is constantly evolving and the latest advances in medical research are helping to improve and extend our lives. Over the past couple of centuries, some of the most important breakthroughs include improved access to clean water and sanitation, the discovery of penicillin, and the use of antiseptics and anesthetics during surgical procedures. Going forward, the world will face decidedly different health care challenges, requiring different types of health care research and innovation. The burden of communicable diseases is increasingly diminishing; malaria, tuberculosis, and polio are far less of a threat to global health than they were a century ago. While improvement in the condition of health care has been uneven in terms of access for the less fortunate, there has been a general upswing in the standard of medical care practiced around the world. Many of the main health issues of the future would have been quite rare just a few generations ago. Diseases associated with old age and excessive consumption simply didn’t occur as often because the general population wasn’t as long-lived and prosperous in the past. Hence, medical researchers today face a very different set of goals than their predecessors.
The Pace of Innovation
First, a general point on the pace of innovation. It should be noted here that what we tend to call “breakthroughs” are actually the result of consistent dedicated and painstaking efforts which may result in a drug discovery or new equipment. It is very rare that an accidental discovery like penicillin occurs. Much more likely are tweaks and innovations improving on existing technology – as the saying goes, we’re all “standing on the shoulders of giants” in terms of medical research, benefiting from the insights, as well as the mistakes, of the past. Below are a few sectors to look for some of the next great improvements in the provision of health care.
Preventative Care
Although it may not always feel like it on payday or during tax season, the world is getting wealthier every day. The health problems of a wealthier population are most likely to come from
which result from diet and lifestyle. In other words, preventable diseases. A bit of a reality check is required here, however. While researchers can debate the details, everyone agrees that not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, and exercise are the key to improving health and longevity. Yet, this has not stopped people from leading unhealthy lives, so it is difficult to expect preventative care to come up with further innovations, unless they focus more on behavioral modification.
Gene therapy
The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, and since then we are starting to see improvements in the applications of understanding our human genetic code. Advances in the treatment of hereditary diseases and birth defects show the most potential to benefit from gene therapy. Neurological and spinal injuries have also been subject to some groundbreaking treatment from gene therapy. A recent medical trial in Taiwan has successfully used gene therapy to treat a specific amino acid deficiency (AADC) in children, which is typically fatal. By using a custom engineered virus on the young trial patients, improved mobility and longevity were reported.
Pharmaceutical Research
Perhaps one of the most important breakthroughs in the advancement of drug therapies didn’t come in a research lab, but rather in the halls of U.S. Congress, which passed the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, which allows the FDA to fast-track “breakthrough” drugs for approval in treating serious diseases. The growth of technology and the speed of research has increased dramatically as computing power accelerates. This new policy is evidence that regulators are trying to keep pace with innovators.
Mobile Technology
Another segment of rapid improvement and innovation is in the field of diagnostics. Thanks to advances in mobile communications, doctors separated geographically from patients may still administer a diagnosis. This has long been the case for radiology, but increasingly sophisticated technology is allowing patients to receive EKGs, neurological tests, and lab work anywhere in the world and have results reported to their doctor at home. Dr. Francis Collins from the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. points to improvements in wearable chemical sensors and improvements in cameras in improving diagnostic care.
Nanotech
Nanotech, or “very small” technology involves using tiny microscopic particles in the treatment of disease. The FDA has already approved its first “nano-drug,” Doxil (doxorubicin), for clinical use in 2013, and thus far the drug shows great potential for treating ovarian cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Future innovations in nanotechnology applications will be subject to research on the environmental effects of the drugs. The microscopic size of the nanotech particles means that they are very easily absorbed by the human body, whether they are beneficial or harmful.
The Future of Medical Innovation
Health care in the future will look very different than what we experience today. Behavioral modification, nanotechnology, gene therapy, and an increasingly connected world will change our perception of what a hospital or clinic should be. It’s a very exciting time for medical research and the provision of health care.
