Curious about the intriguing world of health innovation? Here are some of the top breakthroughs changing the whole sector right now.

The everyday person on the street is extremely unlikely to comprehend what gene editing means. Even the most renowned researchers are still working out what is possible in this emergent medical field. But these ideas have grabbed the imagination of novels, films and television shows for several decades. Frequently restricted to the bounds of science fiction, the thought of ‘designer babies’ has featured prominently across print and screen. Now, the capability to edit and eradicate genes in the body has rapidly accelerated. Advanced tools are making it easier, quicker and most importantly less expensive to tackle these elaborate feats of engineering. The effect is already being observed from medicine to agriculture. But it is the treatment and prevention of damaging diseases which are consuming the thoughts of the world’s leading scientists. Along with public research facilities, biotech companies like Intellia are leading new techniques of gene editing to produce an exciting new age of pharmaceutical innovation.

The pharmaceutical sector is experiencing a golden period of progress and innovation. Even as the scientific community takes on the new coronavirus, the previous year has also borne witness to an incredible abundance of recent drug developments. Big data and machine learning are transforming how we can compile, store and identify treatments. Immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality are changing the rehab process whether that’s physical or cognitive. Yet many of these groundbreaking technologies are in the early stages of development and are consequently very expensive. In terms of accessible and inexpensive advancements, the biosimilar market is a more ready model of progress. Biosimilar companies like Alvotech are amongst a rising number of innovators keen to revolutionise the price of medicine. Similar to brand names, biosimilars reproduce the levels of safety, efficacy and dosage pretty much identically. Unlike brands, however, these medicines are much less expensive for the common person.

Artificial intelligence is one of the most exhilarating innovations within the pharmaceutical industry. These sophisticated technologies are paving the way for robot-coordinated surgeries, remote patient monitoring and image measuring tools among lots of exhilarating breakthroughs. However, amongst the most potent applications is the drug discovery process. New drug discoveries don’t happen instantly. It takes years and sometimes decades of research to diagnose a whole new drug that could be used to heal diseases. Through specialized precision engineering, AI is supposed to significantly decrease the time taken. Innovative biopharmaceutical companies like Exscientia have managed to create the first molecules developed through AI. As AI-designed medicines move into clinical stage trials, it has reshaped the boundaries for potential drug discovery. Enhanced development and financial investment will enormously decrease the timetable of drug discovery. One of the most important pharmaceutical breakthroughs 2021 has to offer, the possibilities for drug discovery practices and tools are practically ceaseless.