How New Medical Innovations Can Change The World?
In our simple minds, treatment for different incurable diseases like cancer, HIV, emphysema, and the likes are the only medical advancement that we lack in this world. Otherwise, we think anything in science is already possible. However, there are reports that the world of science is still developing several medical innovations that can truly shape our health care service and delivery. Here are some of the medical innovations that could affect how one sees medicine in the future.
Flight Forward
We first heard the use of drones by the military in spying foreign territories and sending bombs undetected. But we now see the rise of commercial-use drones and the use of it to take videos and pictures at a bird’s eye view. Many people are starting to wonder what else can this small piece of remote-controlled flying device can do? Enter David Abney of UPS (United Parcel Service, Inc.), one of the leading shipping and delivery services in the US. He and his company has been conducting a test trial program called Flight Forward. This program uses autonomous drones to deliver critical medical samples, including blood or tissue, to hospitals. They have done their tests between two branches of a hospital in Raleigh, NC, located 150 yards apart. Because of its effectiveness, in October 2019, the FAA gave them a go signal to expand their target services to 20 hospitals over the next two years.
Stem cell to cure diabetes
We all know that diabetes is a prevalent and acquired blood glucose disease that affects millions (if not billions) of people worldwide. Several studies and medical innovations have come up to make the treatment and maintenance easier. One of the studies is from Doug Melton, a Harvard biologist whose daughters have Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes. Melton has been working on a study that uses stem cells to create replacement beta cells that produce insulin. This study began about 10 years ago when the boom of stem cell use started. As his study and share in this medical innovation was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the company has now developed a tiny implantable device that holds millions of replacement beta cells, letting glucose and insulin through but keeping immune cells out. This will make people with type 1 diabetes be free from the disease and live how normal healthy people live.
54gene
Have you noticed that most studies about medical innovations have Caucasians as their sample population or subjects? It is not a surprise that racism may still be present in this field, although there should definitely be none. That is why Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong created 54gene, named after the 54 countries in Africa. 54gene is a clinical drug research start-up that sources genetic material and resources from African descent. As more and more studies would be made using their genes and DNA, more medical innovations would come up that would also benefit African blood.
CTRL-kit
Has the thought of having robots as our companion or helper scaring you? Well, Thomas Reardon, the developer of CTRL-kit, thinks otherwise. This device looks like a big black watch that shows a dinosaur moving around the monitor the way you command it to do so. The product demonstrates how our brain can transmit nerve impulses to the hand and into the device, allowing the robotic innovation to move according to your brain’s manipulation. With Reardon’s creation, the technology for new forms of therapy and access for patients recovering from a stroke or amputation, as well as those with neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis becomes possible and within their reach.
Butterfly iQ
Imagine getting your ultrasound images using a handheld device that connects to your phone. This is what Jonathan Rothberg achieved with Butterfly iQ. This device makes diagnostic and laboratory tests done by hospitals and medical institutions using big machines become available and mobile in rural areas where medical resources are scarce. The Gates foundation is actually giving Butterfly iQ in 53 different countries who can’t afford the $2000 handheld ultrasound machine. If this medical innovation reaches the goal to have at least 150 countries covered, medical technology and the promise of detecting early onset of diseases is truly promising.
Cancer-diagnosing AI
There are certain types of cancer that do not easily get detected unless they are in their advanced or late stages, like lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, or colon cancer. We all know that early detection of this infamous disease can be a big game-changer in the prognosis and treatment of the patient. This is what Shravya Shetty was aiming for when she and her colleagues at Google Health started working on using artificial intelligence to diagnose lung cancer by correctly reading CT scans and other diagnostic imaging. During their past studies, the Google algorithm detected over 5% more cancer diagnoses and lesser false-positive calls than human radiologists. If this medical innovation takes plight, cancer can now be diagnosed and staged as early as stage 1.
These are just some of the studies and medical innovations that are in the works and are still developing to help reshape the medical future. With what science gives us every single day, there is no doubt that the possibility of having medical advancement in the future is endless.
Leave a Reply