Biohealth and Biotech in the Spotlight

Encrypted inside everyone is a world of health information that can provide recipes for a cancer-busting treatment or a prevention plan for neurodegenerative disease, all crafted according to a person’s individual genetic profile.

Unlocking that information is the driving force behind biohealth, an industry that aims to improve human health through personalized medicine while creating scalable medical, scientific, and economic value.

Biohealth: The Big Picture

Biohealth unites multiple partners for the greatest impact on health. Research institutions, biotechnology companies, digital health innovators, healthcare systems, and medical device manufacturers all play a critical part.

The roles they play might look something like this: a research institution produces a novel breakthrough. Next, biotechnology companies and digital health innovators take the idea and bring it to life, developing and distributing it. Medical device manufacturers might also step in if the technology falls into their wheelhouse. Finally, healthcare systems bring the innovation to patients, leading to improved health.

Biotech: In Focus

One dimension of biohealth – biotechnology – has been a key cog in the ecosystem. As the industry’s name implies, the discipline unites biology and technology, employing high-tech transformations to advance human health.

One major biotech breakthrough was the development of CRISPR-CAS9 gene editing.

Scientists adapted a natural defense system of bacteria that acts like molecular scissors, allowing them to cut DNA at precise locations. This makes it possible to correct or remove faulty disease-causing genes, opening the door for conditions once thought untreatable, such as sickle cell anemia.

Biotech also took center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using mRNA – genetic instructions that tell cells how to make proteins – scientists quickly engineered a new type of vaccine. The vaccines teach the body to recognize a harmless piece of the virus, prompting an immune response that prepares the body to fight the real infection.

Biotech has also advanced 3D bioprinting. Akin to traditional 3D printing, this emerging technology uses digital design and living cells to print tissue-like structures such as heart valves and esophagus. Researchers are exploring applications ranging from engineered tissues for medical research to the long-term goal of printing functional replacement organs.

Biohealth and Biotech Improve Human Health

Both biohealth and biotech share a common goal: extending and improving human life. The Wisconsin BioHealth Tech Hub is advancing this mission. The consortium – a partnership of more than 20 entities across industry, government, and higher education, including the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) – received $49 million in funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) in 2024 to spearhead five human health-boosting initiatives.

Among them is CAREScan Mobile Screening, an MCW-led program bringing advanced cancer screening directly to communities. The mobile unit is equipped with mammography, ultrasound, and PET CT technologies to screen for various cancers, including lung, colon, breast, prostate, and liver. A central priority is equitable access, with MCW working closely with historically underserved Milwaukee neighborhoods to guide its rollout.

The Tech Hub also established the Wisconsin Health Data Hub, led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Designed as a secure, accessible data repository, the platform will support researchers and biohealth companies developing new diagnostics, treatments, and technologies. CAREScan will contribute to the resource by expanding the diversity and inclusivity of available health data.

Another focus is theranostics, an emerging field that combines cancer diagnosis and treatment into a single step. Using targeted radioactive compounds, clinicians can both visualize tumors and deliver therapy, enabling more precise and personalized cancer care.

In parallel, the Tech Hub is investing in infrastructure and workforce development, creating lab spaces and cultivating the talent to sustain these innovations.

Biohealth and Biotech in Wisconsin

Biohealth and biotech markets are powerful global economic engines with a 14-15% compounded annual growth rate projected through 2035. In Wisconsin, they have brought more than 3,000 companies and more than 200,000 jobs to the area and have generated more than $37.7 billion in economic activity.

Wisconsin is fertile soil for biohealth and biotech’s economic power to flourish due to the state’s interconnected infrastructure system, robust manufacturing industry, and forward-thinking health research institutions.