Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
I have young kids. That means I’m often immersed in the land of make-believe, where anything is possible, and animals have magical powers.
Lately, I’ve noticed that my kids’ world has more in common with the reality of life science R&D than ever before. Anything is becoming possible in terms of drug discovery and development — consider, for example, that the FDA now expects to approve up to 20 new cell and gene therapies a year. As a result, novel products designed to cure cancer, eliminate type 1 diabetes, regulate cholesterol production closer to the source, or otherwise “do the impossible” are constantly emerging.
As for animals with magical powers, researchers at the University of Maryland transplanted the heart of a CRISPR genetically modified pig into a human for the first time earlier this year. Life science R&D breakthrough…