Medicine and technology have gone hand in hand for many years. Advances in the medical field and pharmaceuticals have saved countless lives and improved many others. As the years pass by and technologies continue to grow, it is not easy to predict what improvements will come next but disease diagnosis should continue to improve.
Below are the top 10 new medical technologies in 2019:
1. CRISPR
Clustered Often Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is the very innovative gene-editing technology yet. It works by controlling the mechanisms of bacterium cells of the immune systems of bacterium cells of penetrating viruses, which can’t cut ‘infected DNA strands’ systems. This cutting of DNA is what can change the way we treat disease. By transforming genes, some of the greatest threats to our health, such as HIV and cancer could possibly be overcome in a matter of years.
2. Telehealth
In this technological era, it’s assumed that as many as 60% of customers choose digitally-led services. Telehealth represents fast-developing technology which enables patients to receive medical care through their digital devices rather than waiting for appointments with their physician. By way of instance, highly-customized mobile apps are being developed which allow virtual communication between patients and doctors and other caregivers to talk together to receive prompt diagnosis and medical advice.
With oversubscribed services, Telehealth provides patients various access points to health care when and where they require it. It’s particularly helpful for patients managing chronic conditions as it provides them with cost-effective, convenient and consistent care. The worldwide telemedicine market is expected to be worth $113.1 billion by 2025.
3. Virtual reality
Virtual reality has existed for a while. However, recently, with technological and medical advances students have been able to get near real-life experience using technology. Sophisticated tools to help them gain the life expertise they require by rehearsing procedures and providing a visual understanding of how human anatomy is connected. The VR apparatus will also act as an excellent aid for patients, assisting with diagnosis, treatment strategies and to help prepare them for processes they’re facing. Also, it has proved helpful in patient recovery and rehab.
4. Precision Medicine
As medical technology advances, it is currently becoming more and more personalized to individual patients. Precision medicine, as an instance, allows physicians to pick therapies and medications to treat diseases, such as cancer, according to the genetic make-up of an individual. This personalized medicine is a lot more potent than other kinds of treatment as it strikes tumors dependent on the individual’s particular proteins and genes, causing gene mutations and making it more easily destroyed by the cancer meds.
Precision medicine may also be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It uses a mechanism of attacking the vulnerable genes of the disease weaken it and reduce symptoms and joint damage.
5. Health Wearables
The requirement for wearable devices has increased since their introduction in the last couple of years since the launch of Bluetooth in 2000. People today use their telephone to monitor everything from physical fitness, their measures, and heartbeat. The advancement of these wearable technologies is in combination with increasing chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and intend to combat these by helping patients to monitor and improve their fitness.
In late 2018, Apple made headlines with its groundbreaking Apple Series 4 Watch which has an integrated ECG to observe the heart rhythms of the wearer. Within days of its release, clients raved regarding the life-saving technologies, which can identify possibly severe heart conditions much earlier than usual. The wearable gadgets market is projected to reach $67 billion by 2024.
6. Artificial Organs
To take 3D printing up another cut, bio-printing is also a growing medical technology. While it was initially groundbreaking to have the ability to regenerate skin cells for skin drafts for skin checks for burn victims, this has gradually given way to even more exciting possibilities. The scientist has been able to produce synthetic ovaries, pancreas and also blood vessels. These artificial organs then develop within the body of the patient to replace the original faulty one. The capacity to supply artificial organs which aren’t rejected by the immune system of the body could be revolutionary, saving countless individuals that depend on life-saving transplants each year.
7. 3-D printing
If you are unaware, 3-D printers have quickly become one of the hottest technologies in the marketplace. These printers can be used to perform implants and even joints to be used during the operation. 3-D-printed prosthetics are more prevalent since they’re entirely bespoke, the digital functionalities allowing them to match the individual’s measurement down to the millimeter. This provides for unprecedently degrees of mobility and comfort.
Using printers can make soluble and long-lasting items. By way of instance, printing may be used to ‘print’ pills which contain multiple medications, which will help patients with the organization, monitoring, and timing of drugs. This is an excellent example of medicine and technology working together.
8. Wireless brain sensors
Due to plastics, medical advancements have enabled scientists and physicians to team up and create bioresorbable electronics which may be set in the mind and dissolve when they’re no longer required, according to Plasticstoday.com. This medical equipment will help doctors in measuring the temperature and pressure inside the brain. They decrease the need for additional surgeries since the sensors can dissolve.
9. Robotic Surgery
Robotic Surgery is practiced in minimally invasive methods and helps to assist in control, accuracy, and compliance. During robotic surgery, surgeons can perform complex processes which are otherwise either impossible or difficult. As technology improves, it can be combined with augmented reality to allow surgeons to view further crucial information about the patient immediately while still operating. While the discovery raises concerns that it will finally replace human surgeons, it is possible to be used only to support and improve surgeons’ work in the future.
10. Smart inhalers
Inhalers are the primary treatment option for asthma and if appropriately taken and asthma, will be useful for 90 percent of patients. However, in fact, research shows that just about 50 percent of patients have their condition under control and as many as 94% do not use inhalers correctly.
To assist asthma sufferers in managing their health, Bluetooth-enabled smart inhalers have been produced. A small device is connected to the inhaler that records time and the date of each dose and if it was administered. This information is then sent to the patients’ Smartphones so that they can keep track of control and their situation. Clinical trials demonstrated that using the smart inhaler method used less reliever medication and had more reliever-free days.
11. BioPlex 2200 Lyme Total Assay
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIOb and BIO), a worldwide leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announced in April that it has obtained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its BioPlex 2200 Lyme Total Assay, an advanced multiplex test method to help in the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States. Various signs and symptoms of the disease are similar to other illnesses so diagnosis can be difficult; but, people instantly treated for the infection usually recover quickly and effectively.
The BioPlex 2200 Lyme Total Assay can together identify multiple points, giving laboratories important information in the initial stages of Lyme disease so patients can get treatment as quickly as possible.
“The addition of the BioPlex 2200 Lyme Total assay broadens our BioPlex 2200 System infectious disease menu, offering laboratories the ability to detect Lyme disease at an early stage and thus fulfilling an important medical need in the management of Lyme disease,” said John Hertia, Bio-Rad President, Clinical Diagnostics Group.
The launch of the BioPlex 2200 Lyme assay is the newest contribution in Bio-Rad’s communicable illness menu for the BioPlex 2200 System, an automatic multiplex technology program. The BioPlex 2200 System gives health laboratories with the capacity to quickly process or “multiplex” multiple individual tests which are traditionally processed individually, conserving patient sample quantity and simplifying workflow.
However, as with all powerful tools you will find several controversies surrounding its widespread usage, over humanity’s right to ‘play God’ and concerns over gene-editing being used to generate hordes of designer infants. CRISPR is a first-generation tool, and its capabilities aren’t yet understood.
As the years go by, technology in medication and pharmaceuticals will continue to improve. People are living longer, and fewer ailments are considered incurable.
Jobs in the pharmaceutical sector are in higher demand now than ever. Who comprehends what the next year will bring in progress in medical advancements!