According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading causes of mortality worldwide. In this context, it is important to highlight that around 10 million cancer deaths are reported globally each year. Further, it is estimated that, by 2030, around 21.4 million new patients are likely to be diagnosed with cancer annually. In fact, the global cancer burden is likely to increase by 70%, over the next two decades. With an aim to counter the rising number of cancer cases acro

The biopharmaceutical industry has witnessed significant growth over the past few years. Till date, more than 620 biologics have already been approved by the USFDA, while 8,000 are under clinical evaluation. The increased number of approvals and ongoing clinical trials demonstrate the growing popularity of novel treatment options for a variety of ailments and diseases. As a result, several stakeholders have opted to modernize their conventional biomanufacturing technologies in order to cope up w

RNAi therapeutics have garnered significant attention post the 2006 Nobel Prize that was awarded to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi). Subsequently, upon the approval of the first RNAi therapeutic, ONPATTRO®, in 2018, the field has witnessed a further surge in activity. Since then, three more RNAi based therapies, namely (in chronological order of approval year) GIVLAARI® (November 2019), LEQVIO® (October 2020) and OXLUMO™ (November 2020),

Unlike the prophylactic vaccines that are designed and administered as a precautionary measure to prevent the occurrence of a disease, researchers have developed therapeutic vaccines intended to alleviate the suffering of patients already infected with the disease. Therapeutic vaccines are not as efficacious as prophylactic vaccines; however, they demonstrate safety, specificity and a long-lasting response across various clinical conditions. These vaccines help the immune system in recognizing a

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, cancers and diabetes, has increased at a steady pace in recent years. It is worth highlighting that six out of ten individuals in the US are anticipated to be suffering from at least one chronic disease. Specifically, such patients are required to take medication on a daily basis, necessitating frequent hospital visits. As per a recent study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Contro

The human microbiome remained a largely unexplored area until 2007 when the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was initiated. The project was undertaken to understand the concept of core human microbiome and its compatibility with the host physiology. Further, with the significant advancements in the sequencing methods and analytical techniques, and 40% increase in the non-HMP investments, several microbiome-related studies have been conducted. Research insights generated from the HMP and other stud

Animal testing has been the most common method in various experimental studies in biomedical research, given their resemblance to humans in terms of genetics, anatomy, and physiology. Specifically, mice genome has 80% similarity with humans, which makes them excellent models for various research purposes. However, the use of animals in scientific research is associated with several ethical concerns, which led to the establishment of the principle of 3Rs- Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, to

Contemporary medical science has traced thousands of clinical conditions to a genetic cause. Cancer, a life-threatening disease, also has genetic origins, and is considered among the leading causes of death across the globe. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that close to 10 million cancer related deaths annually, across the world. Moreover, experts believe that there are over 7,000 different types of rare diseases (including some rare forms of cancer), most of which orig

Since the initiation of the Human Metabolome Project in 2005, the metabolomics technique has gathered significant attention from the industry stakeholders. It is worth mentioning that about 40,000 small molecules constitute the human metabolome. Further, 30% of the known genetic disorders are associated with small-molecule metabolism. Therefore, metabolome profiling can assist in obtaining a better understanding of the disease. The approach has also demonstrated to be capable of identifying new

Over the last decade, a steady rise has been observed in the annual number of approvals for various types of biologics (including monoclonal antibodies, cell therapies, recombinant proteins, vaccines and gene therapies). In addition, more than 8,000 biological therapeutics are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, being conducted across the globe. Evidently, biologics have emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical industry. Driven by several advantages offered

The discovery and development process of a novel therapeutic candidate is often tedious and fraught with several challenges.The key concern associated with the overall process is the high attrition rate, which is often attributed to the trial-and-error approach followed for the drug discovery process.In fact, only a small proportion of pharmacological leads are translated into viable product candidates for clinical studies.  In addition, experts believe that close to 90% of the product cand

Cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, claimed  close to 10 million lives annually Although there are several treatment options available to control disease progression and keep malignant cells from spreading throughout the body, lasting remission is difficult to achieve. In this context, immunotherapies, a relatively recent addition to the gamut of anticancer interventions, have demonstrated significant promise. For instance, after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a stem cel

In 2020, close to 340 million tons of meat was estimated to be produced worldwide. Compared to the early 1960s (~70 million tons), this represents almost a 500% increase. Considering that the global population grew by 150% in the same time period, it is evident that meat consumption has increased at a rate that cannot be sustainable. Moreover, raising animals for slaughter is estimated to be responsible for close to 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, almost a third of the eart

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are reported to be one of the leading causes of deaths across the globe, surpassing conditions, such as cancer and respiratory disorders.  According to the WHO, around one third of the annual global deaths (an estimated 18 million) can be attributed to cardiac disorders.  Specifically, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disorder; around 11 million deaths were linked to this indication in 2020.  It is worth mentioni

Although speculations related to using tailored DNA / RNA sequences to cure genetic disorders were made as early as the 1960s, the first reported use of a gene therapy was in 1990, to treat adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency related severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Briefly, a replication defective retrovirus was used to transfect autologous T-cells with a functional copy of the ADA gene, which restored normal immune function. The success of the aforementioned regimen spurred several si

Over the past few years, there have been several advancements in the field of digital health market; this has led to an increase in the adoption of digital healthcare solutions. Specifically, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic prompted people all over the world to rely on digital medium to receive healthcare remotely. Females constitute 49.6% of the world’s total population and, in one of its reports, the US department of labor reported that females use digital health care solutions more th

Post the approval of the first aptamer-based therapy, Macugen®, by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in December 2004, there has been a significant increase in the R&D initiatives focused on evaluating the potential of aptamers as theranostic agents. In the following year, the outstanding annual sales (USD 200 million) of the aforementioned product further bolstered the confidence of industry stakeholders in this new therapeutic modality, creating lucrative opportunity for ther

Over the past few years, the improved understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis has resulted in the development of several targeted therapies. These therapies are tailored to target specific disease-related molecular signatures and require appropriate companion diagnostics (CDx) in order to make physicians aware of patients’ unique genetic profiles, enabling them to make informed treatment related decisions. These tests are most often developed parallel to an i

Over time, biologics have gained significant popularity owing to their therapeutic efficacy, favorable safety profiles and ability to treat a wide variety of disease indications, which are otherwise hard to treat. The success of these interventions has prompted the stakeholders to upgrade the traditional biologics manufacturing technology. The demand for increasing productivity and flexibility, greater profitability and faster time to market are further driving the replacement of traditional sta

On an average, around 50 drugs are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) annually. Further, studies indicate that more than 100,000 tons of pharmaceutical products are consumed globally per year. In addition, over the next five years, the global pharmaceutical market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7%, with global drug sales anticipated to raise revenues worth USD 1.5 trillion in 2023. This continuously growing pipeline of pharmaceutical drug products has inadvertently led