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Cold hard facts
06.09.48: CANCER AND heart disease are on the run but there is still no cure for the common
cold.
That is the message from a report out this week from the Royal College of Physicians celebrating 50
years of medical advance.
We are living longer and suffering from fewer diseases, but we are still as likely as ever to have
the misery of a runny nose.
"It's a useful antidote to hubris," says the RCP's Professor Roman Firenzi. "The problem is really
economic. There are about 200 different types of virus and developing a drug for just one of them
costs as much as E$1 billion. It's not worth it." Another difficulty is that laboratory animals do not
catch colds, so there is no way of testing any new drugs. Hopes that the DNA vaccine would solve the
problem have been dashed because the variety in the proteins of cold viruses is simply too great.
However, the medical breakthroughs listed in the report (see below) more than make up for the
occasional discomfort. JB
MEDICAL MIRACLES
Organ replacements grown from DNA, so there are no rejection problems DNA vaccines have
Aids under control Inherited single-gene defects eliminated Drugs tailored to genetic
types, reducing side effects Nanorobots the size of molecules repair tissue damage and reverse
some of the ageing process Bio-sensors monitoring your health anticipate potential problems
Vid screens in most households advise on the latest medical treatments using virtual
practitioners Infertility problems all but eradicated Average life expectancy is 93
years, with little serious disease before 80 Cancer and heart disease detected early and rarely
become advanced
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