January 18, 2023
A Look at the Year Ahead for Life Sciences
Life Science Leaders Share Their Industry Outlooks for 2023
The life science industry is constantly evolving and innovating. Although there’s no crystal ball to accurately predict what lies ahead or will be the next big thing, there are always emerging trends that can provide clues to the future. We asked several leaders at our member companies, who specialize in fields ranging from CRISPR technology to genomics, neuroscience and startup incubator spaces, on what trends they see on the horizon for 2023 and what they are most excited about in their respective sector as the new year begins. Here are their responses.
Neuroscience
The lack of treatment options for patients with neurodegenerative diseases remains a significant unmet medical need, especially options that slow down or cure the underlying disease pathogenesis. The development of cell therapy replacement approaches, in particular, those using autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has opened up an exciting field, with potential for many different types of diseases. Aspen Neuroscience is a leader in autologous (cells from the same patients) iPSC discovery, leveraging advanced cell biology, manufacturing, and genomic/bioinformatics quality control technologies to characterize and develop the highest quality cell therapies. In the coming year, we are encouraged by several autologous iPSC-based cell therapies entering clinical development, including our lead program addressing Parkinson’s disease. We hope to replicate the remarkable success with CAR-T therapies for patients with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
-Damien McDevitt, President and CEO, Aspen Neuroscience
CRISPR Technology
The allogeneic cell therapy and CRISPR genome-editing arenas recently achieved significant milestones that set the stage for progress in 2023. This past year saw approval of the first allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy in Europe, and promising clinical data from companies are showing that safety and durability of off-the-shelf cell therapies have the potential to rival approved autologous products. In addition, the pool of CRISPR-based genome-editing technologies has expanded and can be applied to many diseases, including the complexities of blood cancers and solid tumors, which require multiple genome edits to enable more effective armoring strategies.
-Ruhi Khan, Chief Business Officer, Caribou Biosciences
Genomics Testing
For the first time in more than 10 years, NGS users have a real alternative to the dominant sequencing platform. They won’t have to spend more to get a lower cost per unit of data. NGS users with lower sample volumes now have an opportunity to buy a sequencer that matches the pricing afforded to high volume users. In 2023 and beyond, we expect to see the playing field even out, allowing for less sequencing centralization and more democratization and control of samples and the resulting data. In 2023, we are moving forward rapidly with innovations in sequencing that will reduce run times and enable even more applications.
-Logan Zinser, SVP of Finance, Element Biosciences
Digital Health Monitoring
We see an acceleration of health monitoring technologies to better inform and guide individuals about their health state. The combination of sensor developments and the trend towards telemedicine will serve to improve patient care and reduce pressures on the primary care health systems. These changes will serve all interested parties in the healthcare ecosystem, including consumers, system providers and payers. We at ViBo Health see empowering healthcare consumers as the path to better population health, more equitable access to healthcare and lower costs thanks to intercepting the pre-patients.
-Gil Travish, Founder & CEO, ViBo Health
Bioprinting
The progress towards more use of human 3D cell culture in drug discovery and development research is tremendously exciting. Congress has removed statutory requirements for animal testing for an IND, allowing bioprinting and 3D cell models. Vertex has received expanded FDA approvals for cystic fibrosis treatments based solely on in vitro testing in a well-established model. Models in 3D with human cells can accurately replicate disease; drugs that work on them should translate to clinical success more frequently. We have now produced the first drug built primarily on a 3D disease model and are poised to move into the clinic!
-Keith Murphy, Executive Chairman, Organovo; CEO, Viscient Biosciences
Life Science Incubators
We are always excited to watch young scientists, academic leaders, and industry veterans follow their heart and make the brave leap into new ventures that tackle big problems in medicine, food, energy, and more. Life science innovation continues to flourish even in this challenging market environment. Companies are still securing financing, research programs are still advancing, and companies are still hiring. Smaller startups are in a strong position for this moment: they’re already experts at operating leanly. Furthermore, we’re seeing them shift more effort to grants and partnerships, and seek out co-working spaces (like BioLabs) to maximize their runway.
-Dina Uzri, Director of Business Operations and Strategy, San Diego, BioLabs
