One could argue 2016 was an especially trying year. But through it all, we can certainly find happiness knowing the year was a huge one for advancements in health and medical technology. Why should we be jumping for joy, you ask?
Well, there are a lot of moving parts in the health and med world, and because each major discovery, cure, or health initiative goes through a series of steps before reaching the public, it seems like it’s always quite a while before some great changes happen. Leaving us often saying things like: “I wish there were a cure to cancer.”, “I wonder when they’ll have a medicine for that.”, and more.
Even with all those hurdles doctors and scientists must overcome, it still takes a while to see the what the practical implications will be in real world scenarios. It often becomes a practice of looking back several years before knowing that one particular discovery was the turning point for a medicine or disease. But as technology improves, so does our ability as humans to have major impact on medicine and in turn, our chances to overcome the health challenges many of us face. Advancements are incremental additions to a continuously evolving body of knowledge — unless of course it’s something truly revolutionary…but that is very very rare.
So as the year comes to a close we wanted to take some time to share what we think are the 5 biggest advancements in the big world of health and medicine:
UNICEF & Vaccines
After 16 years of negotiations, UNICEF and 6 vaccine suppliers reached a deal to provide a combo vaccine for 5 deadly but very easily preventable childhood infections — diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza. The last one is a bacterium that can cause something as simple as an ear infection to something more lethal like meningitis or pneumonia.
The major advancement for the vaccine is the cost, which is now half the price it was, putting it at less than $1 per dose. UNICEF’s plan is to purchase and send 450 million doses to the world’s 80 poorest countries between 2017–2020, potentially preventing over 5 million deaths.
One other part of this deal that made it so exciting for us is the impact it has on epidemics. Relying solely on one manufacturer in any industry screams bad news. What happens if issues arise while creating it? Having multiple manufacturers ensures against shortages, which can be worse than the deadly disease itself during outbreaks.
CRISPR & Human Gene editing
This year an extremely controversial yet scientifically profound advancement happened when it was announced that CRISPR, the gene editing tool, is being tested on humans for the first time.
Allowing scientists to alter virtually any strand of a genome, it is faster, cheaper and more accurate than previous techniques of editing DNA and has a wide range of uses. Though many individuals have criticized it for the potential dangers (i.e. Altering DNA that can lead to unforeseen & negative effects), CRISPR has the potential to do more good than harm. In fact, the first person to officially receive it was being treated for an aggressive form of lung cancer. So, if put to the good use as it seems scientists are, it will change the world starting with cures for cancer and eradicating global diseases we currently face.
The use of CRISPR gene editing in humans won’t be happening regularly any time soon. And as we already discussed, federal approval and the timelines for these things are pretty intense. For now, education for the public is key. We’re not sure what to make of the future of CRISPR. But one thing is for certain: the world is better without cancer and diseases.
ZIKA — No longer a global threat
Originally discovered in 1947 in monkeys, the disease spread to a variety of countries but wasn’t ever considered an immediate threat to humans. So when it popped up again, doctors and health organizations were beyond stumped when it re-emerged in Brazil in 2015, quickly becoming a vicious pandemic. Mostly spread through mosquitos, doctors quickly discovered it is also transmitted sexually, leading to a number of birth defects in infants in 30 countries, and increasing pressure. Though few people actually die from Zika, there are side effects which include fever, rashes, joint pain and more. But only 1 in 5 people actually experience those symptoms if any at all.
Now at the end of the year, WHO (World Health Organization) made it very clear that Zika is here to stay (as of right now) and still poses a pretty significant threat. You’re probably wondering: Uh, why is it on your list then? Good question.
Despite the above, it was announced that Zika is no longer considered an international medical emergency. That makes this advancement huge considering the immediate goal was seemingly containment, and not necessarily a cure. Containing the disease and the pesky mosquitos allows scientists / WHO to figure out an actual long-term plan, methods to prevent and curb, and eventually, cure the disease.
Harvard’s Antibiotic Development Platform
The scientists at Harvard University have created a new platform for antibiotic discovery that may help solve the crisis of antibiotic resistance. Killing well over 700,000 people per year, antibiotics have become the medicine that does more harm than good for many as companies continue to pump it into humans (and a number of animals) even when we’re not actually taking the medicine. From our food supply to the products we use on a regular basis, the effects and current state we are in should pose as no surprise given antibiotic resistance has been discussed for almost a century now (Thanks, Alexander Flemming ❤). To put it simply, the more we use antibiotics, the more the bad bacteria learn and eventually outsmart it.
The creation of this platform to streamline the process of creating and test new antibiotic compounds is a huge advancement given how far they’ve come with little funding. You see, for quite a while, Big Pharma & federal agencies have been reluctant to provide the financial resources necessary to make a large amount of headway in antibiotic development. But alas, Dr. Meyers received funding from other means and continued alongside his students, to reach this first pillar. As with all things in the medical world, their journey to their goal of having a drug out in the market is a long one, but at least they’re in the running.
The platform made our list for doing what many thought impossible with the cards stacked against them and federal funding not even close to available. And most importantly, what we need to ensure medicine has the ability to do its job, and not the opposite.
Wearables
This was certainly the year of wearables, and in turn an advancement in mobile health. Company challenged the way in which we obtain the information of us, moving quickly from our hand-held devices to our wrists, ears, ankles and more. From Fitbit to the Apple Watch, the intersect of technology and health has paved the way for other products enabling us to monitor, quantify and challenge ourselves or family members. As technology advances, the desire to take our health matters, data and security into our own hands increases. And with the push, health insurance companies are finally hopping on board to subsidize plans for those who use the products.
These products allow us to monitor our heart rate, sleep, calories burned, meditation and more all with a tap on the wrist or body movement. Though wearables and the data collected are currently not indicative of a person’s overall health, it certainly enables one to measure the now and have a good understanding of previous and potential patterns.
In a world where obesity, diabetes and heart disease is ever growing, these wearables have created an easy to use experience that makes health less daunting and fun again, for the entire family. A must on our list.
Though we only chose five, there were a number of other advancements that happened in 2016. And to the doctors and scientists who worked endlessly over several years to get to now, the world is beyond grateful. Here’s to another year of breaking down walls in the world of medicine.
Have an advancement you’d love to see included? Feel free to tweet it to us or send an email our way. It would be awesome to create a runner up list to ensure every advancement possible gets the attention it deserves!
We at Iris Health wish you the healthiest (mentally, emotionally and physically) 2017 possible. 💙
