1. Artificial Intelligence
AI enables biotechnology startups to automate a wide range of processes, helping them scale up their operations. For instance, biopharma startups leverage AI to speed up the drug discovery process, screening biomarkers as well as scraping through the scientific literature to discover novel products. Image classification algorithms allow rapid detection of different traits, such as cancer cells from medical scans or crop disease symptoms from leaf images. Further, startups are leveraging deep learning to analyze microbiomes, screen phenotypes, and develop rapid diagnostics.
2. Big Data
There is an unprecedented amount of data available in BioTechnology today, from the ever-growing omics technologies and integration of sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Big data and analytics solutions allow Biotechnology startups to tap into this wealth of data to drive innovation. It allows biopharma companies to recruit patients for clinical trials more effectively. Startups and companies deploy bioinformatics solutions to develop better feed, improve crop and livestock varieties, and explore undiscovered microbes.
3. Gene Editing
Genetic engineering has come a long way from random insertions of foreign DNA to making precise edits in genomes. The increased efficiency of gene editing is due to the development of engineered nucleases, and lately CRISPR, as molecular scissors. This opens up applications in gene therapy for the treatment of genetic disorders as well as other conditions, with gene editing techniques adding, replacing, or silencing particular genes. The targeted gene modification also enables the development of better transgenic plants and animals.
4. Precision Medicine
The falling costs of gene editing and gene sequencing make them more routinely applied in clinical practice. It enables precision medicine, an approach that allows physicians to determine which treatment and prevention strategies will work for a particular group. Moreover, it enables personalized treatment for the treatment of several diseases, including cancers. Biotechnology startups are leveraging precision medicine to identify new drug targets, discover novel drugs, offer gene therapies, and develop new drug delivery technologies.
5. Gene Sequencing
The costs of DNA sequencing have fallen by 5 orders of magnitude since the early 2000s, opening up a wide range of applications in the industry. The reduced cost of sequencing whole genomes allows the identification of pediatric disorders, personalized treatments, and setting up large cohorts with extensive phenotyping. Sequencing also presents a rapid and inexpensive method to detect the presence of microbes, ranging from the detection of pathogens in clinical and dairy samples to beneficial soil microbes. Biotechnology startups are innovating with new sequencing technologies, as well as novel applications for gene sequencing.
6. Biomanufacturing
Biomanufacturing utilizes biological systems for the production of medical products and therapies, biomaterials, food & beverages, and specialty chemicals. Startups are advancing different cell culture, fermentation, and recombinant production technologies to make biomanufacturing inexpensive and scalable. The use of biological raw materials also makes it comparatively more sustainable as compared to other manufacturing paradigms. The industry’s production models are also adopting machine learning and automation. By integrating Industry 4.0 models, Biotechnology startups offer bioprocessing 4.0 to optimize each step of the production process.
7. Synthetic Biology
An unprecedented ability to read and write genomes allows biotechnology startups and companies to develop products faster than ever before. Moreover, synthetic biology offers increased standardization and reproducibility, allowing manipulating organisms at the level of gene networks. Synthetic biology startups work on challenges ranging from computational drug design and cellular agriculture to microbiome-based solutions. Bacterial cell factories provide a high yield of valuable biochemicals for applications in pharma, materials, and food. Moving beyond microbes, startups are developing mammalian synthetic biology solutions as well.
8. Bioprinting
With the introduction of additive manufacturing in BioTechnology, bioprinting startups offer a wide range of materials and products. These startups utilize bioprinters that work with bio-inks developed from bio-based materials or biomaterials. For medical applications, cells act as substrates and grow around a scaffold. This enables the development of bone, skin, or vascular grafts from the patient’s own cells for personalized medicine. Other startups leverage bioprinting for rapid prototyping and the development of biopolymers.
9. Microfluidics
The interest in microfluidics in the BioTech industry stems from the need for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. These miniaturized labs allow inexpensive and rapid testing of infectious diseases, facilitating point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics. Startups are also developing paper-based microfluidics for diagnostics and environmental monitoring. The technology finds more biopharma applications in organ-on-a-chip (OOC) devices that simulate the physiology of organs or organ types on small chips. OOC systems find applications in drug screening and disease modeling.
10. Tissue Engineering
Tissue engineering startups have grown sharply in number in recent years, thanks in large part to developments in bioprinting and microfluidics. It enables the creation of autologous tissue grafts to treat burns or for organ transplantation, as well as regenerative medicine. Traditionally limited to biomedical applications, startups are engineering tissues to create sustainable alternatives to animal products such as meat or leather. However, this needs to reach an enormous scale for the food products to be cost-comparative to animal-based products.
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