Ovik Mkrtchyan: The 21st century provides great opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry

Ovik Mkrtchyan, the founder of New Medical Technologies, speaks about the trends and amazing technological innovations taking place in the world of medicine. New Medical Technologies, in collaboration with the researchers from the Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Uzbekistan (UzNIIEMIZ), have developed know-how methods and a special installation for the testing of antiviral medicine, so critical to the safety of blood transfusion. According to Ovik Mkrtchyan: “The 21st century is providing great opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry.. so achieving the main goal of medicine - maintaining health and improving the quality of people’s lives around the world.”

The rapid development of technology is changing all areas of our life at incredible speed and the pharmaceutical industry is no exception. The main trends we’re witnessing at the moment include the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), additive manufacturing, and other innovations that make the latest methods more accessible and the diagnosis process more accurate. All this becomes possible by attracting the right investments, the expansion of inter-organizational cooperation and the participation of large corporations in the life of the pharmaceutical industry.

Artificial Intelligence

Drug development processes are being speeded up by AI, reducing feedback times from patients, and simplifying clinical trials. The neural network also plays an important role in the collection of databases, accumulating up-to-date information about the health and treatment of patients. Despite the trend towards the introduction of AI, this model faces some objective obstacles, which include the alertness of representatives of the medical sphere and the high cost of development.

Additive manufacturing

Medicine is one of the main areas requiring the utmost precision in the manufacturing process. That is why today the pharmaceutical industry market uses additive manufacturing technologies, one of which is the use of 3D printing. An example is the British company that has developed a 3D printer for making personalized pills - producing combined poly-pills with multiple drugs, as well as adjusting the individual dosage. This method has also been used to create a bioprinter capable of printing human cells and tissues, which will serve as an excellent aid in regenerative medicine.

New methods for detecting viruses

One of the most common problems faced by donation institutes is the imperfection of methods for detecting viruses in donated blood. Scientists and medical experts at New Medical Technologies had been looking for the solution to this problem. Together with the Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Uzbekistan, the company has succeeded in developing new technologies that make it possible to recognize the presence of a virus and determine its viability. In addition, technologists were able to find a way to inactivate RNA and DNA-containing viruses, hepatitis B and C viruses, HIV, influenza viruses, and hemorrhagic fever. This method is also capable of killing bacteria, endospores, and fungi.

Previously, similar studies were already carried out by Japanese scientists but failed to achieve the desired result. “We were the first to develop a correct algorithm for conducting research on donor blood, as a result, we created a new, unparalleled method for determining viable viruses with lymphotropism,” stresses Ovik Mkrtchyan. Separately, it should be noted that special equipment is not required for the application of this method, which means that PCR laboratories do not have to allocate additional funds for equipment.

Photodynamic sterility

Another important development of New Medical Technologies is the disinfection of medical instruments. The fact is that today there are a number of instruments used in dentistry, surgery, gynecology, and cosmetology that cannot be exposed to high temperatures and strong chemicals. “Our specialists have created a photodynamic disinfection unit using methylene blue as a photosensitizer, which eliminates the risk of infection of the patient with hemocontact infections, RNA and DNA-containing viruses, bacteria, spores, and fungi,” says Ovik Mkrtchyan.

This system has no direct analogues, is safe for personnel and the environment, and is non-toxic and non-allergenic. The New Medical Technologies installation has already received patents for the USA, Eurasia, China, and Uzbekistan.

Concludes Ovik Mkrtchyan: “The 21st century provides great opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry, the competent use of which will allow achieving the main goal of medicine - maintaining health and improving the quality of people’s lives around the world.”