(Yicai) June 25 -- Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nanotechnology will converge and drive major breakthroughs in the next three to five years, especially in the healthcare domain, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.

The report, Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025, identifies key areas that can achieve tangible results and help to solve global challenges over the next five years. It was released at the WEF’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions -- often called Summer Davos -- which opened in the Chinese city of Tianjin yesterday.

The 10 areas are structural battery composites, osmotic power systems, advanced nuclear technologies, engineered living therapeutics, GLP-1s for neurodegenerative disease, autonomous biochemical sensing, green nitrogen fixation, nanozymes, collaborative sensing and generative watermarking.

The main criteria for selection was technological originality, maturity, and potential societal benefits.

Four of the 10 are directly related to healthcare. For example, nanozymes are lab-developed nanomaterials with enzyme‑like properties that show potential for targeted drug delivery in cancer treatments, enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy while reducing side effects, the report said.

Nanozymes could also help to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, due to their ability to mitigate oxidative stress and reduce brain inflammation, potentially slowing disease progression, the report said. The versatility of nanozymes has also led to investigations in other medical areas, including cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases and wound healing, it added.

Another important life science advancement is in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. These GLP-1 drugs have been widely used in recent years to treat diabetes and weight loss, but they have also been found to have potential in alleviating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, the report stated.

If they prove effective in this area, GLP-1s could have a huge economic impact. With more than 55 million people living with dementia, the global market for GLP-1 drugs is projected to exceed USD55.7 billion by 2031, the report said, though regulatory approval remains a big hurdle, as long-term clinical efficacy data will be required.

Another promising technology is engineered living therapeutics, which complete treatment inside the body by using carefully designed beneficial bacteria. Autonomous biochemical sensing is also expected to play an important role in disease diagnosis and long-term management of chronic diseases, according to the report.

This year’s Summer Davos, held annually in China since 2007, is highlighting the trend toward tech convergence, according to WEF Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens. For instance, structural battery composites combine energy with storage design, while engineered living therapeutics merge synthetic biology and precision medicine, he said.

Such integration signals a shift away from standalone innovations to more integrated systems-based solutions, reshaping what is possible, Jurgens noted.

Based on this development, the report called on the fields of business, politics, and science to work together to meet the needs of emerging technologies in terms of investment, infrastructure, standards and governance to ensure that they serve the public good.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Tom Litting