Academics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) define the first revolution of medicine as the discovery and expansion of knowledge of molecular and cellular biology. The first revolution of the life sciences began with the 1953 discovery of the double helix structure of DNA — a discovery made just 65 years ago.
Today, MIT academics and other scientific experts believe the medical sector is in the midst of a third life science revolution with the growth of a movement known as Convergence in Healthcare. Published by MIT in a 2016 whitepaper, Convergence in Healthcare is an approach to medical research requiring scientists from the fields of mathematics, chemistry, physical sciences, engineering, computing and life sciences to work together in an integrative way which functions on a deeper level than traditional methods of collaboration.
The same whitepaper also suggests Convergence in Healthcare is the best tool for innovation within the medical sector. Through convergence, many believe some of the world’s health problems could be addressed. Convergence would also lead to significant improvements in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Listed below are three global health issues that academics believe Convergence in Healthcare could help solve.
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Cancer
According to data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) and presented in an article published by CNN, approximately 10 million people are projected to lose their lives to cancer in 2018. By 2100, experts predict cancer will become the number one global killer. In spite of the many largescale charities dedicated to raising funds for a cure and the work of scientists at research institutes, the medical community has not made major advances toward a cure for cancer in recent years.
At the same time, Convergence in Healthcare led to the development of new ways to more effectively treat and diagnose cancer. Both have the potential to improve likelihood of remission and yield more positive outcomes.
For example, an affordable new test under development is able to detect and record the presence of synthetic biomarkers in a patient’s urine through the use of treated paper strips. The test would alert physicians to the presence of certain types of tumors in the colon or rectum.
Additionally, convergence led to the development of new forms of nanotechnology-based combination therapies. These support the delivery of multiple cancer treatment drugs to the site of tumors simultaneously. Some therapies are even able to deliver drug therapies in a specific sequence, making treatments more controlled and effective.
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HIV/AIDS
A person diagnosed with HIV in the United States today does not face the same dire medical future of those patients diagnosed during the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, however, more than 1 million Americans live with HIV/AIDS.
It also remains one of the world’s largest public health issues, especially for those who live in middle- and low-income countries. Globally, there are 36.7 million people, including more than 2 million children, living with an HIV diagnosis. Unfortunately, many people with HIV who live among the most vulnerable populations lack access to treatment and the ability to prevent the illness from spreading to others. This slows progress on the ultimate eradication of the disease.
Through Convergence in Healthcare, scientists are exploring new ways to create a vaccine for this devastating disease. One convergence-based initiative aims to develop a vaccine through chemical engineering. With this method, scientists equip a protein fragment from a virus such as HIV with a fatty tail before attaching the tail to the protein albumin. The albumin then binds the vaccine to fatty molecules carried through the blood to the lymph nodes. This motivates the body to then generate a collection of T-cells uniquely suited to attack the virus.
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Dengue Fever
Dengue fever is a life-threatening viral infection humans contract through mosquito bites. The illness is not a threat to Americans living in the continental US. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of the world’s population lives in areas that expose them to the risk of contracting dengue. The CDC estimates up to 400 million people contract the infection every year. Additionally, it remains one of the leading causes of death in tropic and subtropical zones.
Scientists applying a convergent research model to the problem of dengue fever are taking a unique approach. Rather than focusing on the development of a vaccine or a treatment for the virus, researchers are looking to use synthetic biology to prevent mosquitoes from spreading the illness in the first place.
To accomplish this, Harvard University scientists are altering the genetics of female mosquitoes to pass on a fatal gene to any offspring they bear in the wild. The research would rely on a strategy known as “gene drive” to release the female mosquitoes carrying these mutated genes into areas of the world where dengue fever is rampant.
The genetically altered female mosquitos would effectively breed out entire populations by disrupting the organic cycle of reproduction. They would bear no surviving offspring, thus eliminating vectors for dengue and other mosquito-borne infections around the world.
Rohit Varma 