Scientists at EPFL in Lausanne have developed a semi-automated technology that may be a game-changer by making the characterisation of the 2,000 DNA-binding proteins much faster, more accurate, and efficient.
To date, insurance business models have always been based on damage control, but that paradigm is changing. Some insurers are now trying to hedge bets by motivating customers to get healthier and track that progress with the help of technology. Critics are concerned about data protection issues, and see this as a first step towards individualised premiums that will erode the principle of solidarity. What are the potential upsides and downsides for customers and societies?
90% of all preclinical drug candidates fail to make the grade. Now novel methods that employ miniaturised organs could help overcome this healthcare hurdle. Researchers and CROs are testing a range of models – whether grown from stem cells or spit out by 3D bioprinters – to identify toxicities, simulate cancer development and identify responders to expensive therapies. The field of 3D microtissue-based screening is just a decade old, but it clearly is soon going to play a key role when it comes to improving productivity in drug development.
Only a small fraction of carefully selected patients are allowed to enroll in randomised controlled trials involving new compounds – the gold standard of drug assessment. But trying to acquire the most significant efficacy and safety results for a new drug is one goal, treating patients every day in hospitals or practices with it is something else entirely. Discrepancies are inevitable. Now real-world data thats been gathered in large observational studies is attempting to close the gap between experimental, artificial study settings and clinical realities.