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Stem Cell Research
Stem cells are used to research human development, drug discovery, cell replacement, and cell repair. Research on embryonic stem cells is said to be unethical, and it has been banned. A team at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, led by James Thomson and Jeffrey Jones reported the first batch of human embryonic cells. -
Immunotherapy for Cancer
William Coley is known as the "father of immunotherapy". He played a big role in developing and testing these treatments. Immunotherapy boosts the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. The first FDA-approved immunotherapy treatment was for bladder cancer in 1990. -
HIV Cocktail
Pharmacologist William H. Prusoff created the first HIV cocktail. Drugs called protease inhibitors revolutionized the treatment of patients infected with AIDS. These drugs usually are taken with two other drugs called reverse transcriptase inhibitors. HAART is used to lengthen life expectancy and reduce the risk of passing the HIV virus to your partners. If left untreated, HIV attacks your immune system and can allow different types of life-threatening infections and cancers to develop. -
Robotic Surgery
Robotic Surgery was first used in 1990/2000. It was done by the da Vinci surgery system. A robot-assisted procedure uses tiny surgical instruments inserted through small incisions to perform precise movements. A surgeon controls these movements from a console. The technology gives people more treatment options for complex problems like surgery for head and neck cancer. -
Artificial Liver
Kenneth Matsumura invented the artificial liver. Artificial livers are important because only one in twenty people in need of a liver transplant will actually get one due to the fact that there aren’t enough donors. If the liver failure is acute, it may be only a few hours before it develops into a life-threatening condition that affects all the cells in the body. Not even the brain will be able to function optimally. If your liver fails, a patient’s body becomes poisoned. -
Health Tracker Apps
MyFitnessPal was created by Albert Lee and Mike Lee. It is used to track your diet and your exercise, making it easier for people to keep up on a healthier lifestyle. MyFitnessPal is the first modern-day health tracker, but people would use different methods to track their health dating back to the 1800's. -
Face Transplants
The world's first partial face transplant on a living human was carried out on November 27, 2005 by Professor Bernard Devauchelle. The world's first full face transplant was carried out March 20, 2010 on a man injured in a shooting incident. Face transplants are used to improve someone’s quality of life if they have been harmed in an accident or born with a birth defect. It enhances the physical appearance and the functional ability of a person, such as chewing, breathing, and talking. -
Bionic Prosthetics
The modern version of the prosthetic was created in 2011, but the first product was made in 2003. The orthopaedic surgeon who leads Össur’s research and development efforts and spearheaded the mind-controlled prosthetics project. The movement in able-bodied individuals generally begins subconsciously, which triggers electrical impulses inside the body that catalyze the appropriate muscles into action. -
Molecular Breast Imaging
Michael K O'Connor, Ph.D. is a Mayo Clinic Cancer Center scientist and the inventor of Molecular Breast Imaging. MBI testing is used to find tumors that would otherwise be obscured by surrounding dense breast tissue on a mammogram. -
Anti-smoking Laws
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public spaces. In 1965, the first caution against smoking was advertised on a pack of cigarettes. In 1988, it became illegal to smoke on planes. In January of 2019, several states raised the legal smoking age to 21.
