Amazing healthcare advances forecast for next two decades

By Dick Pelletier

     We often think nostalgically of our past as the "good old days," but projected scientific and technological breakthroughs suggest the greatest and most exciting times are yet to come. Today, breakthroughs in healthcare rush at us with amazing speeds, but the golden ages of biotech, 2010-2020, and molecular nanotech, 2020-2030, promise even greater advances in human health.

     Legendary biologist Leroy Hood predicts that in the next decade, we will understand genetic predispositions for most sicknesses and develop tools for preventing them. “We’ll move from a mode that’s largely reactive to one that’s predictive and preventive,” he says.

     Between 2010 and 2020, research labs will place strong focus on regenerative medicine with its amazing prospect for re-growing organs and tissues from inside the body. According to a recent government report, this new technology promises to radically improve health, restore a more youthful appearance to aging seniors and 'boomers, and eliminate most deaths from cancer, heart disease, obesity, and many other illnesses.

     This future is not so surprising considering how much we take our current speed of medical innovations for granted. Almost daily we hear researchers make fresh discoveries, or begin new clinical trials. Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts we can expect more medical advances between now and 2020 than was experienced during the entire 20th century.

     And when we enter the 2020s, molecular nanotech will begin to wield its powerful influence over our lives. Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Dr. Tuan Vo-Dinh dreams of the day when nano-sized robots will roam freely through the bloodstream, zapping diseased cells with pinpoint lasers, repairing all problems they encounter along the way.

     Though he admits that nanobots sound like something out of the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, Vo-Dinh feels confident his dream will come true. "Already we can insert nano-biosensors into cells and observe their process," he says.

     Officials at Foresight Institute, an industry think tank, agree that future nanobots will revolutionize healthcare. Ability to self-replicate makes them inexpensive, and because they can position each atom in place with perfect precision, they leave no doubts about the quality of performance.

     Today, when a cell is damaged, doctors rely on drugs to instruct the cell to repair itself; a hit-or-miss process that often fails. With nanobots, damaged cells are completely rebuilt one atom at a time, creating a flawless, brand new, youthful cell.

     Institute for Molecular Manufacturing's Robert Freitas believes that, "when nanorobotics becomes reality, which could happen as early as mid-2020s, it will not stop at eliminating disease; it will actually improve on nature. Bones would become stronger and muscles more powerful."

     In addition, Freitas says, "this potential draws the curtain on one of the most dramatic possibilities of all: eliminating aging. Most scientists believe aging results from cell malfunctions. Thus, if nanorobotics can correct cellular problems, middle-aged and even elderly people should be able to regain most of their youthful health, strength, and beauty, and enjoy an almost indefinite extension of life."

     Will this "magical future" happen? If today's technologies continue to advance exponentially, the answer is a resounding yes. The choice of living hundreds of years in perfect health, instead of aging and dying may soon be within our grasp.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.