There are many developing breakthroughs in modern medicine on the horizon. These breakthroughs include mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, the development of antibiotic alternatives and solutions to antimicrobial resistance, and the use of stem cell therapy to improve the lives of patients with chronic illnesses. However, I predict that the most significant breakthrough medicine of this decade will be gene therapy and CRISPR based treatments.
Gene therapy and CRISPR based treatments target the genetic cause of diseases specifically, and therefore drastically reduce side effects. They are tailored to the individual, which increases efficacy over broader, one size fits all medicines. This ability to edit the human genome at the source of genetic disorders will mean conditions like sickle cell anaemia will not just be treated, but cured. Getting to the root cause of these conditions will drastically improve the outcomes and quality of life of those with genetic conditions. It’s not just rare genetic diseases which can be treated with gene therapy. It has a broad applicability, from common conditions such as certain types of cancer to the rarer conditions like haemophilia.
Success of recent clinical trials for CRISPR based treatments for sickle cell anaemia demonstrates the potential of this breakthrough. The concept of a personalised medicine tailored to an individual’s genome paves the way for fewer adverse effects from medicine and improves the likelihood of success. The development of gene therapy signals a change in how we approach genetic diseases; ultimately being able to focus on a cure, rather than a treatment.