A breakthrough is an important development that improves diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease. Medical breakthroughs radically alter the way people live, and are considered among the most significant milestones in human history.
In recent years, the fields of medicine and biology have seen a number of breakthroughs. [2] These advances have radically improved disease diagnosis, treatment and management, greatly improving patients’ health outcomes and quality of life. [3] Innovators have embraced emerging technologies, from electronic health records and telemedicine to mRNA vaccines against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and are reshaping patient care.
Taking a closer look at a few of these remarkable discoveries:
Margaret Van Bruggen was 14 when she suddenly fell ill. The high school freshman and cross-country runner had collapsed during her first class, and was found to have severe endocarditis, a heart infection that had damaged her mitral valve beyond repair. Doctors gave her a choice of two replacement valves: bioprosthetic valves derived from preserved animal tissue or mechanical ones that would need to be replaced as she grew.
Using 3-D virtual colonoscopy, researchers led by Stony Brook University Professor of Computer Science Arie Kaufman and Co-Director of Radiology Research Jerome Zhengrong Liang created an innovative approach that revolutionized colon cancer screening and is now widely used in US hospitals. Brigham and Women’s surgeons perform the nation’s first triple organ transplant, removing two lungs and a heart from one donor and grafting them to three recipients. Dana-Farber scientists clone the gene ras and demonstrate that when mutated, it contributes to certain common cancers. Mass General dermatologists develop photochemotherapy, a method of treating skin disorders with light and special medications.