10 things to watch in life sciences in 2022

While "magical" edible mushrooms have gotten a lot of media attention in the last year, strategic companies are turning them into gorgeous high-end leather products that could make the traditional leather industry obsolete. When it comes to the edible value of edible fungi, there are several startups focused on the development of the basic protein of fungi (mycin), which has proved to be delicious. Edible mushrooms can be used as ingredients, not only to increase the content of other plant proteins in food, but also as "meat pieces" to grow, because it has a very similar taste to meat. Edible fungi like ganoderma lucidum, Turkey tail, chaga, lion mane, and a few others have unique functions and can be used as food (burritos!). It can also be used as a nutritional supplement. These edible mushrooms with unique functions have also been used to enhance the function of the human immune system and improve cognition, and some research and development institutions have conducted some very compelling studies.

I admit, because mushrooms are so powerful, I like to drink mushroom coffee in the morning! Edible fungi also contribute to the improvement of climate. Mycelium splits and spreads in the underground, interweaving, loosening the soil, promoting the growth of forests, and strengthening the exchange of nutrients between trees. What else can we expect in the development of fungal organisms this year?

5. We start paying attention to the world of microbiota inside (and on our bodies)

A glance at the headlines these days tells us that the human body has a vast microbiome. These trillions of microbes live in and on our bodies, making us our unique selves. They are everywhere, not only in our digestive systems, but also on our skin. As a New Year's gift to myself (yes, that geek), I went to a commercial company to have my gut microbiome sequenced. The result is that I have at least 407 travel companions (detectable by RNA sequencing), and my fellow travelers and I are just beginning to get to know each other.

I went to get tested out of scientific curiosity and a growing appreciation for the role of the gut - not just in digestive health, but in overall health. First, there is substantial evidence that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the emergence of inflammation. They play a central role not only in the digestive tract, but also in the body's overall inflammation, and scientists are now investigating the potential role of the gut microbiome in autoimmune disorders and even neurodegenerative diseases. Then came the gut-brain axis, "the bidirectional biochemical signaling that occurs between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system." The gut actually produces a lot of neuroactive compounds, and this system also plays a role in relieving stress and depression. Perhaps 2022 will be the year when we fully understand the massive microbial teams that inhabit our bodies?

6. The demand for tele-health and home diagnostics began

If there's a silver lining to the coronavirus, it's that it's finally bringing telehealth into the mainstream. In the past two years, it has turned what was merely a convenience of telehealth into an essential part of our health care system. This opens up a whole new mechanism for implementing healthcare at home and on a scale. For tele-health to be transformative, it also needs to be integrated with new therapies and services. May 2021 is the most nasal swabs in history.

The increase in home testing also reflects the shift in opportunities for diagnosis and health monitoring from the clinic to the home. I suspect there will be a wave of home testing devices coming to market, including PCR quality results. In the New Year, in order to start a scientific and rigorous exploration, I also bought several home test kits for various biomarker tests. But I couldn't muster up the courage to prick my own finger with enough force for a self-administered blood collection. Eventually, I had to hire a phlebotomist to come to my house, and it was much more difficult to test myself at home than to go to a clinic or testing company. I do think that testing companies should pay attention to home testing. This demand is just beginning.

7. Neuroscience data, artificial intelligence, and middleware will advance neuroscience

I'm still learning the terminology that should be used in this section. Over the past decade, neurotechnologies have dominated hardware cores, and I call for neuroscience middleware to distinguish itself from these hardware cores. I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's as if the neuroscience community woke up and realized that the data stores we've always had are the real treasure. The ability to manipulate data and bring together different data sources (behavioral observations, cognitive tests, tissue samples, blood, cerebrospinal fluid) is the real "big discovery." We can then use these integrated data sets to answer questions about deep diagnosis and clinical outcomes.

A group of companies is using neuroscience data to stratify patients in clinical trials to save compound drugs abandoned by big Pharma from disappearing from the drug market and start a complex but exciting research journey toward early diagnosis of several neurodegenerative diseases. According to my prediction, neural science measurement hardware (electroencephalography (eeg), Electroencephalograms, EEGs, nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Near Infrared optical Imaging technology, Near - Infrared Spectroscopy, NIRS, etc.) will continue to commoditize, and the data in these datasets and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) processing will advance neuroscience in the coming years.