❤️ Health Tech
Health Tech, or digital health, helps us understand and take control of our own health. But we also cover more traditional health news like medicines, vaccines and medical procedures.
💉 New vaccine can stop meningitis in Africa
A five-in-one vaccine has begun to be used in several African countries to protect against bacterial meningitis. The vaccine costs only three dollars per dose and protects against four types of bacteria that cause almost all meningitis epidemics in the region.
🩸 Promising: Blood test can detect more than 50 cancer types – enables earlier treatment
A blood test shows ability to identify over 50 different cancer types and can speed up diagnosis. More than half of the cancer forms were detected in early stages where treatment is more effective. Three-quarters of the detected cancer types currently lack screening programs.
🧬 New gene therapy cures 95 percent of children with "bubble boy" disease
A single gene therapy using patients' own stem cells has cured 95 percent of treated children with a deadly immune disorder. The treatment uses the patient's own stem cells that are genetically modified to produce the missing enzyme.
🦠 AI creates viruses that kill E. coli bacteria
AI models have designed 16 working viruses that can attack E. coli bacteria in the laboratory. The development of the technology could lead to new treatments against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
🎗️ Nearly everyone survives prostate cancer
Nearly 98 percent of patients with prostate cancer are alive at least five years after diagnosis in 2021.
🧫 Robots and AI help couples have children through IVF
At least 20 children have already been born through clinical trials where robots and AI perform IVF treatment with minimal human intervention.
🥼 Lab-grown kidneys getting closer
Researchers have created kidney organoids that develop complex internal structure and produce urine when transplanted in mice.
📱 Headphones and smartphones become medical devices
The FDA has approved AirPods as over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
💵 HIV medicine price drops from $28,000 to $40
The lower cost applies to 120 low- and middle-income countries and takes effect in 2027.