Emerging Technologies / Biotechnology

Blockchain technology is a decentralized and secure ledger system that records transactions across multiple computers. In digital banking, it streamlines processes such as cross-border payments, trade finance, and identity verification by reducing intermediaries, lowering costs, increasing transparency, and speeding up settlements.

Artificial intelligence enhances digital banking by providing personalized financial services, such as tailored advice and automated customer support through AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. AI also improves operational efficiency, fraud detection, and risk assessment, fundamentally changing how financial services are delivered and experienced.

Regenerative medicine involves using stem cells and cell engineering to repair or replace damaged tissues. In diabetes, this means creating insulin-producing islet cells from stem cells to restore the body's ability to produce insulin, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for insulin injections.

Stem cell therapies for type 1 diabetes involve transforming stem cells into pancreatic islet cells that produce insulin. These cells are transplanted into patients to restore natural insulin production. Benefits include improved blood sugar control, reduced dependence on insulin injections, and the potential to evade immune system attacks with genetic engineering.

Mutualistic technologies refer to systems or innovations that interact in a way that benefits all parties involved, similar to mutualism in biology where different species cooperate for mutual benefit. These technologies create networks that enhance collaboration and innovation across sectors by providing complementary resources or services to each other.

Mutualistic technologies foster commercial opportunities by creating collaborative networks where different technologies or sectors provide complementary benefits to each other. This synergy drives innovation, opens new avenues for growth, and enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes across various industries.

Mutualistic technologies refer to a group of technologies that support and enhance each other's capabilities in a synergistic way. For example, sensors collect data that AI processes, digital twins use this information to create virtual models, and robotics execute physical actions based on these models. This interconnected cycle creates positive feedback loops that improve innovation and operational efficiency across sectors.

These technologies interact by forming a continuous cycle where physical data is digitized and transformed into actionable virtual applications. Sensors digitize physical processes, AI converts data into information, digital twins and extended reality (XR) create virtual models and dashboards, and robotics translate these virtual applications back into physical operations. This cycle enables real-world processes to be controlled and optimized electronically, contributing to the development of genuinely smart environments.

Biological artificial intelligence, as developed in the PROTEUS system, refers to a method that uses biological processes inside mammalian cells to evolve and refine molecules, mimicking natural evolution but at a much faster pace. Unlike traditional AI, which is software-based and operates on computers, this system integrates AI principles with biological experimentation to create novel molecules directly within living cells, enabling the development of medicines that are difficult or impossible to produce with conventional technologies.

PROTEUS accelerates medicine development by using directed evolution inside mammalian cells to rapidly generate and optimize proteins and molecules. This process simulates natural evolution but compresses it from years to weeks, allowing researchers to create highly specialized molecules tailored for therapeutic use, such as enhancing gene-editing tools like CRISPR. This approach enables the creation of more precise and effective gene therapies and other advanced treatments.

Bioplastics are derived from renewable resources such as biomass, starch, or sugarcane, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional plastics, which are primarily made from non-renewable fossil fuels. Bioplastics can be biodegradable and compostable, reducing plastic waste accumulation in the environment[1][3].

Synthetic biology plays a crucial role in enhancing the production and sustainability of bioplastics by optimizing microbial processes and genetic engineering techniques. This allows for more efficient conversion of biomass into bioplastics, aligning with goals to revolutionize the bioeconomy and replace traditional plastics with bioplastics[4].