Exciting Advancements in Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
- By Patrick M. Schmidt
LOOKING BACK AT the history of medicine underscores just how far we have come — from making diagnoses “based on what ancient physicians could observe with their eyes and ears,” to the development of the microscope that “revealed not only the cellular structure of human tissues, but also the organisms that cause disease,” to the establishment of the clinical laboratory and the development of new biological treatments in the 20th century.1 Today, modern methods of diagnosing and treating diseases continue to make exciting advances, several of which we highlight in this issue.
Some tout artificial intelligence (AI) as the future of medicine. As we explore in our article “Artificial Intelligence and Big Data — A Crossroad of Interoperability and Capability,” there are different forefronts of AI. One, known as “deep learning,” provides the potential for machines to learn via repetition to detect diseases far more accurately and faster than could ever be possible by humans. Another, known as the “deep patient,” allows machines to sift through vast amounts of data and link comparative trends to help humans make decisions that will develop better roadmaps to care. But AI also comes with many unknowns — especially when looking at its capabilities for altering genes. Clearly, as AI moves forward, it will be necessary to scrutinize its ethical and legal ramifications.
Another area of treatment predicted to radically transform medical strategies over the next few decades is the use of cord blood in transplants. While cord blood was once considered a useless byproduct, it is now known to contain stem cells that can be harvested, stored and used to save the lives of people with more than 80 different diseases. In our article “The Future of Cord Blood,” we explain the importance of cord blood for hematopoietic stem cell transplants. We also delve into cord blood’s advantages and limitations, because while there is no denying it is lifesaving, especially for those with blood and immune system disorders and for ethnic minorities who are limited in locating potential bone marrow donors, its benefit in transplants for adults is hampered due to the small volume of stem cells collected in one cord blood unit. As such, considerable research is being conducted to expand the usefulness of cord blood transplants, as well as to assess its ability to treat a host of other diseases.
On another front, while not as favorable as generics in reducing the cost of drugs, biosimilars will undoubtedly have an impact, with many predicting a reduction in price by about one-third or more. Biosimilars have been widely available in Europe for more than a decade, and finally, the number of approvals in the U.S. is starting to make headway. Even so, manufacturers of biosimilars in the U.S. face many challenges, as we explain in our article “Biosimilars: From Concept to Reality.” These include patient satisfaction and safety, demonstrating interchangeability and extrapolating indications. Nevertheless, biosimilars have support from payers and regulators, so it will be essential to create policy frameworks to ensure their continued approval.
As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of BioSupply Trends Quarterly, and find it both relevant and helpful to your practice.
Helping Healthcare Care,
Patrick M. Schmidt
Publisher
References
- Berger D. A Brief History of Medical Diagnosis and the Birth of the Clinical Laboratory. MLO, July 1999. Accessed at www.academia.dk/Blog/wpcontent/uploads/KlinLab-Hist/LabHistory1.pdf.
