What is the 2019 outlook for research & development in the biotech industry? Pharmaceutical Processing magazine explores this question in an article, Outlook 2019: Tech, Data, and Biotech Boom.
On the question of market trends, Bob shared:
There are several key strategies behind the drive toward digital transformation. First, many organizations are making the change from batch to continuous production, particularly in the newest therapies. We expect to see this transition continue, with many plants being built or converted to continuous use facilities over the next three to five years.
He explained how automation technology is an enabler for speeding up technology transfer through the development process resulting in faster time to market.
Another trend is the growth of personalized medicine:
As new gene therapies and CAR-T cell therapies gain traction, manufacturing must “scale out” to reflect a more people-based process rather than “scaling up” as organizations have done in the past. Going from bench scale to commercial scale with personalized therapies is creating a whole new world of possibilities and challenges.
When asked about hot new technologies for 2019, Bob noted:
…that manufacturers are beginning to embrace is the use of simulation of equipment and unit operations using digital twin technology. Organizations now can create digital replicas of their operating environment. Using these digital twins, teams can leverage data from process design to improve operator training, while also helping to deliver operation improvements across the lifecycle of the plant. As use increases, these technologies also will take advantage of capabilities in both augmented and virtual reality.
On developments in gathering and analyzing data, he explained that manufacturers:
…must be able to collect data and put it in context for use in production decision support, real-time product release, and better handling of variability. This need for data capture and contextualization means manufacturers are seeing exceptional benefit in the availability of automated documentation and reporting.
Read the article for views from other suppliers including the use of blockchain, artificial intelligence, printable electronics and other exciting innovations that may lead to improved business performance.
The Life Sciences and Medical section of Emerson.com has more on solutions to help address these trends. You can also connect and interact with other experts in the Life Sciences industry in the Life Sciences group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
