Business strategy in drug development articles from across Nature Portfolio

The design of cell-based therapeutics with synthetic biology is a rapidly growing strategy in medicine for the development of effective treatments for a variety of diseases. This article discusses advances in synthetic biology approaches to programme living cells with therapeutic functions as well as challenges for their development.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing threat to public health and encouraging the development of new antimicrobials is one of the most important ways to address the problem. This Roadmap article aims to bring together industrial, academic and political partners, and proposes both short-term and long-term solutions to this challenge.

Drug patents are different. To improve their quality ex ante, regulators can use predictive models.

Patients need the patent system to spur the investment necessary for the continued development of life-saving diagnostics and therapies.

Obtaining European patent protection for medical uses of known products is not a key factor limiting repurposing activity.

European Patent Office data show an increasing number of patents for new medical uses of known products.