5 scientific advances expected in 2023

2022 was a year of incredible advances in science, medicine and space exploration, which set the stage for further progress in 2023.

From NASA’s Artemis program that turned our attention to exploring the Moon, to new methods of developing vaccines quickly and effectively.

The year 2023 also promises to continue building these advances.

There are five expected advances.

1. The new generation of vaccines

Thanks to the success of mRNA vaccines against the covid-19 pandemic, all kinds of vaccines are being developed using this technology against a range of diseases.

In the sights of vaccines are malaria, tuberculosis, genital herpes, HIV, cystic fibrosis, cancer and various types of lung diseases, among others.

The German pharmaceutical company BioNTech plans to start in a few weeks the first tests in humans of its mRNA vaccine against malaria and tuberculosis, while the American company Moderna will do it against the viruses that cause genital herpes and herpes zoster.

One of the most promising mRNA vaccines is against cancer. Immunizers are designed to recognize cancer cells and destroy them.

Other drugmakers are investigating the possibility of delivering the Covid vaccine quickly and effectively with a simple nasal spray. They worked on animals and human trials are expected soon.

2. Advanced spatial observation

The world marveled at new images of the universe taken by the mighty James Webb Space Telescope, the instrument launched by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. The expectation is that the accessory will continue to make discoveries for decades.

But there will be deeper instruments of exploration.

ESA plans to launch the Euclid telescope in 2023, which will remain in solar orbit for six years to create a 3D map of the universe.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, meanwhile, is developing a mission that will detect X-ray radiation from distant stars and galaxies.

And in Chile, the Vera C. Rubin telescope, which has a camera with a detection power of more than 3 billion pixels, is ready to take images next July. The telescope is capable of recording the entire sky as seen from the southern hemisphere in just three days.

3. Missions to the Moon

NASA’s Artemis program, which sent the Orion capsule to the moon with no crew on board and successfully returned it to Earth in December, is just the beginning of other visits to our satellite.

The United Arab Emirates launched its Rashid lunar rover on December 11, programmed to investigate the surface of our natural satellite.

On that date, NASA also sent an orbital satellite to explore the composition of frozen water deposits in craters and darkened regions on the Moon.

There is also Japan’s HAKUTO-R module, which will attempt a soft landing on the Moon in April, as well as India’s Chandrayaan-3, which seeks to land near the Moon’s south pole in mid-2023.

One of the most anticipated missions will be the first civilian flight to the Moon. Eleven people will make a six-day trip aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket.

4. Engineering CRISPR genetics

The treatment has shown promising results in clinical trials against two genetic blood disorders, including sickle cell disease.

Pharmaceutical companies Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics are developing the treatment known as exa-cel, which will be submitted for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration next March.

The green light will make the exa-cel available to patients with sickle cell anemia, a serious structural deformity of red blood cells that impairs blood circulation.

And 2023 could be the year when CRISPR-Cas9 therapy will be approved, a gene editing technique that allows you to alter a DNA strand, cutting part of it and reconstituting it to form a new sequence.

5. Medicines against THElzhandimmerse

In November of this year, the creation of a drug capable of delaying the destruction of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s was announced, which was received by the scientific community as a great advance.

In early January 2023, the US regulatory body will announce whether it can be made available to treat patients, although the drug is only effective in the early stages of the disease.

It’s about the drug lecanemab, which attacks the sticky plaque – called beta-amyloid – that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

In a research field riddled with flaws, this drug is considered “the beginning of Alzheimer’s therapies”, according to experts.

Another drug, called blarcamesine, which activates a protein that improves the stability of neurons, will remain in clinical trials. The novelty is developed by the pharmaceutical company Anavex Life Sciences.

This text was originally published here.