Technology Advancements to Conquer the Precision Medicine Market

Targeted and personalized therapeutics are likely to alter the existing precision medicine landscape. After the landmark US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Novartis' CAR T-cell therapy, Kymriah, Frost & Sullivan finds that extensive work in CAR-T cells will fuel the development of transformative treatments. The FDA approval of Kymriah and other T-cell engaging antibody platforms will spur continued investment in, and development of, unique CAR T-cell therapy platforms across research and clinical settings.

Frost & Sullivan's analysis, Technologies Driving Precision Medicine, reveals that, in terms of technological challenges, CAR-T therapies will be expensive initially due to high production costs. However, the pricing may decrease with future technological advancements. In addition to price concerns, there is a challenge of managing of cytokine release syndrome, an adverse event related to T-cell therapies.

"Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a life-threatening adverse event induced by CAR T-cell therapy, and it is one of the key setbacks impairing CAR T efficacy. However, with the recent US FDA approval of Roche's Actemra/RoActemra (tocilizumab) for CRS, there's new hope for the management of CAR T therapy induced CRS," said Vandana Iyer, TechVision Senior Research Analyst.

CAR-T therapies have proven effective against hematological cancers, with close to a 90% clinical response rate, including infants. Advances in enabling technological platforms will also continue to increase the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapies. For example, gene editing is allowing researchers to modify the CAR genes by knocking out proteins or other functions in the T-cells, which will help make the T-cells more resistant to immunosuppression. To drive further growth in the market, Frost & Sullivan determines that collaborations with biotech innovators and insurance providers will help accelerate product development and adoption.

"To address cost issues, companies should also develop strategic techniques that use cost-effective and scalable manufacturing platforms, which can help enhance savings on production costs, while also ensuring larger production volumes," said Iyer.

Technologies Driving Precision Medicine is part of Frost & Sullivan's global TechVision (Health & Wellness) Growth Partnership Service program.

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