Renewed focus on antimicrobial resistance expected in 2022

A renewed focus on fighting antimicrobial resistance by the life sciences industry is expected to happen in 2022, according to industry experts.

Not-for-profit group the Pistoia Alliance has outlined three key focuses which it expects to be prominent throughout 2022. The predictions come from three experts recently appointed by the Alliance to drive collaboration efforts across its three key themes. 

Their predictions span the fight against antimicrobial resistance, the potential of quantum computing and commercial space travel, and autonomous laboratories.

Underpinning these predictions is how digital transformation enabled the pharmaceutical industry to embrace collaboration this year, something which may be key for success going forward.

Linda Kasim, Empowering the Patient theme lead, Pistoia Alliance said: “In 2022, there will be renewed focus on the fight against super bugs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This will be primarily driven by public-private partnerships, funding from philanthropic organisations, governments and international bodies to incentivise research. The public sector must quickly increase investment into AMR research, or the cost to national economies and public health could be devastating.”

“We will also see more advances from cross-discipline collaborations. Genomic profiling, advanced diagnostics, and personalised medicine will come together to tackle immune system disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Digital health platforms will also be more integrated and will offer harmonised data generation. For these breakthroughs to happen, regulatory authorities must catch-up with the pace of research and innovation in health systems in 2022 by updating legal frameworks.”

Imran Haq, Emerging Science and Technology theme lead, Pistoia Alliance added: “Deal making in the quantum space will continue to grow at pace in 2022. Driven by macro geopolitical trends and Big Tech, as they focus on how emerging technologies are being developed rapidly. The buzz around the sector will match this, and it will be the year we finally start to see a translation of this buzz into early versions of applications and use cases in the pharma industry. A likely quantum use case could be to improve supply chain efficiency. Big promises have been made during COP26, and large organizations, including pharma companies, must have net zero strategies. Quantum algorithms could be applied to material sciences to reduce and replace wasteful processes. This is also an area we would like to explore with the Pistoia Alliance’s Quantum Computing Community of Interest.”

“Pharma is also going to play an increasingly critical role in space exploration. As plans to launch a commercial space station from companies like Blue Origin accelerate, pharma will be engaged to ensure humans are healthy and have access to healthcare in extreme environments. 2022 is the time to think how we could be molding and driving forward this space safely and positively.”

Anca Ciobanu, Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of R&D theme lead, Pistoia Alliance said: “Efficiency in R&D is on an exponential growth path as more pharma and biotech organizations partner with AI and robotics companies, enabling a more automated drug discovery process. In 2022, the major tech players will increase their focus on the life sciences and will play an important role in developing new products and initiatives. The application of new technologies will not only empower scientists to conduct experiments more efficiently, but it will also help them make more breakthrough discoveries. As companies continue to invest resources in launching or improving their autonomous labs, researchers will need upskilling in data science, to be able to program and interact with the machines.”