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.
The three most frequently-occurring and three newest keywords were identified, with the rationale that the most common keywords represent a strong signal and thus high research interest, and the newest represent potential novel game-changing tech. The three most frequent were “cell encapsulation”, “microRNA” and “nanofabrication”. Applications of these included encapsulated islet cells to treat type 1 diabetes, an microRNA prodrug to suppress tumour cell proliferation, and carbon dots to help bone defect healing.
The three keywords defined as newest were “fucoidan”, “herpesviridae” and “siderophore”. Applications of these included dissolving microneedles to treat melanoma, a bioengineered vaccine for shingles, and the use of siderophores to move iron out of cancer cells. This horizon scan used a new method to identify technologies with the potential to provide new solutions to unmet needs within therapeutics and drug delivery. Some technologies could have important roles in addressing important national issues, such as donor shortages and antimicrobial resistance.
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