Viruses Are Back: Humanity and the Life Sciences Industry

Some infectious diseases that were once sidelined are now resurfacing and posing an emerging threat. This is causing a debate amongst the scientific community of the extent of the ethical dimensions of genome editing, the response to COVID-19, and even evolution against creationism. Indeed, one side argues that it is the improvements in illness detection that are causing a perceived rise in outbreaks. The other highlights the changes in societies, the environment, and climate as factors that are driving new viruses to emerge, and old ones to move to new places. The outcomes of this debate will be significant for the survival of the human species. Recent history and current events show that pandemics and climate change are the biggest threats to one of Earth’s most fascinating mammals.

Why are ethical debates about humanity’s relationship with viruses relevant in a business intelligence piece? Because the pandemic has caused the life sciences industry to realize it had to move from a reactionary stance to a proactive one to address present and upcoming challenges. The investment community – public players, venture capitalists, private equities for whom a short-term investment in the industry amounts to five years – has, perhaps, lost sight of the greater mission of an industry that is like no other. Keeping patients in sight is paramount, not least to Interbiome’s CEO Roger Erickson, who stated: “The world population is growing at a significant rate and the health industry will only get clumsier until we completely rewire our interaction patterns across all industries and all policy levels. There is a growing divide between the mission-oriented uses for inventions and the investment and policy communities. In the bio-pharma world, people are getting lost in molecular mechanisms, biomarkers, and platforms, and often are disconnected from the actual diseases targeted and the populations the methods are being developed for.”

It is hard to deny that humans’ relationship with the Earth is not to some extent the cause of some changes we are currently experiencing. Every year, we cut down 15 billion trees and over 20 million hectares of forest, bringing us closer to other animals. Their viruses spill over to us, ours to them, and infectious diseases can spread faster. The interconnectivity of our world also shows that we can bring disease from one capital to another in less than 24 hours. In 2023, for the first time in decades, malaria cases in Florida baffled experts, and dengue made its way to the Western hemisphere. And the outlook points towards a sustained spread of tropical viruses to temperate zones. Speaking to the impact of climate change, population increase, urbanization, and deforestation on human biology, Trevor P. Castor, president and CEO of the biotech Aphios, which means “virus-free”’ in Greek, explained: “The industry will have to adapt by either creating better and quicker vaccines, or we will have to be able to rid those new viruses quickly from biologics and biotechnology products which can be a carrier of viruses.”

In the long term, a proactive stance is a profitable option for the industry and society. While more studies about the COVID-19 pandemic crop up almost daily, it appears clear that preventing the spread of the virus would have been less costly on the industry and society than retroactively treating. For Daniel Prince, CEO of Prince Sterilization Services, there ought to be a mindset shift that focuses on what we can do to prevent sickness and disease: “I hope to see that the pharmaceutical industry will shift its focus from treatment to prevention so that as a human race we will not suffer certain maladies, diseases, illnesses, and cancers and then recover from them, but rather, we will stay healthy and can expect a longer lifespan because we have learned from the past.”

Earlier in 2023, the WHO warned that dengue and chikungunya were spreading beyond their geographical zones of transmission. As of mid-2024, half of the population is at risk of the diseases, according to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. The rapid pace of climate change exceeds the ability of both humans and animals to adapt. This not only heightens vulnerability to health issues but also facilitates the easier spread of viruses, bacteria, and parasites to new territories previously unaffected. Indeed, a 2022 study published in Nature Climate Change revealed that out of 375 infectious diseases examined, 218 (58%) had been exacerbated by climate change.

A proactive stance in tackling climate change and the population’s impact on the environment could also yield opportunities for seasoned life sciences VCs. In December 2023, RA Capital, one of the largest VC funds with investments in over 290 biotechs, created Planety Health, a fund dedicated to climate tech wave investments. According to a funding partner, the idea stemmed from the realization that, despite backing biotechs that would produce successful therapies across the spectrum, people would still be dying by the millions from the effects of pollution.

Biotechs have been using viruses for good for centuries. Domesticating cellular hijacker viruses to make them our allies is a way forward for the industry. Beyond that, investors, executives, and scientists alike ought to grasp the generational challenge posed by pandemics and climate change to make the interests of shareholders and that of patients collide. As the world finishes recovering from one of its most widespread pandemics in history, and braces for more viral-related challenges, the life sciences industry is on a mission to, as proactively as possible, keep humanity safe.