11 Spectacular Medical Breakthroughs In The Last Few Years

The rapid advancement in technology does not apply to just consumer techs which had made our lives much easier and more convenient. Medical tech companies and researchers are also riding the wave toward breakthroughs which can make all of us healthier in the future.

Some of the things in recent years that they had thought up are interesting, while the following breakthroughs below are plainly spectacular.

1. Reversing Ageing

Our battle against ageing and finding the cure for old age has been happening since the dawn of humanity. The researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham may have the decisive key to victoriously win the battle.

They found that the decline in the content of mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial’s function is the chief cause of symptoms for ageing such as wrinkles and hair loss. Harnessing the capability of gene-editing technology, they are able to reverse these effects in mice and turn them back to their pre-ageing conditions. It’s not just a process able to make you look younger, this can be a potential treatment for age-related conditions like neurological disorders, diabetes, and even certain types of cancer.

2. Touch-sensitive Prosthetics

One of the key drawbacks of prosthetics for the disabled is that they cannot feel like with a normal limb. An engineering team from Glasgow University headed by Dr Ravinder Dahiya had developed a type of polymer that when used to build a prosthetic can recreate a limited version of somatosensory. The polymer can be laid on top of the prosthetic like a layer of ‘skin’. It will relay information to the brain like texture and temperature.

The arm can even power itself, as the polymer is laid on top of micro solar panels.

3. Drug Designed by AI

In the past, researchers have to painstakingly go through the process of designing and synthesising drugs. Relying on trial and error to find out which combination of chemicals can replicate the desired effects. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the chemical can be stable or safe for human consumption.

AI can do that job with an efficiency ranging in the orders of magnitude. Researchers at MIT trained an AI on the structure of hundreds of thousands of molecule structures. The result is an AI able to build designs for stable molecules at a much higher rate and accurate than any team of researchers could.

4. Antibodies from Llama

Llamas might one day protect you in the future. Medical researchers have managed to employ flu antibodies from Llamas to protect patients against seasonal flu. One thing about this synthesis is that it doesn’t require an injection to work. You only need an intra-nasal administration at the start of each year would be enough to keep you healthy for the entire 365 days of it.

5. Pain Management with VR

Researchers from Plymouth University had found that patients going to the dentist actually felt a lot less pain when they’re engaged in virtual reality than without. The benefit of it is so great that it is being considered for treating patients with major injuries or even PTSD.

6. Cure for HPV

HPV - or Human Papillomavirus - is a very common virus strain worldwide with over 100 variants. 14 of those can cause cancer at the very least. For the past 20 years, no cure was found until just recently a 100% cure for the virus was found with zero side effects.

7. Rapid Scanner

A full-body scanner was developed by two scientists from UC Davis. The machine employs a combination of PET scan and CT scan to render a 3D overview of the entirety of the patient’s body, including the innards. That’s not the most exciting thing about this scanner, however. The thing is that it is able to do all of this in just a few seconds. This is monumental by which it can significantly speed up diagnostics, track the efficacy of drugs, aid in observing disease’s progression, and even let researchers see the effects and efficiency of new therapies.

8. Cancer Test That Can Be Done In 10 Minutes

Scientists from the University of Queensland successfully developed a universal cancer test that can give out result in less than 10 minutes. The device harnesses a simple colour-changing fluid to detect the presence of cancer cells throughout the patient’s body.

The device only requires the input of a blood sample from the patient. Not only the test is incredibly simple and less invasive, but its reliability also ranges in 90%.

9. Micro health sensors

From Iota Biosciences - a medical tech company came sensors that are around the same size as grains of rice. Best of all, they can power themselves and can remain indefinitely in your body. The sensors are capable of wireless connection so your doctors can download your health data without troubling you too much with a physical diagnosis.

10. Eating and Not Get Fat While At It

This is God-sent news for those who are body conscious. Scientists have found out all about the genes that are responsible for storing body fat from nutrition in preparation for an emergency. By turning off this gene, you’re virtually able to eat everything and still remain slim as always. Still, it’s not a good reason to cancel your gym membership. You still need to work out to stay healthy.

11. Artificial Night Vision

Chinese researchers have conducted an experiment in which they implanted nanoparticles into the retinas of mice to allow them to see into the infrared range of light. It worked. The mice are able to have a sort of ‘night vision’ for several days after the surgery. I don’t have to explain as to how useful this is to us, do I?