The ever increasing dynamism of technological advancements is also making inroads into the biotech and pharma industry in a big way. Pharma companies are spending huge sums of money and energy in their innovation towards better manufacturing, patient care, and research and development.
The best part of what we are going to witness in the coming years is the rise of innovation not just from big private pharma and biotech companies, but also from university labs, contract research organizations, government-sponsored institutions, etc.
In this piece, we shall revisit from the most influential and innovative research trends which will be trending in 2020 and beyond.
1.Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence or AI is being increasingly utilized in various aspects of pharma research. Worldwide, research companies, life science players and pharma manufacturers are collaborating in a big way towards the inclusion of AI in their research and developmental activities. This has resulted in the faster discovery of drugs/medicines while reducing time to reach the market considerably.
Artificial Intelligence tools and infrastructure has great potential in almost all stages of drug discovery such as research data mining, target identification, target validation, assisting in target identification and validation, artificial testing of compounds while reducing risks to properties and lives.
2.Phenotypic Screening
Typically there are two methods are used in new drug discovery, target-based approach, and phenotypic screening. Phenotypic screening is a type of screening used in drug discovery and biological research to recognize substances such as small molecules, peptides, etc. that change the phenotype of an organism or its cell.
Over the last couple of years, this type of approach has been increasingly used as it has considerably increased the possibilities of finding first-in-class small molecule drugs. As a result of this more and more companies and research, institutes are expected to follow this approach in their drug discovery activities.
3.Organs on a Chip
Organs on a Chip is a concept of lining living cells around the microchips that can revolutionize the way drugs are developed, diseases are modeled and drugs are tested. This concept is an effective alternative to drug testing on animals and humans.
4.Bio – 3D Printing
Bio 3D Printing greatly customizes the way prosthetics are conceptualized to personalization. With the availability of effective 3D printers complemented by digital tools and gadgets to customize prosthetics as per one’s needs, this is the future that one can expect.
In addition to prosthetics, recently a company called CellInk has developed a liquid that permits the growth of human cells and body parts including ears, noses, etc. This gives scientists and doctors to fix organs, including internal ones, with ease.
5.Cloud ERP for Pharma
With Cloud ERP pharma companies are now able to support multi-companies, multi-location, multi-currency, multi divisions with ease and that too with complete compliance. Cloud ERP makes it easy for multi-modal companies with their production planning, inventory control, online enquires, material purchases, quality control, accounting, and profit calculation, analytics, export, and import management, etc.
Summary
Most pharma companies these days are scattered in locations, silo-ed by divisions thus making it hard to manage them. With the integration of all serving components becoming essential, technology is playing its part – be it in the form of ERPs or ease of drug discovery or patient monitoring, etc. This is indeed a boon in the making for the future.