1st quarter 2007
Science’s top ten – Major scientific breakthroughs of the year
Science magazine, one of the most important and renowned scientific journals, regularly compiles a list of the ten key scientific advances, discoveries, inventions and innovations achieved during the past twelve months. The following breakthroughs in biosciences have made it into the 2006 top ten. Especially relevant to insurance are the diagnostic and therapeutic advances in a common form of blindness (No. 6).
No. 2: Elucidating the Neandertal genome
Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the Neandertal discovery, our distant relatives have been genetically analysed. Their evolution diverged from ours 450,000 years ago. Unsurprisingly, most of the genetic changes advantageous to humans relate to genes active in the brain.
No. 4: Tiktaalit, a 375-million-year-old fish with limbs
In Canada, paleontologists have discovered parts of the skeleton of a three-metre-long animal which made a far-reaching step in evolution, i.e. the transition from water to land around 375 million years ago. The creature called Tiktaalit had fins resembling legs.
No. 6: Hope for patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
In industrialised countries, AMD is the leading cause of blindness or severe visual impairment in the elderly. About one-fourth of those aged 65 and over are affected. Two breakthroughs have been achieved in this area. One is the development of a new drug, the other relates to the discovery of genetic variations that influence a person’s risk of contracting the disease.
It was the first time that a gene responsible for a disease (in this case, complement factor H gene) was identified by using a biochip to generate 100,000 genotypes per patient. This shows that it is feasible to identify the genetic components of common diseases, which are caused by a complex combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors. The genetic test makes it possible to predict an individual’s risk more accurately. Predisposed persons may reduce their risk through preventive measures such as taking vitamins or not smoking. Also, new drugs can be developed based on our understanding of the underlying genetic alterations.
Exactly this has been done for AMD already. It had been known for some time that the VEGF gene product – a factor promoting blood vessel growth – plays a key role in the development of the disease. In the wet form of AMD, abnormal blood vessel growth occurs in the macula, the central region of the retina. Genentech Inc., a Californian pharmaceutical company, has developed a VEGF antibody, which is injected directly into the eyes. This is the first drug to improve vision in AMD patients. The drugs already available at best stabilise the condition. The downside: A monthly dose costs US$ 1,950.
No. 7: How does biodiversity come about?
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has begun a series of clinical trials to evaluate H5N1 vaccine candidates. In 2004, NIAID provided an inactivated H5N1 reference virus that was highly lethal to both birds and humans to Sanofi-Pasteur and Chiron for vaccine production. The process used to manufacture the Sanofi-Pasteur H5N1 influenza vaccine is similar to that used to make the seasonal influenza vaccine that is used in the United States each year. Because the processes are similar, the FDA will more easily be able to evaluate this candidate H5N1 vaccine.
No. 8: New microscopes can "see" celular structures and processes never viewed before
Thanks to a combination of various laser beams and sophisticated detection software, structures on the scale of 50 nanometres can be viewed using visible light and standard lenses. For example, the microscope allows users to watch neurotransmitters being released, i.e. brain cells communicating with each other.
No. 9: How does the brain store new information?
A process called long-term potentiation (LTP), which is involved in nerve cells connecting to each other, has now been found to be responsible. When animals learned something, LTP occurred in the hippocampus (a region of the brain). They forgot what they had learned when LTP was removed.
No. 10: More small RNAs discovered
Small RNAs (genetic material which is read but not made into proteins) have caused quite a stir in recent years with the discovery of "micro-RNAs" and "small interfering RNAs". In 2006, the "Piwi-interacting RNAs" joined the club. They are active only in developing sperm cells. Like the other small RNAs, they are believed to be responsible for regulating the activities of other genes.
For 2007, Science magazine expects more discoveries of gene variants associated with common diseases. Looking back on 2006, the magazine noted that the failure of some researchers, institutions and countries to share samples and data continued to obstruct research on bird flu.