Overview
Every day, we hear about new discoveries in the field of medicine. Unlike other areas of research, developing a new cure or device in medicine can literally be life-saving.
However, many of these advances get buried under all the fake news, social media noise, and mainstream media biases.
For this reason, we decided to write this article in order to cover the most significant advances in medicine over the past decade.
The most significant advances in medicine over the past 10 years
- 3D printed body parts
In 2013, scientists from the University of Cornell managed to print an outer ear that perfectly resembles the natural one. Other scientists created blood vessels using this technology.
Perhaps the most impressive use of this technology is for burn patients. Being able to print skill cells and apply them to wounds can significantly accelerate the healing process.
Finally, 3D printers can aid in the field of dentistry (e.g., crowns).
- Gene therapy
Instead of addressing the patient’s symptoms, some researchers turned their scopes to modifying the person’s DNA to manage that specific disease.
Today, gene therapy is no longer a fantasy. In fact, conditions such as leukemia are currently treated with this technology.
Sickle cell disease is another example of gene therapy’s effectiveness. For instance, a teenage boy completed healed from this condition after receiving gene therapy.
- Microbiome therapy
The past 10 years witnessed groundbreaking discoveries in the field of gut microbiome. After believing this flora was merely present to aid with digestion, we now know that it connects to the brain, immune system, and cardiovascular health.
Microbiome therapy can be useful in treating gut infections, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, and even certain types of cancer.
Hopefully, the upcoming years will mainstream the use of this therapy in treating all sorts of diseases.
- Cancer fingerprinting
Before discovering cancer fingerprinting, doctors used to prescribe standard antineoplastic drugs to treat tumors. The past few years have changed that.
Cancer fingerprinting allows us to understand how a specific case of cancer responds to different therapies. As a result, the oncologist can make a tailored medical decision that helps every patient individually.
- The bionic eye
Only recently has the development of the bionic eye accelerated. Despite the limited vision these artificial eyes offer, they can be life-changing for patients. Some reports even state that patients were able to see colors with their bionic eyes.
With the increasing investments made in this field, we believe that artificial eyeballs will play a major role in the management of blindness.
Takeaway message
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of scientists and researchers in the field of medicine, we keep unraveling new discoveries every day.
We hope that this article helped you appreciate the role of scientists in developing cutting-edge medical technology that helps patients.
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