As the field of bioengineering continues to evolve rapidly, staying informed about promising technologies is essential for effectively applying new advancements to medical research and healthcare. This study used a novel, exploratory search method to generate a large number of results relevant to bioengineering. These terms were then first screened, cleaned, then grouped into clusters and visualised using VOSviewer, and finally those identified in VOSviewer as being particularly high frequency or new were further analysed by searching for applications in bibliographic databases and clinicaltrials.gov.
Six keywords were identified using the novel methodology. The three most frequent were “CRISPR”, “microRNA” and “Saccharomyces cerevisiae”. Applications of these included using gene editing to alter the invasiveness of bladder cancer microtumours, using gene therapies to locally delivery microRNA (miRNA) to treat epilepsy, and S. cerevisiae being used to create therapeutics for immune support in Parkinson’s disease.
The three keywords defined as newest were “Staphylococcus epidermidis”, “arginine” and “Herpesviridae”. Applications of these included an engineered S. epidermidis strain for the treatment of Netherton syndrome, engineering CAR-T cells to make their own arginine to attack cancer cells, and genetically altered herpes simplex virus to treat bladder cancer. This horizon scan used a new method to identify technologies with the potential to provide new solutions to unmet needs within genetic engineering. Some technologies could have important roles in addressing important national issues, such as antimicrobial resistance, and help to give patients access to more personalised medical care. This study demonstrates the utility of a novel horizon-scanning method to identify transformative genetic engineering technologies. These findings could inform policy, funding, and research priorities, ultimately improving patient access to innovative healthcare solutions.
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