Discussions

As patents for expensive biologic drugs (medicines made from living organisms) expire, a new class of medicine called Biosimilars is entering the market. A biosimilar is a biological product that is highly similar to an already approved brand-name biologic, with no clinically meaningful differences in safety or potency. Think of them like generic versions of biologics, though they are much more complex to manufacture because they are grown in living cells rather than mixed from chemicals. Biosimilars are crucial because they increase competition, which lowers treatment costs and makes life-saving therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases accessible to more patients.

The future of oncology is no longer about treating "lung cancer" or "breast cancer"—it is about treating the specific genetic mutation driving a person’s tumor. Next Generation Sequencing is the engine behind this shift. By sequencing a patient's tumor DNA, doctors can identify the exact "drivers" of the cancer. This allows them to prescribe "targeted therapies"—drugs designed to attack only the cells with that specific mutation while sparing healthy ones. NGS has turned cancer treatment into a data-driven science, improving survival rates by matching the right drug to the right patient at the right time.

As patents for expensive "biologic" drugs (medicines made from living organisms) expire, a new class of medicine called Biosimilars is entering the market. A biosimilar is a biological product that is "highly similar" to an already approved brand-name biologic, with no clinically meaningful differences in safety or potency. Think of them like "generic versions" of biologics, though they are much more complex to manufacture because they are grown in living cells rather than mixed from chemicals. Biosimilars are crucial because they increase competition, which lowers treatment costs and makes life-saving therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases accessible to more patients.

For decades, scientists relied on "2D" cell cultures—cells grown flat on a plastic dish. However, the human body isn't flat. 3D Cell Culture has emerged as a game-changer by allowing cells to grow in three-dimensional environments, such as spheroids or organoids (mini-organs). These models better mimic the natural architecture, cell-to-cell signaling, and nutrient gradients found in living tissue. Because they react more like real human organs, 3D cultures are becoming essential in testing how new drugs penetrate tumors or affect liver function.

In the world of diagnostics, speed and precision are life-saving. Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) has become the gold standard for detecting pathogens like COVID-19, HIV, and Tuberculosis. Unlike traditional cultures that can take days, NAAT works by targeting and "amplifying" tiny amounts of viral or bacterial DNA/RNA, making them detectable even at very low levels. The most famous example of this is the PCR test.

Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) analyzers are crucial diagnostic tools used in laboratories to detect hormones, infectious agents, tumor markers, and therapeutic drugs with high sensitivity and specificity. They work by generating light through a chemical reaction during antigen–antibody binding, allowing precise measurement of biomarkers at very low concentrations.