Innovations in Medical Technology for 2024 and Beyond

As many periodicals often do, I am going to review some of the most important technological developments of 2024 that are certain to have a profound effect on healthcare in the future.

Many of you hearing this will groan proclaiming, “I’m so tired of this ever-proliferating technology” Can’t we return to simpler times? I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the answer to that is NO. As some would say, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!” …

For those of you over the age of 60, you will recall your parents telling you the same thing…NEWSFLASH, our younger selves have just become our parents…and the same was true for them. Some refer to this as the “cycle of life”. As we age, we often stop learning new things that are not required for our jobs or day-to-day living, because we feel that we are being forced to learn new and difficult concepts and functions that have no real purpose in our current life…so we often pawn those tasks off on our children. Why is it so easy for them? Like it or not, as long as we live, change is a constant companion. In fact, CHANGE is the essence of life itself…so we may as well embrace it, even if we don’t encourage it.

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As I have previously written, the field of healthcare is undergoing major transformations, especially now with the change of our federal administration. Seeing all these new advancements and innovations indicates that we are already living in the future of healthcare. This new technology is reshaping our treatment and prevention of illness.

Trust me when I tell you that in my view, these advances are needed. Whether we realize that it or not, we are moving from what we will come to realize as the “dark ages” of modern medicine to a new, almost unimaginable future that will seem more like science fiction than what we know as healthcare today.

What might not be as obvious, are the reasons why. So, if you will allow me, I would like to share my thoughts as to why I believe this is true. Let me begin here: Have you ever noticed that sometimes important human achievements that we are all aware of take on a much greater significance in the scheme of things than we first realized?

Let me give you a prime, yet unrelated example...The development and deployment of the atomic bomb. In 1945 it was the single most important factor that resulted in the end of WWII. At the time, it was a major but inevitable achievement. However, how many people could have imagined the effect it would have on humanity over the next 100 years?

I hope you spent a little time thinking about the question… Not only its destructive power, but its potential for good, which in large part, was overshadowed by its military significance…as advanced as we may be, we must never lose sight of the fact that, as a species we a still a “primitive” society where survival is our primary concern and usually dominates outcomes. But there is still hope for enlightenment as we progress towards more spiritual realms…this will not take place overnight…if we survive the immediate challenges we now face.

Let me share some of the important scientific milestones that have brought us to the place in science where we find ourselves today. I am confident that many of you have heard of these developments, even though you may not have fully recognized their significance. Sometimes, it is so easy to forget the names of scientists who have spent the majority of their adult lives in pursuit of these important achievements.

First, and most importantly, is the work of J. Craig Venter who is largely responsible for the development and mapping of the Human Genome in the late 90’s. I once had the pleasure of meeting the man when I lived in the Washington DC metropolitan area… A very impressive human being.

Mapping the human genome was the beginning of a new phase of human understanding of DNA, the source of the biochemical information that makes us different from each other and every other lifeform in existence. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier are the scientists who discovered CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing technology that allows researchers to precisely alter the DNA of living organisms. Both were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work.

Sydney Brenner was one of the first to view James Watson and Francis Crick’s double helix model of DNA in April 1953. The 26-year-old biologist from South Africa was then a graduate student at the University of Oxford, UK. So enthralled was he by the insights from the structure that he determined on the spot to devote his life to understanding genes.

In 1961 Brenner, with François Jacob and Matthew Meselson, published their demonstration of the existence of messenger RNA. Over the next two years, often with Crick (of Watson and Crick fame), Brenner showed how the synthesis of proteins (the purpose of RNA) encoded within DNA sequences is accomplished. These Scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work. Many of you may remember the controversy created by the use of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, thinking that this was a new and untested, possibly dangerous technology that resulted from the need to develop an effective vaccine immediately.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that Johns Hopkins had been working with mRNA since the 70s. However, the challenge was that mRNA would be taken up by the body quickly and integrated before it could deliver its message. The solution to this problem came from advances in nanotechnology: the development of lipid nanoparticles that wrap the mRNA like a bubble which allowed entry into the cells and then degrade permitting the mRNA to do its thing.

The result of this technological advance resulted in the successful use of mRNA against the deadly Ebola virus in 2013. However, that virus is only found in a limited number of African countries and therefore, this technology had no commercial development in the USA.

So, you see, that the use of mRNA was not rushed or used for the first time in Pfizer’s or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as some anti-vax proponents claim.

I have already introduced you to much of the technology advanced in 2024. But these are important developments that bear repeating. I will list and briefly describe them to allow you to evaluate their significance in the scheme of things. But before I do that, I want to paint a picture of what I see as the healthcare landscape…

I have just presented several pioneering efforts that have taken place over the past 70 years, which form the basis of understanding of human physiology. Compared to the time of Charles Darwin, who acknowledged the existence of individual cells, his discussion of these fundamental building blocks of life demonstrated almost no understanding of how or why they work as they do.

Now, science sees each type of cell as an amazingly complex system of physical and chemical components that operate in ways we are yet to completely understand. Ultimately, we now realize that almost everything we observe is the result of molecular composition and chemical structure that behave in predictable ways according to their atomic makeup. At any one time, there are a myriad of chemical actions and reactions going on simultaneously that determine the activity and function of each cell. Much of this can be basically understood through the lens of the periodical table by recognizing the physical behaviors of elements in our universe.

Once the dynamic complexity of cellular function is better understood, one can further appreciate the difficulty in correcting malfunctioning cellular systems that we refer to as dysfunctional metabolism. We now realize this metabolic dysfunction, whether the result of genetics, foreign pathological agents, our diet, or lifestyle are responsible for all acute and chronic disease.

Up until this point in time, success in medical treatment has mostly been the result of “trial and error”. This is why “experience” in the practice of medicine is vital to achieving success. As we increasingly understand the mechanisms responsible for successful resolution of any human “illness”, the correct course of action becomes more predictable.

Now imagine if we had access to ALL the data describing medical treatments and results across ALL ages, ALL populations, and across ALL time…Without doubt, if we were in possession of ALL this information, we would be FAR MORE successful in resolving ANY health-related problem. The problem with that concept is: NO ONE individual or group of individuals has that ability…

HOWEVER, there is now something in our world that does provide that power. Have you guessed what it is? If you answered Artificial Intelligence, you would be correct, at least in part. The other necessary components are data acquisition and raw computing power. Just ask Elon Musk… These things will be here sooner than you imagine.

At the same time, as any experienced physician has learned, no matter how accurate a diagnosis may be, each individual is different in some ways, leaving an element of uncertainty, but this uncertainty can be incorporated into a treatment plan. For the scientists in the audience, does the word “uncertainty” suggest anything to you? If the thought of quantum mechanics entered your mind, you are pointed in the right direction…

I believe that quantum computing can deal with “uncertainty” since it is based on that premise. Not to go too far down the “rabbit hole”, I am aware that inherent errors in computation cause problems for “Qubits” (quantum bits of information). However, I believe that continued developmental technology can solve this problem as a necessity.

Until that day arrives, there are many ways we have of improving the tools we use in healthcare. I have compiled a list of advancements that are already being used to save time, money, and eliminate secondary problems that arise from the use of less-than-ideal solutions.

Telehealth and remote monitoring:

Advances in medical technology and healthcare include telehealth and remote monitoring. Telehealth is a new medical technology that provides healthcare remotely to patients. RPM stands for remote patient monitoring, which means using technology to monitor patients outside the hospital setting.

• Virtual care: With the help of this new medical technology, patients can interact with their providers from home. In 2024, virtual care platforms such as Amwell and TelaDoc Health have expanded to include many features like remote diagnostic tools and AI-powered symptom checkers. This helps to provide the diagnosis and treatment without the need to meet in person.

• Continuous glucose/ketone monitoring (CGM/CKM): One of the other medical inventions of remote monitoring is the CGM device and most recently CKM. This device is placed in an inconspicuous placed on the body, where under the skin detection gives real-time glucose or ketone readings. As control of obesity and insulin resistance become more important, these devices measure small but important changes in blood chemistry. This information guides the user to enable slow and progressive movement towards a specific goal.

AI-powered diagnostics

• AI-powered diagnostics: are another example of advances in medical technology and healthcare. With the help of this new medical technology, we can detect diseases early. For example, AI can help us detect the smallest change in mammography. The human eye may miss such details while AI can detect abnormalities and bring them to the attention of the technician.

• Personalized treatment plans: One more healthcare invention includes personalized patient treatment plans. AI’s predictive capability helps providers get the most accurate and best possible personalized patient treatment. This type of advanced treatment planning depends upon the recognition of small individual variations in biochemistry, genetics, and existing conditions or medications that would not have been realized or considered in the past.

Bioprinting and Regenerative medicine

• Bioprinting: New medical technology comes with bioprinting and regenerative medicine. Bio-printing helps in the creation of functional tissues and organs. With the help of these medical technology inventions, scientists are trying to make fully functional organs. This will help them in organ transplantation. With this medical innovation, there is less chance for recipients of organ transplants to reject the organ. The reason being that it is made from the patient’s own cells. Hence, this also solves the problem of shortage of donor organs.

• Regenerative medicines: New medical technologies in 2024 are the evolvement of regenerative medicines. With the help of this new medical technology, stem cells are used to repair organs and tissues.

Inflammatory diseases and mRNA-based therapies

•  Advances in medical technology and healthcare are resulting in new mRNA-based therapies. Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lupus can be treated using this technology. These mRNA-based therapies became successful in COVID-19 vaccines. Researchers now want to use the same medical inventions to treat autoimmune diseases.

•  Chronic inflammation is very common in multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. This new medical technology in 2024 helps to produce anti-inflammatory proteins directly into the body. This helps to control inflammation in various areas of the body.

Surgical robots

Recent medical innovations involve surgical robots. This new medical technology in 2024 is surgical robots with advanced sensors. This allows the surgeons to perform surgeries with precision. These healthcare inventions help in minimally invasive surgeries. This results in small incisions and faster recovery.

Some of the newest medical technologies of surgical robots are:

• MAKO Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery

• Versius Surgical Robotic System

• Da Vinci Surgical System

Incidentally, I had a titanium knee replacement crafted and placed by the MAKO robotic arm assisted surgery in 2012 (rather experimental at the time). I was walking the day of the surgery and experienced almost no pain or problems since then… I rarely even think about it, because I am not aware of it… a small price to pay for the enjoyment and benefit of running more than 35,000 miles…

Other examples of new medical technologies in 2024 consist of the following:

1. Nanomedicine

2. Blockchain for health records

3. Digital therapeutics

4. Advanced imaging technology

5. VR and AR technologies

Conclusion:

Healthcare technology trends are reshaping the landscape of the healthcare system. We can treat diseases more effectively with these new medical technologies and advancements. With the help of these medical innovations, we can transform how we approach healthcare and wellness in the coming years.

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Until next time, take care and stay POSITIVE …have a happy New Year…Dr. G

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