Top 8217;12 tech: WEF picks information filter

Advances in biotechnology,medicine,materials,education,and resource usage were also among the WEF8217;s 10 most important technologies that may impact the world positively in 2012,it said in a statement.

One hot spot according to the WEF is the push towards more targeted medicines,with personalised medicine,nutrition and disease prevention coming in at number 9.

As the global population exceeds 7 billion people 8211; all hoping for a long and healthy life 8211; conventional approaches to ensuring good health are becoming less and less tenable,spurred on by growing demands,dwindling resources and increasing costs,the WEF said.

Advances in synthetic biology and nanotechnology were laying the foundation for a revolution in healthcare,the WEF said.