fewer concerns of harmful genetic effects. The first successful case of CAR-T cell treatment by using base-editing for treating B-cell leukemia was a 13-year-old girl in the US. As of late, an increasing number of researchers are concentrating on this method to create more treatments.
Read More at World-first use of base-edited CAR T cells to treat resistant leukemia at Great Ormond Street Hospital
3. AI accelerates the pace of biotech and biopharma research.
In biology, researchers already employ AI in a variety of diverse domains, including protein structure prediction, drug discovery, image analysis in microscopy, the management of clinical trials, precision medicine, and prediction of disease progression. For decades, certain diseases have challenged researchers. However, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has the potential to greatly speed up the search for new medications to cure them with better, cheaper and safer drugs. Additionally, AI in clinical trials can identify cohorts that are suitable for clinical investigations by reviewing medical records and social media posts. Trial recruitment can be accelerated by using AI technology to notify professionals and patients about trial prospects and by making entrance requirements simpler so that potential participants can more easily comply.
Read More at We can invent new biology’: Molly Gibson on the power of AI
