As COVID-19 unfolded, the Life Science discipline was thrust into the spotlight. The pandemic has shown the extent of the Life Sciences industry’s ability to innovate and collaborate.
When facing a new disease, Life Sciences adapted quickly. The rate at which pharmaceutical companies successfully developed COVID-19 vaccines was unprecedented. Approaches that may have previously been labelled risky, were implemented to manage changing demand and deliver increased throughput. Embracing digitisation and innovation enabled organisations to adapt and accept constant change.
The pandemic has shown just how well the Life Science industry is able to innovate and develop according to changing demands. As the world looks to the future, how can Life Sciences continue to remain dynamic?
Cloud data
The cloud is becoming a CEO agenda item for Life Sciences. The cloud has the potential to enable more effective and profitable ways of doing business throughout the life science industry. It offers a powerful, secure platform for innovation and collaboration, with immense transactional power and data throughput. The cloud is necessary for creating data enablement, ensuring the right data is in the right place at the right time. It enables companies to innovate faster, work at a greater scale and increase collaboration.
Virtual communication
According to
Accenture, sixty-one per cent of healthcare professionals now communicate more with pharmaceutical sale reps than before the pandemic. 87 per cent now want either purely virtual or a blend of in-person and virtual meetings post-pandemic.
New means of virtual communication have created new opportunities in the industry. Digitisation allows for increased communication with trial participants and new opportunities to educate people about their conditions and care. There was already a growing trend for virtual healthcare interactions, but the pandemic has shifted this is into becoming the new normal.
Collaboration ecosystem
COVID-19 has led to increasing collaboration between companies. The race for a vaccine has seen cooperation evolve at an extraordinary pace. Companies who usually compete are now coming together to share data and cooperate. Organisations have created collaborative agreements in a matter of weeks; partnerships that pre-pandemic would have taken years to create.
The industry is now seeing the value of ecosystem partnership. The success of organisations post-pandemic relies on this continued collaboration.
AI and blockchain technology
COVID-19 has increased the focus on AI in Life Sciences. Yet, Life Sciences have only scratched the surface of AI capabilities. AI has the potential to transform the industry; it can design novel compounds, identify genetic targets, expedite drug development and improve supply chains. The use of AI in Life Sciences is expected to continue to grow and organisations will need to focus ever more on merging human knowledge and AI capabilities.
Blockchain is also becoming increasingly trusted in Life Sciences. Its ability to create tamper-proof records makes it a key resource in increasing patient trust in remote clinical trials. As more of the industry understands the skills needed to use blockchain and increases collaboration, blockchain has the potential to become ubiquitous in Life Sciences.
The pandemic has shown the importance of digital technology in Life Sciences. Digitisation increases efficiency and, collaboration, and also helps create a framework for future scientific discoveries. As we look towards a post-pandemic world, a successful Life Science industry must continue to embrace this mindset of innovation, collaboration and dynamism.
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