We are certainly seeing some volatility in the life sciences market right now, but several sectors are red-hot. Artificial Intelligence (AI), for one, is huge – both in healthcare and the life sciences. It is impacting how clinical trials are designed and which patients are chosen to participate in clinical trials. It is impacting the drug discovery process, how drugs are developed, the speed at which they are developed, and the costs involved.
Another area where we are seeing tremendous growth is digital health. The development of newer and better wearables capitalizing on non-invasive solutions is treating and healing a variety of health-related problems, whether it is cardiovascular issues, acute migraines, ADHD, or at-risk pregnancies, to name a few. There are numerous types of wearables in the pipeline that will continue to provide solutions for these kinds of issues or prevent them in the first place.
We are also seeing tremendous improvements in healthcare access. A lot of companies and investors are focusing on new ways to improve access for patients who face geographic or financial hurdles. These are people located in far-off remote areas and where it is a challenge for them to travel to a major healthcare hub that can offer them a high standard of care. Other people have limited access to the healthcare system because they have no insurance or a very minimum level of insurance with high co-pays that make it too expensive for them to purchase the level of care they need. Telehealth is one of the technologies that is helping address these problems by connecting people and their doctors quickly and relatively inexpensively, and without having to travel.
The exciting advancements we are seeing in AI, digital health, and healthcare access are reflective of an ever-evolving life sciences industry that continues to push the boundaries with game-changing discoveries and innovations in response to the many healthcare challenges that we face.