Biotechnology has changed the face of medicine forever. The advances in technology have improved and saved the lives of many individuals. Prosthetic limbs allow amputees the ability to walk or reach for things they need. Organ transplants allow people more time to live. And at-home testing removes barriers for getting people the treatments they need to get well. These are some of the newest advances in biotechnology you can look for when you need healthcare.
At Home Testing
The rise of COVID-19 across the globe led to an awakening and acceleration in biotechnology on many fronts. When doctors and nurses focused on caring for patients with the disease, many people were afraid to leave their homes to visit the doctors' offices. Additionally, delays in receiving test results meant it was difficult for doctors to give the best treatment recommendations. Not all labs were equipped with the right machines but needed a solution with a low PCR machine cost.
This led to a revolution in testing and the eventual creation of an at-home COVID-19 test. This has opened the eyes of many people for the need for at-home testing for many different illnesses. As biotechnology improves and continues to move forward, more and more home testing kits will become available to help consumers and doctors more easily discover and manage health concerns more affordably.
Transplants
Most people think of transplants as being an organ transfer. And while that is one form of transplantation, there are more options that have helped countless lives in recent years. Advances in biotechnology mean that people who need new skin on their face, or who struggle with intestinal disease can get help. Facial transplants are a new biotechnology for people damaged by disease, fire, or chemicals. A new face can change lives in incredible ways. Fecal transplants can help people have regular bowel movements for the first time in their lives.
Advances in Prosthetics
It used to be said that nerves cannot be regenerated. This was tragic news for people with spinal cord injuries and those who lost limbs. Even with prosthetics, these people would never feel anything again. Until now. With advances in biotechnology, artificial sensory nerves mean that people with prosthetic limbs will be able to feel once again. This emerging technology is a game changer. No longer are the big, bulky limbs the norm, but limbs and look and feel authentic make people feel whole once again.
Artificial Intelligence
Doctors spend a lot of time taking notes, documenting patient health information, and analyzing all this data alongside test results. One of the ways that artificial intelligence is being used in medicine is to capture and analyze this data for the doctor. This can help the doctor see trends he or she may have missed. It helps them to make more accurate diagnoses. It also helps them become more efficient so they can focus their time with their patients. Additionally, it offers greater cybersecurity than previous technologies to ensure your health data is protected.
Robotics
It used to be that patients were at the mercy of the steady hand of a good doctor when they went in for surgery. The precision of medical procedures was affected by so many factors, and despite the very best doctors in the room, there were often errors that led to deaths on the surgical floor. When doctors use robotics in the surgery room, they don't need to worry if their blood sugar suddenly drops, and their hands start shaking. Robotic arms in surgery mean that the precision of a cut can be to mere nanometers. It means that even while the doctor is guiding the arm, there is less fear of mistakes and cuts at the wrong spot.
Augmented Reality for Surgery
Did you ever think video game technology could be used for something so important? While it used to be that flat scans were made in advance and a doctor had a general idea of where to cut, this lack of precision led to a lot more unnecessary trauma in the body. The use of modern MRI technology combined with 3D visualization means that the doctor can see things more clearly. They'll see 3D images of the patients' bodies so they can use it as a guide to get to the right spot more easily and adding less trauma to the tissue. As more and more doctors use this augmented reality technology for surgery, patients will spend less time healing post-op and more time getting back to life.
Personalized Treatments
No two people are exactly the same. While one treatment may work effectively for an individual, it doesn't mean that the same treatment will have the same effect on another person. Medicine in the past has relied on a one-size fits all approach. Modern advances in medicine including in biotechnology mean that more people will get customized treatment plans. It means that medical professionals will have access to treatment options and medicines that can target disease more effectively in an individual. This personalization of medicine is good news especially for people with rare illnesses who struggle to get effective treatments.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
