2016 was a good year, witnessing the entry of some brilliant medical technologies, the implementation of which, will help recharge the healthcare industry going forward. We’ve compiled a list for you:
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Virtual Reality
2016 has brought virtual reality closer to the masses. By utilizing VR hardware in their day-to-day practice, healthcare practitioners will have access to real-time information as they undertake surgeries, examinations, and diagnosis.
Virtual reality is proving clinically relevant, as are non-invasive brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). In 2016, as an example, they were used in a study to help paralyzed patients regain touch sensations and voluntary muscle control in their legs. The year-long study was one of the first tests of the effects of long-term training using technology on those with chronic injuries. For an insight, read here.
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Augmented Reality (AR)
Pokemon GO made more people walk than any fitness program could have managed to.
Apart from that, the healthcare industry has seen a rise in the use of augmented reality to assist patients, trainees as well as doctors. The technology is promising as it offers the precision required for a successful surgical procedure. The field of medicine may seem very far removed from the world of gaming, but the writing is clear, AR will save more lives in the near future.
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Bioprinting to make replacement organs
The year witnessed the emergence of ‘printing’ biological entities which can completely eliminate the need for organ donors. The modified inkjet technology is capable of building a variety of tissue and organ prototypes and allows multiple cell types and other tissue components to be arranged in predetermined locations with high precision. 3D printed tissue structures including a full-size tracheal cartilage ring and liver has been successfully engineered using a special bio-ink formulation, infused with stem cells.
The technology has widespread application, like enabling on-site skin-printing for soldiers with life-threatening burns. Skin cells are placed directly into a print cartridge, along with essential materials to support them, and printed directly on the soldier's wound at the site of the wound. This one is straight out of Star Trek.
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Gene-Editing Tool (CRISPR)
A U.S. federal biosafety and ethics committee unanimously approved the world’s first human study on the powers of the genome-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9, which aims to use CRISPR to create genetically altered immune cells to attack cancer. CRISPR-Cas9 is, at present, the simplest, most effective and accurate tool used to conduct genetic manipulations- whether by editing parts of the genome, cutting them out or adding some to DNA sequences. Scientists are also considering its potential in fighting AIDS.
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Miniature leadless pacemakers
Medtronic’s Micra is the next-generation pacemaker which is designed for only one heart chamber. It is only 10% of the size of conventional pacemakers.
Considering there aren’t enough trained cardiac electrophysiologists worldwide to put in systems with leads, the leadless pacemakers are a boon. They are also more effective than their traditional counterparts.
