The science and health industry saw great leaps forward in 2024, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and cell and gene therapy. As 2024 comes to a close, experts at Revvity, a life science and diagnostics business, have shared their predictions on key trends that are expected to dominate the market and shape the future of the industry in 2025 and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence
Yves Dubaquie, SVP of Diagnostics, Revvity
AI is playing a critical role in driving innovation, particularly by reducing time-consuming, repetitive tasks that were historically performed by humans. Looking ahead, we anticipate that AI will suggest reflex testing based on initial test results, which could shorten the diagnostic journey and improve diagnostic quality. With AI-enabled faster operations, we expect enhanced accuracy and throughput, enabling clinical laboratories to support clinicians to make critical, time-sensitive decisions around the clock.
Molecular Diagnostics
Jackie Weiss, PhD, Scientific Affairs Liaison at EUROIMMUN US (part of Revvity)
Molecular testing will continue to be a valuable tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While efforts to curb AMR often focus on antibiotic resistance, the burden of antifungal resistances continues to increase. Historically, culture-based methods have been used to assess antifungal susceptibility. However, molecular techniques, such as PCR, produce results up to four weeks earlier than culture. In the case of invasive fungal infections, time is of the essence, as delays in appropriate treatment are linked to increased mortality. We will see more movement towards the development and validation of multiplex PCR assays that can rapidly identify the most resistance-associated mutations in clinically relevant fungal species. This is particularly important given the limited number of antifungal drug classes available and the rising incidence of antifungal-resistant infections.
Cell and Gene Therapy
Michelle Fraser, Head of Cell and Gene Therapy, Revvity
We are in the midst of one of the largest transformations in our understanding of the link between genes, proteins, cells, and diseases. The era of precision medicine is underway, leading to improved diagnosis and treatment. With the advent of cell and gene therapies, enabled by CRISPR and next-generation gene editing technologies, we are beginning to see therapies emerge that have the potential to address and correct the genetic causes of disease, offering a possibility for permanent treatment. This transformation is rapidly accelerating our insights into biological complexities and allowing us to develop more precise, safer, and individualized therapies that directly address the root cause with reduced side effects. I believe in 2025 we are positioned to revolutionize the landscape of advanced therapeutic development.
Spatial Biology
Miguel Tam, Director of Strategic Marketing, BioLegend (part of Revvity)
One of the applications that will benefit the most from genomics looking ahead is the emerging field of Spatial Biology. The term Spatial Biology is used to describe the study of cells in the context of the surrounding tissue, how they are located respective to each other, how they position to build the tissue and the study of their functionality and interaction with their microenvironment. Under the umbrella of Spatial Biology, researchers have developed methods to quantify and characterize different molecules, including spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, and spatial genomics, with some technologies capable of integrating multiple modalities.
There are several methods to detect these molecules, one of them being next-generation sequencing. As technologies evolve and improve, this multiomics approach will become even more accessible and accurate. In addition, with improved resolution down to single cells and even single molecules, the genomic component will play a central role, and over the next several years will bring important discoveries in translational medicine and other very relevant areas of research and diagnostics.
Non-coding RNAs
Pedro Echave, Senior Manager, Global Business Segment, Revvity
The decreasing cost of sequencing combined with gene editing and modulation technologies, like CRISPR, will advance our understanding of non-protein-coding RNAs, which have regulatory functions in the cell. RNA-sequencing is a well-known set of tools for assessing gene expression in any sample type including bulk tissues, body fluids, and cell samples. Multiple applications for RNA profiling have been developed, including the determination of gene expression at single-cell resolution and spatial transcriptomics. Additionally, a variety of non-coding RNAs such as microRNA and long non-coding RNA are also now routinely studied. However, most of these techniques focus on protein-coding RNAs.
Understanding how non-coding RNAs regulate disease can lead to the implementation of non-invasive, NGS-based tests to monitor or diagnose several diseases. Recently, profiling RNA in plasma (mRNA and microRNA) can detect early changes associated with breast cancer, melanoma, and cardiac arrhythmias. Additionally, a salivary microRNA signature has been recently shown to diagnose endometriosis in women with high accuracy. With thousands of published peer-reviewed articles showing correlation between RNA profiles and disease, and several clinical trials ongoing, we expect an increase in the number of RNA signatures that can be used in clinical practice. Analyzing samples such as blood, urine or saliva will make disease detection and monitoring accessible, repeatable, and more patient-friendly.
Base Editing
Amanda Haupt, Business Unit Manager, Revvity
Although base editing is still in its infancy, preclinical and early clinical data show enormous potential for its use for the generation of advanced stem cell therapies. Compared to CRISPR-Cas9, base editors offer an improved safety profile and increased efficiency for the introduction of single nucleotide changes. Notably, base editing has also opened the door to potentially new therapeutic strategies, such as epitope masking by single nucleotide change, to make transplanted HSPCs resistant to cancer targeting drugs while retaining full cell functionality. Although not yet fully evaluated in the clinic, with convincing preclinical data, base editors are a promising candidate for creating the next generation of gene and cell therapies, especially in sensitive cell types such as stem cells.