Ever wonder what the most important medical advances of the past decade have been? Medicine is an ever evolving field of science, with constant breakthroughs and discoveries being made at a rapid pace. Wondering what this past decade has brought in terms of medical advances? We have compiled a list of the seven most impressive medical triumphs over the last ten years. From vaccines and cancer treatments to the once a day HIV pill, our list has it all.
So, let’s take a look at the countdown.
No. 7: Blood Tests for Down Syndrome Detection
While amniocentesis represents a reliable method to detect the Down syndrome in an unborn fetus, this particular procedure does carry some risks. However, in 2008, scientists developed a less invasive test that could identify the syndrome simply by drawing blood from the mother.
No. 6: The All Inclusive Vaccine
If you have any children, you probably already know how much of a hassle it is to keep up with the strict vaccination regimen a child has to undergo in the first year and a half of its life. Scientists have tried to alleviate this burden with the introduction of a brand new vaccine, called Pentacel, which single handedly provides protection against five diseases: polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and haemophilus influenza.
See the rest of the most important medical advances of the past 10 years:
No. 5: Face Transplant
Yes, you’ve read correctly: face transplant. Over the past decades, impressive breakthroughs have been made in this department. It all started in 2005, when a team of surgeons successfully performed a partial face transplant, using grafts from a brain-dead donor. In 2009, a Spanish surgeon not only transplanted a face, but also the jaw and tongue.
No. 4: An Alternative to Chemotherapy
While chemotherapy has been the gold standard for cancer treatment for years, over the past decade, the introduction of new drugs, or the so called targeted therapy, has revolutionized cancer management protocols.
No. 3: One-a-day HIV Pill
In 2006, pharmaceutical researchers tried to ease the burden of adhering to an HIV therapy regimen, with the introduction of Atripla, which combines three different antiretrovirals into one. What is more, the dosage is calculated in such a way that patients only have to take it once a day.
No. 2: The Human Genome Map
Although a first version of the human genome map was released in 2001, it was not until 2003 that it was completed. The medical world hopes that his map will one day provide the path to better understanding how diseases occur in the body, as well as to finding more efficient treatment options.
No. 1: The HPV Vaccine
The association between HPV, the Human Papilloma Virus, and cervical cancer is no longer a mystery, neither to the medical world nor to the general public. In 2006, the first vaccine targeted against this deadly virus was developed and released on the market, admittedly not without controversies. Nonetheless, this particular vaccine remains one of the biggest medical advances of the past ten years.
