مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد فرصت های فناوری برای تحقیقات نانوپزشکی – الزویر 2019

Clinical translation of scientific discoveries from bench to bedside is typically a challenging process with sporadic progress along its trajectory. Analyzing R&D can provide key intelligence on advancing biomedical innovation in target domains of interest. In this study, we explore the feasibility of using a streamlined tech mining approach for identification of translational indicators and potential opportunities, using observable markers extracted from selected research literature. We apply this strategy to analyze a set of 23,982 PubMed records that involved gold nanostructures (GNSs) research. Nine indicators are generated to assess what different GNSs research activities had achieved and to predict where GNSs research will likely go. We believe such analysis can provide useful translation intelligence for researchers, funding agencies, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Introduction

The development of R&D activities follows respective trajectories regarding different domain features. These trajectories could be initiated or shifted by either findings from basic research or demands from customer markets. Along each technology developmental pathway, visible or invisible milestones, as readiness indicators, provide clues to identify further development opportunities. To delineate these opportunities, it is important to consider domain-specific progressive properties. In biomedical fields, scientific and technical innovation has facilitated the development of countless new therapies and medical devices. Yet, developmental trajectories of specific technologies are often uneven and challenging. Clinical translation of early discoveries “from bench to bedside” is often described as a slow and incremental process (with an average lag of 17 years) (Morris et al., 2011). This time lag can be as long as 30 years for specific topics, such as nano-enabled drug delivery (Wilhelm et al., 2016). Capturing research activities and other observable events in technology development can provide a better understanding of the ongoing biomedical R&D process and innovation prospects. Nanotechnologies hold much promise in biomedical research. Companies, agencies, and researchers are aware of the transformational potential of nanotechnology in biomedicine and continue to pursue its development. As a result, over the past decade, government support for nanotechnology-based research has increased dramatically all over the world. For example, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests $450M per year into nanotechnology research and training, including $150M per year invested by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) alone (Dickherber et al., 2015).