The Top 10 Medical Innovations For 2021 According To Cleveland Clinic – Longevity LIVE

In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, the Cleveland Clinic announced the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2021. This is the 18th year of the Summit.

The list of breakthrough technologies was selected by a committee of Cleveland Clinic subject-matter experts. Led by Will Morris, M.D., executive medical director for Cleveland Clinic Innovations, and Akhil Saklecha, M.D., managing director of Cleveland Clinic Ventures.

Here, in order of anticipated importance, are the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2021:

Hemoglobinopathies are genetic disorders affecting the structure or production of the hemoglobin molecule. This is the red protein responsible for transporting oxygen into the blood. The most common hemoglobinopathies include sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Which combined affect more than 330,000 children born worldwide every year. Sickle cell disease is prevalent in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traits for thalassemia are more common in people from Mediterranean countries and in people from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The latest medical innovation in hemoglobinopathies has brought an experimental gene therapy, giving those who have the disorder the potential ability to make functional hemoglobin molecules. This reduces the presence of sickled blood cells or ineffective red blood cells in thalassemia to prevent associated complications.

In individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks the fatty protective myelin sheath that covers the nerve fibers causing communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body that can result in permanent damage or deterioration and eventual death. Approximately 15 percent of people with MS experience a disease subset known as primary-progressive, characterized by gradual onset and steady progression of signs and symptoms. This medical innovation has been FDA-approved and is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody with a novel target is the first and only MS treatment for the primary-progressive population.

Implantable devices like pacemakers and defibrillators deliver electrical impulses to the heart muscle chambers to contract and pump blood to the body. They are used to prevent or correct arrhythmias heartbeats that are uneven, too slow or too fast. Remote monitoring of these devices is an essential part of care. Traditionally, remote monitoring of this device takes place through a bed-side console that transmits the pacemaker or defibrillator data to the physician.

Bluetooth-enabled pacemaker devices can remedy these issues of disconnection between patients and their cardiac treatment. Used in conjunction with a mobile app, these connected devices allow patients greater insight into health data from pacemakers and transmit health information to their physicians.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 70,000 people worldwide are living with cystic fibrosis (CF). It is a hereditary condition characterized by thick, sticky mucus that clogs airways and traps germs, leading to infections, inflammation and other complications. CF is caused by a defective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein.

A class of drugs called CFTR modulators correct the proteins action, but medications developed prior to last year had only been effective in a subset of people with certain mutations. The new combination drug, FDA approved in October 2019, provides relief for patients with the most common CF gene mutation (F508 del) estimated to represent 90 percent of individuals living with the disease.

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The Top 10 Medical Innovations For 2021 According To Cleveland Clinic - Longevity LIVE