Medical advancements, in regards to technology, are evolving every day at an exponential rate compared to the past few centuries. Whether we’re discussing Edward Jenner creating the first vaccine in 1796, Karl Landsteiner discovering the 4 different blood types, or Alexander Fleming stumbling upon penicillin, important medical developments are still occurring in modern times. Without question, new technology, AI, and more powerful computer processing allow for more complicated breakthroughs and IT help to many healthcare issues. Here are 3 evolving technologies that will revolutionize the medical industry.
3D Printing
Invented by Charles Hull, 3D printing (stereolithography) is a new technology that allows the precise and speedy creation of three-dimensional objects. 3D printing has vast commercial potential because of its efficiency to create basically anything it can be programmed to. These objects can be simple shapes, more complicated pieces, or a set of pieces that can be fitted together to make intricate designs. In terms of medical equipment, prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, orthopedic implants, and surgical tools are just a few examples of what early 3D is capable of. In terms of the dental health field, crowns, molds, and internal implants are being created as well.
Stem Cell Treatments
A relatively newer technology, biophysicist James Till and cellular biologist Ernest McCulloch discovered stem cells in 1961. Stem cells are specialized cells that can adapt and multiple to match surrounding cells. Adult stem cells are harvested from a certain source, separated in a centrifuge, and reinjected to the affected area. Currently, stem cells are being used to treat blood cancers — leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma — and other conditions that affect the body’s bone marrow. Orthopedic stem cell treatments deal with bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. To learn more about this specific field of orthopedic stem cell therapy, contact the healthcare professionals at ThriveMD today. Hopefully, stem cell research will allow the regrowth of neurons and organ tissue that could potentially cure a whole bevy of serious diseases.
Genome Sequencing
In the 1970s Frederick Sanger and his team created a DNA sequencing technology that sequenced the first full genome of a virus named phiX174. This new technology allows scientists to read a genome to figure out the order of DNA nucleotides (cytosine, guanine, acetone, thymine) and see which genes are activated in particular DNA strands. Gene sequencing allows scientists to know if a patient has any genetic disorders or if someone is more likely to develop certain diseases in the future.
More healthcare trends are being developed every day.