Mystic Mike’s predictions for 2024’s BIG medical milestones

It’s been an excellent 12 months for medical advances, from new medicine for Alzheimer’s to new makes use of for synthetic intelligence corresponding to studying most cancers scans.

Looking ahead into 2024 I’m anticipating to report on tons extra fascinating analysis — so right here, Mystic Mike pulls out his crystal ball and makes predictions about tales that will likely be making the headlines this coming 12 months…

WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS TO TREAT DRINK PROBLEMS

Probably the most important story this 12 months was when a brand new era of anti-obesity medicine, led by semaglutide (model names Ozempic or Wegovy), went mainstream. Lots of celebrities, even Boris Johnson, stated they’d taken, or had been taking, the drug to assist them shift extra kilos.

In his column for the Mail, Boris stated he injected himself within the hope that it might finish his behavior of ‘raiding the fridge at 11.30pm for the cheddar and chorizo washed down with wine’. Then he suffered side-effects and stopped the jabs.

Mystic Mike pulls out his crystal ball and makes predictions about tales that will likely be making the headlines this coming 12 months

Semaglutide works by mimicking the actions of a hormone referred to as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) which, amongst different issues, reduces urge for food.

These medicine are undoubtedly right here to remain and can get cheaper and simpler to manage (we’ll quickly be swallowing capsules relatively than injecting ourselves, for example). But within the coming 12 months I believe we’ll hear extra about their use to deal with different addictive behaviour, corresponding to smoking and extra ingesting. That’s as a result of some folks utilizing semaglutide have reported it curbed their need for cigarettes.

A small research, revealed within the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in November, was the primary to indicate that semaglutide reduces alcohol dependency. But there are different research beneath method — together with one on the University of North Carolina, involving 48 heavy drinkers who’re being given the drug or a placebo for eight weeks. This research is because of end in April 2024.

‘GENE EDITING’ COULD HELP CANCER PATIENTS

The concept of having the ability to deal with somebody with an inherited genetic illness by changing faulty genes with ones that work correctly is a promise that is been held out to us for years — after which final November, the UK turned the primary nation to approve gene modifying as a possible remedy for 2 inherited blood problems: sickle cell illness and thalassaemia.

In each instances, gene defects lead to irregular pink blood cells, which in flip can result in extreme anaemia, organ injury and an early loss of life. Researchers at Imperial College London managed to gather stem cells from the bone marrow of sufferers with these illnesses, snip out the unhealthy genes, change them with good ones, after which transfuse these cells again into the sufferers — hoping the rebooted stem cells would then produce regular, wholesome pink blood cells.

Last November, the UK turned the primary nation to approve gene modifying as a possible remedy for 2 inherited blood problems: sickle cell illness and thalassaemia

In latest scientific trials the researchers confirmed that within the majority of sufferers, that’s precisely what occurred.

In the longer term we will anticipate to see extra sufferers with these circumstances handled with gene modifying — and I anticipate this method to develop into extensively used for most cancers, too (the place docs would insert genes into the white cells of the immune system, encouraging them to assault and kill the most cancers). There is, for instance, a scientific trial utilizing this method to deal with adults with breast, colon or lung cancers, with outcomes anticipated subsequent 12 months.

Further sooner or later, gene modifying may be used to deal with extra of the opposite 6,000 illnesses attributable to a single genetic ‘misspelling’.

MEN START TAKING CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

Another medical advance that has been a very long time coming, however which can lastly take off quickly, is the male contraceptive tablet. A Nottingham-based drug improvement firm, Quotient Sciences, has introduced {that a} group of British males would be the first on this planet to attempt a brand new hormone-free male contraceptive tablet, with outcomes anticipated in 2024.

Quotient Sciences has introduced {that a} group of British males would be the first on this planet to attempt a brand new hormone-free male contraceptive tablet

The tablet, which fits by the unsexy title YCT-529, prevents sperm-producing cells from accessing vitamin A.

We’ve identified because the Nineteen Thirties that depriving animals of vitamin A causes infertility, but it surely’s taken nearly 90 years and rigorous science to get a drug that the producer says is 99 per cent efficient in blocking sperm manufacturing and 100 per cent reversible, with no side-effects. Previous makes an attempt with a male contraceptive tablet have failed as a result of they focused the male hormone testosterone, resulting in issues corresponding to weight achieve, zits and decrease intercourse drive.

POO PILLS FOR A LONGER LIFE

One quest that has just lately moved from science fiction to truth, is reverse the ageing course of. And due to a flood of cash going into analysis, we’ll see some large discoveries in 2024.

But one low-tech technique to decelerate ageing is by boosting your microbiome (intestine microbes). A 2018 research by the University of East Anglia confirmed that in case you transplant faecal microbiota (i.e. poo) from younger mice into outdated mice through a naso-gastric tube, it may possibly reverse indicators of ageing within the intestine, eyes and mind.

One low-tech technique to decelerate ageing is by boosting your microbiome (intestine microbes)

And now a variety of corporations have seen success with ‘crapsules’, capsules that comprise totally different strains of specifically cultured micro organism taken from human poo, disposing of the entire mucky enterprise of poo transplants. Trials to deal with every part from weight problems to liver illness are beneath method — watch this house in 2024.

But till then, let me want you all a contented and wholesome 2024!

As the Mail reported just lately, each New Year’s Eve folks undergo eye accidents from corks flying out of champagne, generally at a pace of 50mph. This offers you lower than 0.05 seconds to react and it may possibly trigger blindness.

To keep away from this, the American Academy of Ophthalmology advises you chill glowing wine and champagne nicely earlier than opening — this ensures that extra of the carbon dioxide gasoline that creates the bubbles is trapped within the wine, and reduces the explosive power if you take away the cork.

Obviously, level the bottle away from your self and others. Twist the bottle whereas gripping the cork, relatively than vice versa. And maintain maintain of it because it comes out.