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. 

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” that’s been gathered in large observational studies is attempting to close the gap between experimental, artificial study settings and clinical realities.

For over three decades, attempts among drug developers to target the inflammatory pathways and symptoms of sepsis have been fruitless. New rapid diagnostics, rigourous patient stratification and drugs with novel modes of action are now on the horizon for treating the most costly cause of death in the industrialised world. Biotechs are pushing new ideas towards clinical testing, but there just isn’t enough funding available in the EU. Will US investors again pick up European innovation on the cheap?