2023-12-22 09:48:00
Posted on December 22 at 11:48
Probably if we had not suffered a pandemic like the one in 2020, this year’s 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine would not have been given to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their studies on messenger RNA -messenger ribonucleic acid, better known as messenger RNA or mRNA- (perhaps, in later years it would have been granted, but not as recently as it has occurred).
The very important and impactful events of the pandemic and the development of the different vaccines have meant that great advances have been seen in this field of biochemistry, and particularly in everything related to the genetics of mRNA.
[reseñas de artículos académicos de los premios nobel 2023 reseñados https://www.uam.es/uam/vida-universitaria/bibliotecas/biblioteca-medicina/noticias/premio-nobel-covid-23]
Now, we must not forget the research trends in which the world finds itself and which will bring us surprising discoveries.
There are studies in biotechnology for the coming years that refer to the “Next Generation Genome Editing”. Genome editing technology, led by CRISPR-Cas9 over the last decade, will continue to evolve and new techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas12 and CRISPR-Cas13, will enable even greater precision in genetic modification, leading to improvements in disease diagnoses. genetics.
These tools are expected to not only boost medical research, but also raise ethical questions about gene editing in humans and the creation of modified organisms.
Likewise, the “personalized gene therapy” It will be of great help to defeat some diseases or prepare patients with more specific treatments. Which brings us to the so-called “Precision Medicine”.
This medicine is transforming healthcare towards more personalized approaches. Precision medicine will use genomic data, biomarkers and molecular analyzes to adapt treatments to the individual characteristics of each patient. This will improve the effectiveness of treatments and reduce side effects, but also raises questions about the privacy of genetic data and the equity and universality of access to these advances.
Another trend to consider is the AI used in Biotechnology:
Protocols are being studied so that there is a convergence of biotechnology and artificial intelligence that allows faster advances in the identification of drugs, protein design and analysis of biological data from living beings.
We have already talked in previous articles about how AI will become a crucial tool for various aspects of life (from industry to logistics), and will also serve to analyze the complexity of biological information and accelerate discovery processes. in biomedical research.
However, as is almost always the case, not everything that is investigated or the results obtained are good or have implicitly good things. Advances in medicine and biotechnology and other scientific branches that improve the quality of life of human beings are excellent and we must invest in them. But as biotechnology advances, very relevant ethical challenges arise and should allow us to reflect on them:
Genetic modification in humans, privacy of genetic data and equity and universality in access to medical advances.
Faced with these challenges, the scientific community, regulators and society in general must establish operating standards, they must collaborate to establish the ethical and solid frameworks and limits that guide the development and application of such discoveries.
However, the global community will also face the responsibility of addressing the associated ethical challenges highlighted with these advances to ensure that biotechnology benefits humanity in an ethical and sustainable manner.
In summary, biotechnology in 2024 promises exciting advances that can transform medicine, biology, chemistry and more branches of science, and will mean that as we continue to explore its applications, we may be facing a medical revolution that will change the world. way we approach health and illness.
(Every year NATURE magazine publishes its trends in science and research https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02699-5)
About the Author
Álvaro Valverde Álvaro Valderde is an Economist. Professor of Business Management.
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