Could we eradicate all diseases? With AI to help, scientists have been making some astonishing breakthroughs. But some experts doubt that we can find the answer to everything.
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Seven great medical advances of 2024
Could we eradicate all diseases? With AI to help, scientists have been making some astonishing breakthroughs. But some experts doubt that we can find the answer to everything.
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It was an extraordinary pledge. Priscilla Chan broke down in tears as she announced that she and her husband Mark ZuckerbergSince founding Facebook as a university student, Zuckerberg has become one of the top ten richest people in the world. were donating £2.3bn to medical research. She said that as a paediatricianA doctor who works with children., she sometimes had to give parents devastating news about their children's health. If possible, she wanted to spare them that pain.
"In those moments and in many others," she said, "we're at the limit of what we understand about the human body and disease, the science behind medicine, the limit of our ability to alleviate suffering. We want to push back that boundary."1
So, nearly 10 years on, how is humanity progressing towards the goal of "curing, preventing or managing all diseases by the end of the century"? Here are seven amazing ways in which that has been done this year:
Could we eradicate all diseases?
Yes: Even before the invention of AI, scientists were making remarkable progress in the field of medicine. With the aid of this extraordinary tool there is no limit to what they can achieve.
No: There are enormous gaps in our knowledge of disease and they often mutate just when we think we have discovered a cure. And as the old saying goes, you have to die of something.
Or... According to the International Task Force for Disease Eradication, there are seven diseases we could put an end to, including mumpsA viral infection that causes swelling in the face. It can be serious. and measlesA very contagious infection that causes rash and flu-style symptoms. . We should keep our goals realistic.
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Keywords
Mark Zuckerberg - Since founding Facebook as a university student, Zuckerberg has become one of the top ten richest people in the world.
Paediatrician - A doctor who works with children.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Oestrogen - Female sex hormones. After the menopause, these can increase the risk of cancer.
Schizophrenia - A mental illness often accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. The term derives from two Greek words meaning "divided" and "mind".
EpiPen - A medical device that injects a dose of adrenaline to people suffering from severe allergic reactions.
Opioids - A group of pain-relieving medicines that can be made from poppy plants. They can be highly addictive.
Synthetic - An artificial substance or material. It is made by humans using chemical processes, rather than occurring naturally.
Peptides - Chemicals made of short chains of amino acids.
Neurons - Neurons, also known as nerve cells, are cells in the nervous system that use chemical or electrical signals to transmit information throughout the body.
Epilepsy - The symptoms of epilepsy include blackouts and violent shaking. It was also known as "the falling sickness".
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA, is one of the most most prestigious universities in the world.
Mumps - A viral infection that causes swelling in the face. It can be serious.
Measles - A very contagious infection that causes rash and flu-style symptoms.
Seven great medical advances of 2024
Stepping forward: Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wants to end all illness by the end of the century, whilst Microsoft has lofty aims to solve cancer using AI. Glossary
Mark Zuckerberg - Since founding Facebook as a university student, Zuckerberg has become one of the top ten richest people in the world.
Paediatrician - A doctor who works with children.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Oestrogen - Female sex hormones. After the menopause, these can increase the risk of cancer.
Schizophrenia - A mental illness often accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. The term derives from two Greek words meaning "divided" and "mind".
EpiPen - A medical device that injects a dose of adrenaline to people suffering from severe allergic reactions.
Opioids - A group of pain-relieving medicines that can be made from poppy plants. They can be highly addictive.
Synthetic - An artificial substance or material. It is made by humans using chemical processes, rather than occurring naturally.
Peptides - Chemicals made of short chains of amino acids.
Neurons - Neurons, also known as nerve cells, are cells in the nervous system that use chemical or electrical signals to transmit information throughout the body.
Epilepsy - The symptoms of epilepsy include blackouts and violent shaking. It was also known as "the falling sickness".
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA, is one of the most most prestigious universities in the world.
Mumps - A viral infection that causes swelling in the face. It can be serious.
Measles - A very contagious infection that causes rash and flu-style symptoms.