Medical imagery solutions help produce reports in real time. These and other innovations have revolutionised the life sciences sector. Med-tech entities, pharmaceutical companies and research institutions have gone to the next level with the help of modern technology. Life sciences organisations are expected to widely adopt new-age technology in the coming years, effecting changes in life sciences solutions and supply chain, marketing and portfolio management.

AI

AI, along with ML, can be used to develop prediction tools. Besides prediction, AL/ML are also used to automate processes in the life sciences sector. Biotech, pharmaceutical and research firms rely on AI/ML for different purposes. Pharmaceutical firms depend on AI and ML to streamline the drug development process, enabling them to decide on a suitable drug structure with AI-led analytics. Organisations now do not have to create new drugs to know their properties. AI/ML solutions can predict the characteristics of a new medication without even synthesising it.

AI/ML has also helped life sciences organisations reduce the turnaround time for new drugs and treatments. If, for example, a patient requires a kidney transplant, doctors will check for aggressive diseases in the kidney before performing the transplant. This involves identifying biomarkers in the kidney. AI/ML solutions can identify biomarkers in real time, ensuring the patient does not have to wait long for the kidney transplant due to a delay in diagnostics. AI also helps with phenotype screening, image classification, microbiome analysis and drug discovery.

Hybrid/decentralised clinics

Decentralised clinics for trials and research are now a reality. Patient-centric trials were challenging amid the pandemic, as they could not be conducted on-site. In 2021, only 40% of clinical trials were conducted on-site, and decentralised and hybrid clinics became the main choice. A number of life sciences organisations invested in virtual clinical trials with the help of new-age technologies. Bio-pharma companies and research institutions now use life sciences solutions and patient-monitoring tools, and with the help of automation and IoT devices, remote clinical trials are expected to increase.

The number of new tools and technologies available have paved the way for virtual or hybrid trials. Life sciences organisations use remote patient-monitoring tools, the internet of medical things (IOMT) and smart sensors to monitor patient recovery and courses of treatment remotely. Patients, too, became accustomed to remote healthcare solutions amid the pandemic.

Wearables

Wearables are devices developed by life sciences organisations for remote patient monitoring. They check the heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure and sugar level and enable doctors or healthcare organisations to view the results. Wearables are generally connected to a mobile application. All results are stored on the mobile application and can be viewed by the patient and doctor. Wearable technology currently has limited applications, but its capabilities are expected to increase. AI-led fitness bands are already available in the market, and life sciences organisations have started collecting data on wearables to develop better treatment and drugs.

Increasing partnership with research firms

Biopharma, biotech and research institutions have formed new partnerships. Besides partnering with other life sciences firms, they are connecting with research firms  that could unlock new possibilities in the fields of data analytics, remote patient monitoring and AI. A reputed advanced research firm could help with portfolio management, pipeline analysis, therapeutic area assessment and holistic wellness.