The magic of Pharmacobiotechnology: From magistrals to recombinant viruses in gene therapy

In the history of societies, in general, there is a progressive evolution, which runs parallel to the progress of science and, in particular, of Medicine. Perhaps it is necessary to consider, without fear of misunderstanding, that Pharmacology has allowed us to live longer and better. If we look back, especially those of us who have had the good fortune of having a very old apothecary’s shop, where perhaps our great-grandfather was a pharmacist, a lifelong pharmacist, in an almost lost village in the former Castilla La Vieja, around the second half of the 19th century, we can better appreciate the progress that has been made. But, in addition, if the great-grandson in question chose to follow a family tradition of being an apothecary, things take on a different dimension, especially when his vocation has been of university professor in Pharmacy and of researcher in Biotechnology. Knowing that we are facing an extraordinarily novel pharmacological reality, it would seem that we are moving in the world of magic and surprise. Because the therapeutic purposes that are being pursued at the present time were unimaginable decades ago, and even less so with the current techniques, pharmaceutical forms and procedures that are a combination of the multidisciplinary activity of many specialists. In this evolution that goes from magistral formulas, of empirical utility, to new advanced therapies, areas have been born that are the combination of different knowledge, such as Pharmacobiotechnology. We also control, in part, biology in its most intimate “soul”, which is the genome, and we are able to create animal models with a specific pathology to study new drugs. Pharmacobiotechnology has made it possible to obtain recombinant therapeutic proteins in the laboratory; recombinant mono- and bispecific antibodies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases and, through new therapies, gene therapy and cell therapy, it is possible to correct alterations in the genes that give rise to many hereditary diseases. However, in this new world of modern pharmacology, which will be largely individualized, the bioethics of healing must be kept in mind, lest the new high-cost procedures can further increase social inequity. Keywords: Advances in Biomedicine; History; Biotechnology; Advanced therapies; Rare diseases