Business


amendments diminished, saving the industry tril- lions of dollars. In 2030, global standards60 are in place that


allow outcomes measurement to be useful and the many disparate Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies, such as NICE61, are now aligned into a global consortium (similar in concept to the current EUnetHTA62 but with global reach) pro- viding support and advice to the global life science and medical device industries. l Internet of Things (IoT): Today the IoT has matured to the point where it can handle trillions of devices generating zettabytes (1021) of data63; the predictive capabilities of AI/ML have improved based on such vast amounts of data, enabling new avenues of research to be identified. Many forms of dementia can now be identified before symptomat- ic onset through the use of digital diagnostic approaches64, and prevention through drug and cognitive therapy has become a real possibility. The effectiveness of psychiatric intervention has also been significantly enhanced by the introduc- tion of digital therapeutics. Psychiatric rehabilita- tion, which had been heavily dependent on the physical presence of the psychiatrist with the patient, is now being substantially reinforced by the availability of digital applications. Nanotech and associated non-invasive


implantable surgery65 has delivered huge advan- tages to the medical device industry and sensors have become self-powered (from the human body)66. Lab automation revolutionised the life science industry in clinical testing laboratories experiencing unprecedented demand from the age- related morbidities of the ageing baby boomers67, and also in the processes of drug discovery. Many tasks that used to require human skills are now no longer needed, allowing the industry to reduce costs significantly. 3D-printing, organ regenera- tion68 and targeted therapeutics working at the nucleic acid level69 emerged, with the potential to change the face of medicine. Now in 2030, we have entered an era where tissue and whole organ regeneration is no longer experimental but is wide- ly available to those who can afford it, for the costs remain high. l Digital biomarkers are now in use. They are defined as objective, quantifiable physiological and behavioural data that are collected and measured by digital devices such as portables, wearables, implantables or digestibles. The data is typically used to explain, influence and/or predict health- related outcomes. Digital biomarkers also repre- sent an opportunity to capture clinically meaning- ful, objective data70.


48


l Liquid Next Generation Sequencing: The ability accurately to analyse circulating DNA and circu- lating tumour DNA (ctDNA) provided the oppor- tunity to screen patients cost-effectively and with considerably less stress. Analysis of ctDNA pro- vides better information than that acquired from a single biopsy of a tumour, which was limited and failed to reflect its heterogeneity. Such screening allowed early detection of cancers before overt symptoms were expressed, transforming the treat- ment and management of cancers. Today we have entered an era where cancer is no longer feared as a death sentence. For some it is curable and for many others it is a long-term disease which can be managed and successfully treated. l Quantum Computing has the potential to revo- lutionise a number of computational use-cases within life sciences R&D and medicine, such as quantum energy calculations for molecules and some aspects of Machine Learning. During the late 2010s, annealing devices became commercially available and a number of companies were devel- oping universal quantum computers, using a vari- ety of substrates (eg solid state junctions, ion-traps, NVCs, photons). These devices were limited in scale and were


error-prone due to the difficulties in maintaining qubit coherence. They formed a class of machines known as Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) systems. NISQs offered little advantage in real-world use-cases, compared to classical HPCs. However, quantum computing outgrew its NISQ status during the early 2020s, opening the door for unique benefits of working on the quantum plat- forms. Some Pistoia Alliance members were already exploring quantum computing applica- tions and the Alliance created a cross-industry community of interest – especially for its many members from smaller organisations who were not equipped to navigate this complex journey alone. One challenge that quantum computing


addressed was to solve the logistics and supply chain optimisation challenges that even the most advanced classical supercomputers were unable to solve. This was no small issue – for the cost savings from opti- mised supply chains represented trillions of dollars globally and such financial returns funded the increased investments in quantum computing. l Therapeutic molecule synthesis: The smaller, spe- cialised markets that resulted from the explosion in genomics-based precision medicine have become very significant in the new healthcare delivery sys- tem. Biotechnology, micro-fluidics, nanotechnology and other advancements in chemical technologies were continuing to open up new frontiers.


Drug Discovery World Fall 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68