What does the future of diagnostics hold? We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do have survey results. Read on to see members of the diagnostics industry predict the future and reflect on the past.
Suppose you ask someone on the street what good things came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. They might mention getting a comfy, work-from-home wardrobe, developing a fun hobby (sourdough, anyone?), or adopting a furry family member. But suppose you ask someone from the diagnostics industry the same question. In that case, they may talk about hand washing, telemedicine, and collaboration.
We’re not making that up. We actually did ask 175 members of the diagnostics industry about the effects of the pandemic as well as the future of diagnostics in general. People from around the world answered the survey: 41% came from the European Union, 40% from the United States and Canada, and 19% from Asia. The sample included a mix of senior and junior employees across various roles, company sizes, and diagnostic application areas. A little more than half of the respondents said they spent most of their time working with molecular diagnostics and the rest worked primarily with immunodiagnostics.
The pandemic wasn’t all bad
As a part of the survey, respondents were asked to comment on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, but even when the respondents weren’t answering questions that specifically mentioned the pandemic, their answers often tied back to the lessons learned. For example, people named access to telemedicine and remote healthcare as a positive outcome of the pandemic. When asked later to predict what the biggest impact will be on the diagnostics market in the next 3–5 years, many people named increasing demand for point of care (POC) testing, rapid testing, and home testing (Fig 1). Indeed, I think everyone can agree that sticking a swab up your own nose and getting results in minutes beats having someone else stick a swab up your nose and waiting two days for results.
Fig 1. In no particular order, the main themes that arose when the respondents were asked what would have the biggest impact on the diagnostics market in the next 3–5 years.
A new generation of molecular diagnostics and immunodiagnostics technologies
But the thoughts and predictions of the respondents also went beyond pandemic ponderings. (Isn’t everyone ready to move on?) The respondents spoke about technology, innovations, and other changes they thought would impact the diagnostics industry in the next few years. For instance, the respondents see a shift in technology platforms. Currently, qPCR, ELISA-based testing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) are the platforms most used by the respondents. The respondents see themselves continuing to use these platforms but also think they will begin using ddPCR, microarrays, flow-through testing, and third-generation sequencing (3GS) more frequently.
Liquid biopsy was one innovation the respondents pointed to as a possible key breakthrough for early disease detection. Liquid biopsies have the potential to revolutionize health care for patients, particularly cancer patients. They are much less invasive and risky than tissue biopsies. Therefore, they can be performed more often to monitor a patient’s response to treatment and to identify the emergence of drug resistance.
The future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades
Overall, the people who responded to the survey were optimistic about the future of diagnostics and the future of their careers in diagnostics. They dream of using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to enhance diagnostics capabilities and of taking greater advantage of automation in their workflows.
The respondents have reason to be optimistic. In the post-pandemic world, companies and institutions in the public and private sectors are more open to collaborating. Infrastructure such as facilities and laboratories and cold-chain solutions have been strengthened, and regulatory submissions and approvals have been streamlined.
Cytiva is keeping pace with the changes and innovations in diagnostics. Our portfolio of products and our custom services and solutions will help you develop your molecular diagnostic or immunodiagnostic tests. Our research shows that diagnostic capabilities are only set to grow in impact and influence. With revolutionary treatments changing the way we tackle diseases, the diagnostics industry will continue to play a key role in providing access to the critical information that’s needed for people to get and stay healthy.