Explained: Let’s ‘Rewind 2023’ to medical breakthroughs that gave the world hope

2023 was a year of medical breakthroughs. As science progresses, scientists around the world are working hard to improve the quality of human life. This year, several notable, exciting medical advancements made the headlines. From successful pig kidney transplants into humans to the world’s first whole eye transplant, let’s rewind to the year’s most notable medical breakthroughs.

In the United States, in November, surgeons performed the world’s first transplant of an entire eye. The patient, a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas, had survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident that destroyed the left side of his face, nose, mouth and left eye. In addition to the eye, a partial-face transplant was also done by the team from NYU Langone Health. 

“The mere fact that we transplanted an eye is a huge step forward, something that for centuries has been thought about, but it’s never been performed,” the team lead Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, at the time.

In September, in the United Kingdom, an eight-year-old Indian-origin girl, Aditi Shankar, became the first child to have gone through a special type of kidney transplant. The transplant was a breakthrough, as it didn’t require the little girl to take long-term drugs to stop the potential rejection of the newly transplanted organ. 

The little girl’s immune system was reprogrammed using stem cells from the donor, Aditi’s mother Divya.

In the United States, in August, surgeons transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain-dead patient. The organ worked for a record 32 days and could help bridge the significant organ donation gap.

Scientists from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento in California discovered a “kill switch” that could be used to trigger the death of cancer cells. It is called the CAR T-cell therapy, and it involves genetically modifying T cells collected from a patient’s blood. 

The therapy showed promising results in leukaemia and other ‘liquid’ cancers, but showed “meagre” success against solid tumours, and breast, bowel, and lung cancers.

A study by McGill University in Canada analysed blood samples from more than 60 teenagers to identify specific molecules which can be used as markers for depression. This can help in the early detection of teenagers at risk of psychological diseases like depression.

In May, the US Foods and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the world’s first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. The medicine that took 60 years to develop can safeguard patients 60 years of age and older from lower respiratory tract sickness brought on by RSV.

As the world grapples with antibiotic resistance, a group of British, German and Polish scientists discovered a plant toxin that has a unique method of attacking bacteria. The potential new antibiotic has been named albicidin and works differently than existing antibiotic medicines.

In March, researchers from Australia announced that they had invented a snake-like soft robot that can print living cells from the inside of a patient’s body. 3D bio-printing is already used for medical procedures. However, this can help eliminate the need for invasive surgeries.

In June, the US FDA approved Lecanemab (Leqembi), a drug that significantly helped combat the progression of Alzheimer’s during clinical trials. It is the first drug that targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s, slowing down the disease’s progress. 

The world’s first CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease was given the green light in the UK (in November) and in the US (in December). The therapy called CASGEVY works by correcting faulty haemoglobin genes in a patient’s bone marrow stem cells so that they can produce normal, functioning HB cells.

In September, China made the headlines for reportedly developing a stem-cell-based ‘artificial liver’ that can work outside the human body. A boon for thousands suffering from liver failure, the bio-artificial liver can perform functions such as detoxification and protein synthesis typically carried out by the liver. 

The University of Leeds has developed a tiny robot that can travel deep into the lungs and detect early signs of cancer. It is only 2 millimetres in diameter and is transported into the smallest bronchial tubes using magnets. As per researchers, during testing on a cadaver, the magnetic tentacle robot travelled 37 per cent deeper than standard equipment, that too with significantly less tissue damage.

In 2024, the global community looks forward to many more significant medical advancements, many of which are expected to involve Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

(With inputs from agencies)