Healthcare, the gift that keeps on giving.
Medicine has been the beneficiary of two radical developments over the past sixty years: the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1952 and the rise of information technologies in the 1960s. One would bet that the discovery of life’s code, combined with the power of computing, would have radically increased the quality and length of human life-spans.
In 1928, Dr. Alexander Fleming made a remarkable discovery when he returned from a holiday to find a Petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria covered in mould. He soon identified that the mould produced a self-defense chemical that could kill bacteria. This moment marked the inception of the penicillin era. By 1944, Pfizer opened the first commercial plant for large-scale production of penicillin by submerged culture in Brooklyn, New York. Less than twenty-five years after Watson and Crick published the structure of DNA, venture capitalist Robert Swanson and biochemist Herbert Boyer founded Genentech, which went on to synthesize insulin far faster and more cheaply than almost anyone believed possible, using genetically modified E coli bacteria.
Biotechnology has already created one revolution. It can certainly create another.
In 2020, the scientific community witnessed a groundbreaking milestone when Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pivotal work on CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This revolutionary gene-editing tool, often dubbed the “genetic scissors,” allows scientists to precisely edit DNA, opening up new frontiers in medicine and biotechnology. The CRISPR breakthrough represents indeed another remarkable chapter in the ongoing saga of scientific progress, promising to further transform medicine and the way we approach genetic diseases.
Today, there are presently three major and related obstacles facing biotechnology : Scarce (And/Or) Sparse Data, Absence of a strong concise vision and leadership, and a medieval approach to hospital management.
Cash Rules Everything Around Me.
Deciding on the right R&D strategy for Scientific advancement.
Experimentation comes with a heavy cost, and cash is in short supply when it comes to scientific research, given its generally low ROI .
The cost of a single experiment in biology and genetics, averaging thousands of dollars, and in some cases the cost reaches ten of millions of dollars, imposes a substantial economic burden on developing countries such as Morocco, where capital allocation is a serious matter of discussion.
Advances in cloud and other computing technologies radically reduce the costs of scientific simulations and data processing, creating opportunities for even larger returns.
Moore’s Law states that ; the number of transistors on a microchip doubles about every two years, whereas proportionally , the cost of computing is halved. This formula is a force of nature and presents a strong case for investing in software-enabled scientific research. Adopting a computational approach and concentrating on simulation-based data-driven scientific study could inspire an R&D strategy aligned with Moroccan technological and scientific policy.
Harnessing the Code of Life.
Computational methods are Cost-effective.
Investing in simulation-based and computational approaches in genomics and biology offers significant advantages. These methods eliminate the need for costly laboratory infrastructure, allowing rapid experimentation and hypothesis testing without extensive material setups. They also facilitate the creation of robust predictive models to simulate biological systems under diverse conditions. While a combination of computational and experimental methods is often ideal, prioritizing computational approaches can effectively accelerate scientific progress, especially in countries with limited research budgets. And in a world where Data is Hailed as the new oil of the nations, the case of bioinformatics and computational methods of life sciences stands strong. Bringing this vision to life depends primarily on addressing the challenge of accessing Big Data and ensuring the excellence of human expertise required for the complex Processing of Data. The central area of focus and action should be on nurturing fundamental science, primarily Mathematics and Computer Sciences, as they form the core of this expertise and specialized Know-How. This, in turn, paves the way for making interdisciplinary collaboration a limitless catalyst for scientific advancement across various knowledge domains.
Attention is all you need.
In the wake of the last wave of monumental advancements in AI, epitomized by the awe-inspiring prowess of large language models like GPT, the world has witnessed an intellectual renaissance. This remarkable innovation has not only unlocked unprecedented understanding and creativity in machines but has also woven a transformative tapestry of Human-Computer symbiosis, reshaping industries, transcending language barriers, and unveiling the boundless potential of artificial intelligence to illuminate our collective future.
Artificial Intelligence promises to change the practice of medicine in hitherto unknown ways, but many of its practical applications are still in their infancy and need to be explored and developed better. Medical professionals also need to understand and acclimatize themselves with these advances for better healthcare delivery to the masses.
For a more in-depth exploration of these topics and additional insights on our program, download and read the entire HealthTech Program White Paper, published by the NIA Association. This comprehensive document delves deeper into the transformative power of technology in healthcare and offers a detailed analysis of the industry’s future trends and challenges.