As we are all aware of, the technology of today is constantly evolving – the first couple of years of the 21^st century looked and felt nothing like the world we live in today, even though a mere decade has passed. Even something as simple as pharmacy fridges seemed impossible a hundred years ago but are now essential to modern medicine. This raises the question: how will technology improve medicine over the next few decades? When Steve Jobs predicted that the biggest innovations of the current century were going to be in the fields of biology and technology, it is entirely possible that he had no idea about just how right he was about it. With this in mind, we present you with the modern technological wonders of pharmacy!

1. Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology can scale from 1 to 100 nanometers – it is a microscopic technology that has a variety of actual and potential uses. For one, the nanoparticles which are composed of biologically-based nanomachines are able to travel through our bloodstream seamlessly.
One of the major uses of nanotechnology in pharmacy is tracking when a particular patient last took their medication and feeding the information back to the doctor via a mobile app.
Furthermore, the use of nanobots might turn into reality – they can be consumed in a pill form or as an injection and programmed to perform tasks inside our bodies that range from mini surgeries to destroying cancer cells.

2. mHealth sensors

Smartphones and their powerful processors, their advanced movement tracking, measurement and information-recording sensors are already being utilized in pharma research institutes. Also, several mHealth apps are already being developed for clinical research by Apple. These apps include those that target diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, asthma, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc.
In addition, mHealth sensors are not for phones exclusively, they are much better applicable in fitness bands, smartwatches and similar tech – they will be able to literally save lives!

3. Artificial intelligence

With computers now able to learn, as well as collect and interpret excessive amounts of data, it is only a matter of time before artificial intelligence starts assisting the pharmaceutical industry in developing new medications, as well as repurposing existing ones.
Additionally, there’s a computer from IBM, called “Watson”, which is able to discover unknown connections between diseases! This model is already being used as a research assistant, seeing as how its ability to recall millions of texts and notes from around the world and calculate a swift judgement within a couple of minutes gives it real “superhuman” abilities.

4. Precision medicine

Discovering new connections between diseases is incredibly useful, but in order to understand the biological basis of a disease, an approach that connects clinical and molecular information is required. With the development of precision medicine, DNA will be converted into data through genome sequencing, which will allow scientists to find and identify gene abnormalities and will help the experts supply the patient with the most effective pharmaceutical option. Have a look at this website if you want to learn more or find further information about precision medicine.

5. Cognitive enhancement

Pills that aim at improving cognitive function, memory, creativity and motivation, much like the NZT-48 from Limitless, are being developed, which means that soon, we’ll be able to improve our cognitive function and transcend our own potential. In fact, some alternatives already exist!

6. 3D printing

Somehow, we’ve accepted the wonderful invention of 3D printing very quickly. We’ve integrated its use into industrial processes and now, everything, from chairs to balls, is being 3D printed. Recently, however, the world’s first 3D printed drug, called SPRITAM, was created by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. Why is this useful? Well, in addition to speeding up the process of pill manufacturing, this allows the pill to deliver much higher doses of medicine to the recipient, while still being porous enough to dissolve in their bodies. This is excellent for patients who have difficulties swallowing their medicines.

With these pharmaceutical advances, our world will never be the same. Who knows, perhaps we might be able to live disease-free in a matter of decades!