Life Sciences Advances Spark Record Fundraising

We asked our life science team Jessica Chao, Ph.D., and Garrett Dempsey on the trends they're seeing for 2022.

Over the last two years, mRNA technology has dominated the headlines (and for good reason). But mRNA hasn’t been the only technology making major advancements.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming intertwined with biological breakthroughs. Take, for example, AlphaFold, an AI tool developed by Google’s sister company, DeepMind, which this past summer predicted the structure of nearly the entire human proteome. Proteins are needed to carry out every biological function required for survival, and the structure of a protein determines its function. Therefore, understanding protein structure can lead to new biological insights, with applications in drug discovery, synthetic biology, food science and bioengineering, just to name a few. As AI is increasingly utilized to help scientists and clinicians interpret vast amounts of data, we will see new technologies and therapeutics that will enable us to live longer, healthier lives.

In addition to AI, the overlapping areas of cell and gene therapy are advancing at a rapid pace. Gene therapy such as mRNA technology or CRISPR aims to treat diseases by replacing, inactivating or introducing genes. The gene-editing tool kit, for example, is continuing to expand, which will enable the development of therapeutics for previously incurable genetic disorders.

The original CRISPR-Cas9 system, while revolutionary, was not without its flaws and has since been replaced by gene editors that are more efficient, reliable and safe. Unlike Cas9, which could cut chunks of genetic material, scientists can now use CRISPR-based gene editing to either “turn on” or “turn off” specific genes and replace single nucleotides without creating double-strand breaks. Others have completely moved away from CRISPR and discovered a novel bacterial system that can edit millions of DNA sequences without breaking a single DNA strand.

The gene-editing tool kit is continuing to expand, which will enable the development of therapeutics for previously incurable genetic disorders

Gene-editing tools are actively being used in drug development for diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders. Even though gene therapy is getting most of the spotlight now, cell therapy can treat disease by using cells to deliver a therapeutic payload through the body or by altering certain types of cells in the body. Many of the challenges that have faced cell and gene therapy (toxicity, adverse immune reaction, targeted delivery and manufacturability) are actively being pursued. If successful, they will bring about a number of new therapies in the coming years.

Last year's $28.3 billion health care venture capital fundraising was the largest to date, easily surpassing the $16.8 billion raised in 2020. On the public market, some of 2021’s biggest biotech IPOs were in the field of cell and gene therapy, and it’s unlikely that this will slow down anytime soon. The influx of capital from both the private and public market will continue to drive the development of breakthrough technologies in health care and biotechnology.