Biomedical Engineering Industry Terms
Pharma
Creates treatments with synthetic chemistry; tends to refer to large companies like Pfizer and Vertex
Biotech
Creates treatments with compounds derived from organisms, like antibodies or protein drugs
Biopharma
Subset of pharma; molecular drugs similar to pharmaceuticals produced through biological means
Therapeutics
Describes companies concerned with treating disease and/or alleviating patient pain
Synbio
Creates or redesigns biological systems and genes; both for consumers and medicines; data-driven
Diagnostics
Focuses on finding and identifying disease; often incorporates microfluids, genetic engineering, etc.
Medtech
Industry that deals with medical device design and deployment, includes wearables
Neurotech
A branch of medtech concerned with the brain, implantations, imaging, and devices included
Digital Health
Combines digital technologies (apps, IoT, ML) with healthcare to increase care quality and/or data streams
Biomaterials
An industry which develops natural, bioengineered, or synthetic materials for tissue replacement
Biofabrication
Using bioengineering and biological organisms to create new materials for consumer or medical purposes
Nanotech
Focused on nanoparticles for drug delivery, electronics, etc. Materials science and physics-focused
Microfluidics
Uses small valves/tubes to redirect liquids; used for diagnostics, lab-on-chips, tissue-simulating systems
Imaging
Encompasses industry involved with acquiring, compiling, and analyzing medical images & corresponding data