| | November - 20188OPINIONHEYDAY FOR BIOTECH FOUNDERS AND INVESTORSBy Amanda Hayward, Managing Director, Venture Capital Investments, Connecticut InnovationsBiotech is in a great place right now--not only for the promise it offers in scientific breakthroughs to cure illness and improve lives, but also for the tremendous investment opportunity it presents. The industry is expanding at an unprecedented rate compared with what we've seen traditionally due to a few key trends. KEY BIOTECH TRENDSNew Technology PlatformsEnabling technology platforms such as CRISPR-C as gene editing, sequencing technology, big data and artificial intelligence are changing the face of biotech. With these advances, scientists are able to combine biological knowledge with specific patient data to draw vital connections between pathology and disease. These tools that were once only dreamed of have reached the point where they are yielding new science to create unforeseen approaches to treatment.Broader Acceptance of ChangeThere has been an increase in the comfort level of investors, clinicians and companies in newer modalities of therapeutic treatment. In some cases, older-generation drugs such as chemotherapy are beginning to lose ground, making way for the development of successful antibodies and protein-based drugs, as well as nucleotide-based approaches.
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