

Regular readers of our ongoing article – “The Multifaceted Future of Pharmaceutical Industries” – will appreciate how science fiction has had (and continues to have) a profound impact on the life sciences industries as we know them. In 2018, Gavin Miller, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, wondered whether science fiction could be used as a guideline for future biomedical technologies. Was he right?
The more I talk to experts who work in and around the pharmaceutical industry, the more I notice the influence of science fiction on their careers, as well as on the products and services they work with. In preparation for the May/June 2024 edition of Medicine makerI went so far as to ask a group of experts working to accelerate Industry 4.0 to provide a modern comparison to a classic sci-fi book, movie or TV series. Covering the responses Matrix, Gattaca, 2001: A space journey, finisherand Star Trek, there is no doubt that the genre continues to influence scientists and engineers alike.
I asked a similar question of our 2024 Power List candidates, and the results were equally inspiring. However, it is not limited to scientists, technology developers and writers. The creative team here at Medicine maker They’ve also used the appeal of science fiction over the years to remind us of the enduring sense of romanticism in seeing a better or at least different future. Below, I’m sharing eight of my favorite sci-fi-inspired images from our archives.
- Inspired by various covers by Aldous Huxley Brave new worldThe artwork in “Future Pharma” is particularly eye-catching.
- Back in 2020, we go back to 2001 to release The Small Molecule Manufacturer.
- Some of us star wars Inspiring artworks include “At the Frontiers of Immuno-Oncology” and…
- “Cell Wars: A New Hope.”
- Alien Inspiring our February 2023 edition.
- You can’t ignore the inspiration taken from the father of science fiction, Jules Verne, in his book Foretelling All Outcomes.
- Ex Machina is in the title of Roisin McGuigan’s 2018 article predicting the effects of artificial intelligence on drug development, but the art draws inspiration from Isaac Asimov — or Philip K. Dick. Your preferences.
- Finally, the title and cover image of our 2023 Cell and Gene supplementary e-book, Future Awakening, bring to mind the master of science fiction, H.G. Wells.
Perhaps the enduring appeal of science fiction is similar to the appeal of improving ourselves, and the world in which we live. Pharmaceutical industry players regularly express the need for continuous improvement – of product, performance, and self. As Wells himself said: “We need to constantly challenge ourselves in order to strengthen our character.”
After earning a BA in English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing, I entered the publishing world as a proofreader and worked my way up to editor. My career so far has taken me to amazing places, and I’m excited to see where I can go with Texere and The Medicine Maker.