We want to give you an idea as to what shape healthcare may take in future based on the ongoing research. However, it may take decades before these treatment modalities and/or discoveries are actually proven useful and are widely available.
Immunotherapy for cancer
According to America’s Science magazine, the world’s leading journal of original scientific research, a new method for curing cancer has been discovered. They refer to it as "Breakthrough of the Year.”They have named the treatment “Immunotherapy”. It is a method which uses drugs that spur the body’s immune system to battle tumor cells directly. Before this, researchers had discovered that tumor cells are able to wrap themselves in a protective shield. Now the new drugs which are being tested are able to empower the immune system to break through that protection and allow the body to fight cancer cells on its own. Although the number of cases which are treated by this method are small but the results are encouraging. According to the report, immunotherapy marks an entirely different way of treating cancer—by targeting the immune system, not the tumor itself.
Bee Venom to cure HIV
Bee sting is a thing which makes everybody scared. But do you know that bee venom is being used for curing HIV? Well, researchers of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a toxin in bee venom which is helpful in HIV treatment. The toxin named melittin can kill the HIV virus by poking holes in the protective coating of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. This process leaves the healthy human cells intact. This toxin is attached to nanoparticles with a special bumper. According to the researchers this method could serve as a low-cost method for blocking infection with the help of mixing vaginal cream and the bee venom. The work however, is still underway.
Vaccination without needles will be available soon
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers at King’s College London have developed a new method to deliver vaccine into the skin. The device for that purpose consists of a disc-shaped micro-needle array. These are very tiny projections made of sugar mixed with vaccine. These micro-needles dissolve when the disc is pressed against the skin to deliver the vaccine. It seems like it may revolutionize the health field. It will be helpful for people who continuously need to blood test or take injections for conditions like diabetes.
Detect bad breath
Do you want to know how your breath smells? Well, get ready to download the app. A San Francisco startup has developed a computer chip that works with tiny sensors to sense the smell and taste. You would only have breath two to three times in front of your smart phone screen and it will tell you about your breath whether it is fresh or not.
