TEL AVIV, Israel – It's long been known that academia and industry, two key actors in the development of new products for the medical technology and biotechnology sectors, have very different priorities and approaches to research and products. The ongoing effort to bridge the gap between those differences to eliminate waste in the system and develop more new and efficient products was a key focus of the MIXiii Biomed conference this week.

TEL AVIV, Israel – Generating all kinds of data that can feed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning engines is increasingly cheap and, in many ways, easy but interpreting all that data and translating it into information that is useful to users that range from drug developers to patients remains a significant challenge. Addressing this challenge has blurred the boundaries between traditional technology companies and medical technology companies and forced a rethinking of how treatments are provided, and drugs are developed. And the challenge also creates opportunities for companies that can address this gap.

TEL AVIV, Israel – Generating all kinds of data that can feed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning engines is increasingly cheap and in many ways easy, but interpreting all those data and translating them into information that is useful to users, ranging from drug developers to patients, remains a significant challenge.

HONG KONG – The late December IPO of Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., shortly after the company got a green light for the first made-in-China immunotherapy treatment, delivered a strong close to 2018 for the country's biotech industry. But it did little to mask the huge losses that Chinese pharma stocks suffered through the year.

TEL AVIV, Israel – Long focused on powering its depth of technological knowhow to develop strong med tech, Israel is now increasingly looking toward biotech as a pillar of growth for its health care industry and for the economy as a whole.

TEL AVIV, Israel – Corporate venture capital investors have taken an outsized role in biotech deals, adding to a flood of capital that is driving up valuations in the pharma and biotech spaces.