Behind every breakthrough therapy and every promising clinical trial result is a foundation forged in laboratories – where diagnostic science, assay development, and biomarker validation are quietly powering the pipeline of modern medicine. As professionals working in labs and clinical services, we support innovation by operationalising it.
Today, that role is more critical than ever. Historically, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other public institutions have funded and coordinated much of the early-stage research that drives drug development; however, recent political and regulatory decisions have cast doubt on the stability of this support. In the meantime, demand for new treatments has continued to grow, placing enormous pressure on the private sector to fill the gap.
But research alone doesn’t deliver outcomes. The path from biomarker discovery to regulatory approval and clinical use is long and complex, and the clinical lab is where a significant amount of that critical translational work happens. As public funding becomes more uncertain, lab and clinical services professionals are increasingly being called on to help pharma, biotech, and diagnostics companies maintain, and accelerate, momentum.