More than 700 public organizations in the U.S. and Europe invest in biotechnology research and development efforts, according to Ernst and Young. These firms leverage advanced laboratory techniques to engineer cutting-edge pharmaceuticals and therapies designed to treat everything from the common cold to cancer. Together, they developed over two dozen new, Food and Drug Administration-approved biological license applications and molecular entities last year and are poised to make similar progress in 2017. Meanwhile, as these groups explore new biotechnical frontiers, change unfolds in their labs.
IoT enters the lab
Many research facilities in the biotech space are quickly adopting technology associated with the internet of things in an effort to bolster productivity and ultimately get cures out the door and into the approval process with more speed, the journal Nature reported. The smartLAB project, a collaboration between more than a dozen German enterprises, is perhaps the most visible marker of this industry-wide push to adopt IoT research technology. This program centers on a lab information system that connects to intelligent lab benches equipped with augmented reality fixtures. This advanced research system is still a work in progress but holds transformational potential.
“More than 700 public organizations in the U.S. and Europe invest in biotechnology research and development efforts.”
More toned-down solutions are seeing use in labs around the globe, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For instance, many biotech engineers take advantage of electronic lab notebooks, or mobile, cloud-based applications that streamline data collection and sharing practices. Biotech supplier Thermo Fisher Scientific offers various connected lab devices, including a pipette that allows technicians to collect and send molecular data to the cloud instantaneously.
Preparing for a connected future
With these IoT-based developments in play, biotechnology firms must reconsider their operational methods and work to future-proof their labs so as to keep pace with forward-thinking competitors. This may require making staffing adjustments at the topmost portions of the organizational totem pole. Biotech businesses looking to embrace cutting-edge lab techniques and technology must recruit leaders who have their eyes trained on the horizon.
YES Partners can assist enterprises in the industry hoping to find such individuals. Our seasoned executive search consultants have the sector-specific connections necessary to pinpoint visionary biotech leaders.
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