Biopharmaceuticals have been making waves as cutting-edge competitors to traditional pharmaceuticals. Made with living organisms instead of synthesized chemicals, they are highly complex drugs that bring forth new possibilities and show great potential as holistic treatment options.
With its estimated value reaching $401.32 billion in 2021, the biopharmaceuticals market is thriving and is expected to grow by almost eight percent by the end of this decade. With a growing pool of research material, it’s essential that old practices and processes get an upgrade that meets the strenuous requirements that new material poses.
The pandemic has also aided in the development of new vaccines and drugs, giving the market an unexpected boost both in terms of demand and innovation. Here are some of the biggest innovative breakthroughs that could have massive real-world and industry-specific implications that you should look out for in the coming year.
Single-Cell Dispensing Technology
Single Cell Isolation is one of the most crucial steps in cloning the right cells and creating stable bacterial strains that you may require for your projects. Based on agar streaking and limiting dilution, traditional isolation methods are often very inefficient and often lead to delays, discrepancies, and the overall cost-ineffectiveness of the procedure.
However, with new technology, this step has effectively been made extremely easy through the partial automation of prokaryotic cell isolation. Single-cell dispensing technology makes use of powerful optics to make even the smallest cells visible. It also uses no-contact disposable cartridges and an interactive well plate design to allow you to select and dispense individual cells.
These nozzles also produce microscopic droplets to culture your cells and avoid cross-contamination and create a stable culturing and observable environment. With this technology, you’ll be able to forgo labor-intensive and time-consuming procedures like staining and labeling and make strain collection preprogrammed.
Genetic Testing For Pancreatic Cancer
As one of the most common types of cancer, affecting one in every 64 individuals, pancreatic cancer has been a major source of concern for medical professionals worldwide. It is also conversely one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat as it is located deep within the body and spreads swiftly to the vital organs surrounding the pancreas.
With recent developments, however, this might not be the case anymore. A molecular study led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC researchers has been accurately able to identify whether pancreatic cysts are cancerous or not.
Known as PancreaSeq, the panel conducted the study over a two-year timeframe where the pancreatic fluids of over 1,800 patients were collected. The study confirmed that the incorporation of molecular markers in the diagnostic phase led to more accurate results when compared to the currently used method of imaging pancreatic cysts.
Soluble Amyloid Protein and Its Correlation to Dementia
Dementia has affected over 55 million people worldwide, yet many aspects of the condition are shrouded in mystery. For the most part, the current reigning theory on the cause of this disease is associated with amyloid protein deposits called amyloid plaques.
These plaques are deposited between neurons when amyloid precursor proteins break down during synapses. With enough accumulation of amyloid plaques over time, it impairs several brain functions, effectively causing dementia that worsens over time with more deposition of plaque. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that isn’t all there is to it.
Alzheimer’s disease is a widely known neurological disease that has dementia as one of its symptoms. The study was carried out on 232 patients who carried Alzheimer’s Disease mutations, monitoring their plaque accumulation and amyloid protein levels.
The results showed that individuals who carried high soluble 42-amino acid amyloid-β (Aβ42) proteins still retained some proper brain function despite large amounts of plaque accumulation. With this newfound information, the study of treatment options and causes of dementia will definitely be more dynamic in the coming years.
With these new breakthroughs and innovations in the field of medical science, biopharma is sure to see some new and sensational changes in the coming years. As a field that touches upon all aspects of a person’s daily life, growth in biopharmaceuticals will be an overall life upgrade for humankind, too.
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