These 5 biomedical developments of 2022 gave the knowledge of fi-ors

COVID-19 may continue to dominate, but this year’s biomedical advances weren’t all about Rona. 2022 saw a fruitful and seemingly fantastic research that could one day mean good news for patients.

Growing synthetic embryos

This year the two reported on how to construct the first stages of a mammal’s life. With a little bit of laboratory magic, the scientists mixed together mouse blocks of cells that come together to produce what appears to be a type of chick embryo — no egg or sperm required. As they grow, these stem-derived synthetic embryos can form hearts, brains, and organs. But the likeness of a natural mouse embryo quickly fades. The synthetic and natural versions correspond to about eight days of development. However, studying glomerular-like human stem cells may one day provide a way to explore the development of human embryos without relying on the real thing.

Next-stage organ transplantation

Organ Transplantation would refer to science fiction. In January, a 57-year-old patient received a heart from a genetically engineered pig and survived for two months with the transplanted organ.SN: 3/12/22, p. 26). Other surgeries implant pig hearts into the bodies of brain-dead patients, a step that prepares researchers for future clinical trials (SN Online: 7/12/22). And with the help of a high-tech system hooked up to the bodies of pigs, the organs keep working for hours after death. The technology that can preserve organs that have been surgically removed is usually a mixture of real and artificial blood from animals.SN: 9/10/22, p. 12).

Epstein-Barr link with MS

Scientists dropped the Epstein-Barr bombshell for the first time this year when they suggested that the virus was the main cause of the neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis. Infection with the virus is highly unlikely to develop MS, a recent analysis of thousands of recruits from the US military found. The link between HIV and MS, which scientists have suspected but never clearly outlined, could lead the way to potential MS treatments or even, one day, vaccines to prevent the disease (SN: 8/13/22, p. 14).

The complete human genome, finally

Researchers announced in 2003 that they had read all the genetic info packed into the strands of human DNA – the first sequence of the human genome. But that genome was not quite perfect; some lengths of twisted DNA are difficult to see. This year, the joint was tied loosely. In March, researchers reported a new and improved human genome, this time complete from end to end.SN: 4/23/22, p. 6).

AI predicts protein structures

Artificial intelligence has taken the biology of the device to an inexorable speed. A high-throughput software program called AlphaFold has now predicted 3-D shapes for more than 200 million proteins (.SN: 9/24/22, p. 16). Although the structural forms have not been lab-verified, the huge data set could help researchers study health and disease in everything from humans to honeybees. Now, looking up the predicted structure of a protein is almost as easy as typing it into Google, according to the artificial intelligence company that created AlphaFold.