The Future of Commercial Biotech
Biomedicine: opportunities, technologies, prospects
Natalia Sysoeva, Invest-Foresight
The Invest-Foresight business publication and the A. A. Harkevich Institute of Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a ZOOM conference "The Future of Commercial Biotech: Business Prospects in the field of genetics and biotechnology" within the framework of the Future Design Club project. Industry headliners talked about projects that are worth paying attention to, and also discussed the prospects for the introduction of new biotechnologies.
DNA tests and 4P medicine
The coronavirus pandemic has hurt many industries and spheres of activity, but the importance of scientific developments and the introduction of new technologies, especially in the field of medicine, the situation with COVID-19 has only emphasized. Today we are witnessing an unprecedented surge of interest in genetics and its possibilities on the part of the medical community and the healthcare system.
"Seven years ago, when our company was just being created, everyone believed that the only thing genetics could and should do was to determine paternity. Indeed, what else can DNA tests be useful for? A lot has changed today. Scientists understand how significant the contribution of genetics to 4P medicine can be - predicative, preventive, personalized, participatory. And the role of genetics in the healthcare system will only increase. Because if most people start doing genetic tests, and doctors carefully study the results of these tests, the number of patients in hospitals will decrease, the costs of maintaining the healthcare system will decrease," says Vladimir Volobuev, CEO of MyGenetics.
With the help of DNA tests, MyGenetics helps to choose individual nutrition, sports, skin and hair care programs. The company also has a project on genetic screening of diabetes mellitus: thanks to tests, it is possible to identify people with a high risk of getting sick, such patients will need to monitor their health more closely, undergo medical examinations more often, monitor blood glucose levels, and follow nutrition recommendations. Timely prevention will help to avoid serious complications.
Among the main problems faced by companies working in the field of genetics today, Volobuev called the low awareness of doctors about the possibilities and mechanisms of genetics, as well as the lack of necessary domestic equipment. According to Vladimir, it is often necessary to buy it abroad at inflated prices, which, of course, slows down the mass introduction of DNA tests in Russia. Anton Aksenov, Founder and CEO of Basis Genomic Group, agrees with Vladimir Volobuev.
"It's been three years since we created the Global Academy, thanks to which doctors can replenish their knowledge, including in the field of genetics. We want to change medicine in Russia, to spread the idea of a personal and preventive approach to health. The possibilities of genetics are very wide and diverse, but not everyone knows about them and knows how to use them. For example, we develop genetic panels based on customer requests. Tests for COVID-19 are relevant today, and we conduct them – we determine the presence of genetic immunity to the virus. Tests can also show what the probability is that the disease will be severe. Genetic tests can determine the propensity of employees to certain occupational diseases, tell them which products and physical activities are suitable for them," Aksenov said.
Dmitry Kulish, PhD, also spoke about the increased role of genetics in modern society. Biol. sci., Professor of Skoltech, Director of the "Innovation Workshop" of Skoltech. In his opinion, genetics will help us understand how the coronavirus evolves, conduct more accurate diagnostics and finally overcome COVID-19 with vaccination (DNA vaccines are one of the most promising).
"The key problem with COVID-19 is that it gives quite a lot of serious patients occupying intensive care beds. Histocompatibility complexes HLA could determine a person's propensity to a severe form of the disease. If some entrepreneur makes such a test now, all people can be promptly checked for a tendency to severe COVID-19. And based on this information, doctors will be able to give personalized advice to everyone on precautions, the need for self-isolation, prevention. The task of geneticists also includes the development of convenient rapid tests for immunity to coronavirus. For example, one of the residents of Skolkovo is currently working on the creation of paper tests for covid, which will operate on the principle of pregnancy tests. If everything works out, it will be a serious breakthrough," Kulish said.
MedTech: new devices and diagnostic methods
However, many breakthrough biotechnological solutions in medicine are not only being developed, but are already being applied in practice – they help patients and doctors monitor the course of the disease, notice problems in time and eliminate them. Thus, a non-invasive blood glucose meter developed by Brain Bit has already gone on sale. This was announced by the Candidate of Technical Sciences, CEO of Brain Bit, Edward Kryzhanovsky. The new device allows you to abandon regular punctures of the skin to measure the level of glucose in the blood. Until recently, only this method helped to introduce the right amount of hormonal medication in time and prevent the undesirable consequences of hyperglycemia. There was no other choice than to endure the daily pain, inconvenience, and fear of infection.
Now it has appeared: when measuring glucose levels with a non-invasive Edvais glucose meter, the patient simply puts his finger in the device and learns the result. The action of the glucose meter is based on the optical spectroscopy method, which allows you to obtain diagnostic information about the biochemical composition of blood by reflected light (the device is equipped with a set of photosensors and LEDs). Thanks to the non-invasive blood glucose meter, measurements can be made as often as necessary, without risk to health and unnecessary worries. With the help of new technologies, it is generally possible to reduce the level of anxiety in society, Kryzhanovsky stressed.
"The processes taking place in society often have analogues in nature and, like physical phenomena, can be described analytically using mathematical formulas. When viscous liquids are heated, their structure changes. The same is true in society – when the situation heats up (for example, by pumping negative information), its structure changes, it begins to cluster, form a cellular structure, strengthen boundaries and restrictions. How to stop this process? To reduce the viscosity of the substance, in our case, the anxiety of society. And the best way to do this is to saturate the space with innovations. When there are many convenient medical gadgets that allow you to quickly and comfortably diagnose, disinfect hands or objects (for example, we have created a crownoscope device that allows you to assess the state of health using electromagnetic pulses, and at the same time, it seems, solves the problem of disinfection by destroying viruses), then the stress level decreases, society becomes calmer, balanced, friendly," Edward Kryzhanovsky shared his opinion.
The risk of death from diabetes mellitus, coronavirus infection and many other diseases is seriously increased if there are problems with the cardiovascular system (about 80% of diabetics suffer from hypertension, the probability of death from COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular diseases increases almost 10 times). But there is also good news – new technologies are also actively developing in this field of medicine. Leonid Glushchenko, Director of biotech projects at the investment fund Russian Friends Capital, spoke about the prospects for the introduction of polymer peripheral stents for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
"More than 714 million people in the world suffer from cardiovascular diseases. And if earlier metal stents were often used for the treatment of pathologies, today they are replaced by polymer stents – more effective, safe, strengthening the walls of blood vessels and completely dissolving over time. Moreover, today there are not only coronary, but also peripheral types of polymer stents, they are designed for more tortuous pelvic, femoral arteries and can save many lives," Glushchenko said.
Scientists and entrepreneurs, who are opening up new opportunities and areas of application of 3D printing in medicine, are also taking care of saving life and improving its quality. Yusef Hesuani, Managing Partner of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, spoke about the practical application of three-dimensional bioprinting. In cosmetology, printed skin and hair allow testing of gels, creams, shampoos. In oncology, the creation of three-dimensional structures from pathological cells makes it possible to understand how cancerous tumors behave under certain influences. In pharmacology, bioprinting is needed to study the properties of drugs.
"Bioprinting today is a rapidly developing and very promising industry. The number of manufacturers of bioprinters in different price segments is increasing (from $300 to $ 10 thousand), the cooperation of companies engaged in bi-printing with scientists and doctors is becoming closer, the areas of practical application of bioprinting are expanding. For example, New Balance used the possibilities of bioprinting to create smart clothes – when the temperature and humidity of the environment change, the bacteria that make up the fabric open the “pores” of the clothes. And L'Oréal, thanks to the hair “printed” on a bioprinter, is testing its products. Recently, the food industry has been actively developing, working on obtaining full-fledged cellular products, for example, artificial meat. And, of course, 3D bioprinters are indispensable in pharmacology when it is necessary to test vaccines and medicines," Hesuani said.
Biomedicine is developing rapidly. It responds to new requests, responds to the challenges that life throws daily, tries to find the most effective solutions, gives us hope for the future. It seems that sooner or later biomedical companies will become the most reliable and profitable area of investment for investors. And that's fair enough. When thousands of people around the world are dying from coronavirus, and doctors are selflessly fighting for every life, there is no need to prioritize – health is most expensive.
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