Trends in Innovation for Biotechnology

By Asta Stojanovski

One of the key drivers behind innovation in biotechnology remains to be technological advancements and increases in computer processing power.  As these continue to advance, new developments in biotechnology will follow close behind providing a wider range of applications and improved functionality.  Here we review the top trends in biotechnology innovation in recent years and the future. 

Mobile Healthcare, Remote Monitoring & Point of Care Diagnostics

(Scout Physical Exam Scanner)

The proliferation of mobile devices in the last decade has provided us the opportunities to have our devices with us at all times and stay connected no matter where we are.  This has given rise to the idea of utilizing these devices for health monitoring, health data collection and provision of health services.  A large number of applications have been developed to be used for accessing healthcare or reporting health conditions during monitoring through our mobile devices, whether they are cell phones or personal computers, and these numbers are continuing to grow.  There is however current contention on how these devices should be regulated by the FDA. The continued trend towards miniaturization of devices has allowed for the development of new medical products that can conduct exams and perform monitoring without a visit to the doctor’s office, such as the Scanadu Scout or the Metria Wearable Sensor. This has significant applications for the elderly and disabled.

(LabChip Systems SipperChip)

The miniaturization of technology has also allowed for the development of point of care diagnostics that are can deliver immediate results outside of a laboratory setting.  This improves diagnosis times and allows diagnosis to be performed with minimal specialized infrastructure, at the patient’s home or in their hospital room. Additionally this can be beneficial in places without good laboratory foundation or in emergency situations.  There have also been developments in lab-on-a-chip platforms that allow for one or several laboratory tests or compound screenings to be carried out on a single millimetre-sized chip, such as LabChip Systems by Perkin Elmer or Diagnostic Chips Immunoassay LOC.  It is expected that this systems will become more powerful and able to detect more conditions as the technology advances further.

Bioinformatics, Gene Sequencing & Personalized Medicine

(Source)

As computing power increases and standard computing costs decrease, there will be a shift towards more data availability and subsequent analysis of huge data sets.  The National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) GenBank database has become one of the most important tools for all biological researchers and contains over 150 billion nucleotide bases, which is continuing to grow exponentially, doubling every 10 months. This provides researchers with more information at a higher, population level allowing them to have a more comprehensive picture of normal versus diseased states enabling identification of more genetic or epigenetic based diseases.  A general shift towards having more electronically recorded medical records will also permit easier data sharing among researchers and clinicians providing the opportunity for new discoveries.

Additionally with the price of genomic sequencing falling and the speed at which sequences are being produced increasing, the availability of personal genomic sequence profiling is becoming closer to a reality than ever before. With improved uptake by the population and more sequences being added to databases for analysis, a more detailed and precise a picture of each individual’s state will become possible enabling much more personalized medicine.  Developments in personalized medicine will allow for better diagnosis, improved safety of prescribed drugs and more efficacious treatments. Current research into pharmacogenetics is expected to vastly change the pharmaceutical industry to provide personally tailored medications based on an individual’s genetic profile and reduce harmful side-effects.  While there is still much research to done, the field is growing strongly and there is a high acceptance for more personalized medicine among patients.

Bioremediation, Bioreactors & Biofuels

(Bioreactors)

While it has long been known that microorganisms play a crucial role in degradation of waste material it is only recently that scientists began utilizing them for eliminating contaminants and pollutants from the environment.  This intensification is the result of our improved awareness of the impact that pollutants have on our environment and subsequently our health and the health of the planet.  A variety of microorganisms from bacteria to fungi have been identified that degrade and eliminate effluents from the environment and are being currently being used.  Recent research has also provided insights into the optimal conditions for specific organism’s metabolism of contaminants which will provide improved degradation.  Further research that is currently underway into optimization of conditions, identification of new remediating organisms, and genetic manipulation of existing organisms will provide great improvements in this process in the future.

(Algae Biofuel Production)

Another emerging application for biotechnology involving microorganisms is the creation of biofuels.  The use of algae as a biomass for biofuel generation has gained tremendous momentum in recent years as the realities and difficulties of using plant-based and agricultural by-products as biomass have become apparent.  Algal biofuel production has many advantages over plant-based biomass such as providing high yields in small areas, minimal impact on freshwater sources, and not using land typically used for food agriculture. Additionally, algal-based biofuels have higher returns on energy and release lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol.  This has spurred it into the forefront as the primary biomass for the next generation of biofuels and advancements in this area are expected to drive it into the future.