HSE and Sechenov University Collaborate to Support the Pharmaceutical Industry in Advancing Innovations
Scientists from HSE and Sechenov University have developed a methodology for identifying priority areas and breakthrough technologies to drive the pharmaceutical industry's development. Their joint research, supported by Innopraktika, aims to pinpoint key scientific directions crucial for addressing diseases with significant medical and social impact in the future. An analysis of current and projected data revealed that lung cancer, breast cancer, and stomach cancer contribute the most to the medical, social, and economic burden on healthcare systems.
The research is based on an original methodology developed by HSE University and Sechenov University for identifying priority areas and breakthrough technologies in the pharmaceutical industry. This methodology includes a comprehensive analysis of the current state and future prospects of the healthcare system. It considers global and national trends in economics, demography, and epidemiology, as well as assessments of technological agendas and promising developments, explained Alexander Sokolov, Deputy Director of the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge.
One of the key tools used in the research is the iFORA big data analytics system (owned by the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge), which contains over 800 million documents. This system leverages automated analytics to process large datasets, including scientific and clinical studies, patents, and professional media.
Alexander Sokolov
‘Combining diverse datasets creates a synergistic effect and yields unique analytical insights,’ emphasised Alexander Sokolov. ‘By synthesising information from various sources, we can address complex problems at the intersection of different fields of knowledge.’
The research analysed data from diverse sources, including government procurement information, and socio-demographic and epidemiological forecasts. Several disease areas with the most significant socio-economic impact were identified. Current and forecast data highlighted lung cancer, breast cancer, and stomach cancer as having the greatest medical, social and economic burden on the healthcare system.
For these diseases, exploratory analyses of technologies were conducted using the iFORA system, including an initial selection of relevant and prospective treatments and pharmaceuticals being developed both in Russia and globally. A more in-depth analysis of technologies was then conducted with the help of industry experts. For lung cancer, stomach cancer, and breast cancer, researchers identified two key approaches: discovering new targets and their combinations (small molecules, immuno-oncology, monoclonal antibodies, and others) and developing new treatment principles (vaccines, oncolytic viruses, T-cells). Currently, the findings of these studies are being validated with leading clinical experts to determine the most promising technologies.
As Vadim Tarasov, Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnologies at Sechenov University, noted, the search for innovative solutions is a vital aspect of the pharmaceutical industry. However, rapidly advancing technologies remain expensive, with the development of a single innovative drug typically taking 10–15 years and costing up to $2.5 billion.
Vadim Tarasov
‘The Russian pharmaceutical industry is ready to follow an innovative path. However, the development cycle for breakthrough drugs is quite lengthy, and specialists have long faced the question of which drugs will be most needed by our healthcare system in the next 7–12 years and which technologies should be prioritised for introducing innovative solutions to the domestic market,’ he emphasised. The project by HSE and Sechenov University helps address this challenge.
The results of the research and the developed methodology will form the foundation for creating the first national analytical system for early horizon scanning. This system will enable high-level monitoring of new drug and technology development domestically and globally, along with their early clinical and economic evaluation.
This will allow the healthcare system to select the most critical global technologies for potential implementation, considering their efficiency and cost. It will also provide domestic developers and pharmaceutical companies with guidance for creating technologies and drugs essential for Russia and promising from an export perspective. Key users of the system will include the Ministries of Health, Industry and Trade, and Higher Education, as well as research institutes, medical organisations, and pharmaceutical companies.
The preliminary results of the joint project by HSE and Sechenov University were presented on November 26 at the foresight conference ‘Healthcare System 2036: Technological Priorities for Medicine Supply,’ held in Moscow at HSE campus on Pokrovsky Bulvar. The conference was attended by government officials, scientists, and market participants.