Innovations in Healthcare

I was reading an article recently about innovations and how they are making this world a better place. Who better than a person living in India knows about the innovations in the payments industry.

I stumbled upon an article from the World Economic Forum on how innovations in the healthcare space was also poised to make a huge impact on human society.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

The use of Artificial Intelligence in detecting, diagnosing and treating disease has become a significant area of life sciences. This is probable the biggest healthcare revolution of the 21st century.

Companies are developing algorithms to not only detect diseases but also make great improvements in accuracy of diagnosis reducing the requirement of further costly and painful investigations.

A deep-learning algorithm developed by health-tech company Qure.ai is?enabling the early detection of lung cancer. The firm says a study demonstrated a 17% improvement when using AI to interpret chest x-rays compared to conventional radiology readings.

3D printing

The use of 3D printing techniques in healthcare is growing and very soon we shall start seeing it being used more frequently.

The technology is being used for creating dental implants, replacement joints, as well as for made-to-measure prosthetics. Research into using 3D printers for manufacturing skin tissue, organs and even medication is also underway.

3D printing allows for faster, cheaper manufacturing process and will one day greatly benefit people living outside of the big cities and medically served areas.

CRISPR gene editing

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene-editing technology can potentially transform how diseases are treated. It could help make significant advances against killer diseases like cancer and HIV in a matter of years.

The technology works by “harnessing the natural mechanisms” of invading viruses and then "cutting out" infected DNA strands". By altering cell mutations, CRISPR also has the potential to transform the way rare conditions like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease are treated.

Smart bandages

A bandage that uses sensors that uses sensors to monitor wound healing has been developed by researchers in the US. It “promotes faster closure of wounds, increases new blood flow to injured tissue, and enhances skin recovery by significantly reducing scar formation”, according to the Stanford University team behind it.

A thin electronic layer on the bandage has temperature sensors that monitor a wound. If necessary, they can trigger more electrical stimulation to accelerate tissue closure.

Virtual reality (VR)

The VR and AR market is booming worldwide and both technologies are being used increasingly in healthcare applications.?This technology can be used to perform more advanced surgery, helping with pain relief, and treating mental health conditions.

This is not an exhaustive list and scientists and bio engineers are building more powerful and effective means to attack and cure diseases.

Humans have a " never give up " mindset a trait that allows us to solve problems and achieve greater heights.