Top 3 medical breakthroughs of 2010s
You probably heard of the self-driving car, the 3D television, or smart watch, but what about a potential cure for HIV? Although not as publicized as trending topics, there have been many amazing medical breakthroughs over the past 3 years. Here are our top 3 medical breakthroughs.
A Newborn Is Cured of HIV
A Mississippi newborn was potentially cured of HIV. The newborn was put on three aggressive antiretroviral drugs just 30 hours after birth. For the next 29 days, the doctors kept the baby on the drugs to test for the virus, but the virus did not return. Following further testing at 18 and 23 months, the child still tested negative. Still, medical experts aren’t quick to celebrate. Since the drugs were given so early, scientists believe that the virus didn’t have ample time to build up a reservoir necessary for a “true infection.” However, HIV still has the possibility of remaining dormant so only time will tell if this was a true cure.
Womb Transplant
In the U.S, over 75,000 women have vaginal agenesis/atresia or mullerian agenesis, a genetic disorder where women do not have a functioning uterus. This often goes undetected until puberty, and even then, it often goes undiagnosed due to the unfamiliarity of the condition in the medical community. Thanks to the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, this has changed. A 61-year-old female donated a womb that a woman used to give birth. This procedure has been repeated multiple times. Donated wombs could soon become a common labor tactic.
Cancer Spit Test
About 2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year. Up until recently, a person could have cancer and not know it. It could take months, or years, to exert diagnosable symptoms. Biopsies, CAT scans, and/or a MRI test for cancer. However, what if you could detect cancer instantly through saliva? Researchers at UCLA of California have designed a medical instrument that can detect oral cancer from a single drop of saliva as cancer cell proteins react with particular dyes on the sensor.
It is amazing to see how far medicine has come in the last three years. With the advancements of AI enabled technology we should be seeing numerous more in the coming years. Just like tuberculosis in the 1900’s, some of the biggest threats of our time may soon be extinct relics. For more information on another of our favorite medical breakthroughs, check out all the possibilities surrounding umbilical cord blood.
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