Therapeutic antibody drugs have recently experienced explosive growth due in large part to the fact that immunotherapies stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells. Within oncology research alone, more than 20 therapeutic antibody drugs received FDA approval for new treatments or indications during 2015 to 2018. Additionally, more than 300 therapeutic antibody drugs are in ongoing clinical trials.

Breathtaking progress in life sciences has brought us innovations such as high-throughput and individually affordable genomic sequencing as well as next-generation flow cytometry that can phenotype dissociated cells for their expression of dozens of markers simultaneously.

Antibodies have re-shaped biomedical researches since their discovery. From research tools to therapeutics and diagnostics, antibodies are indispensable in finding cures for a host of different diseases. In recent years, antibody-based therapeutics have dramatically changed the way we treat diseases, especially in oncology. The recent introduction of platforms has further advanced how antibodies are being used.

Stem cells have attracted a great deal of deserved attention due to their lineage-independent characteristics. In other words, they have the potential to be differentiated into a countless number of cell types. Adult stem cells, otherwise known as inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are particularly favorable as research tools because they are derived from a patient’s somatic cells such as blood, skin or muscle.

Two global forces are at odds today – the push for “greener” processes and the demand for lower prices for prescription drugs and materials. Governments and corporations across the globe are adopting policy initiatives and driving scientific innovations to promote sustainable technologies, resulting in an explosion of discoveries based on both chemical- and biocatalytic transformations.