Credit, Getty Images
2022 was a year of incredible advances in science, medicine and space exploration, setting the stage for further advances in 2023.
From NASA’s Artemis program, which turned our attention to the exploration of the Moon, to new ways to develop vaccines quickly and effectively.
The year 2023 also promises to continue building on these advances.
There are five anticipated anticipations.
1. The new generation of vaccines
Due to the success of mRNA vaccines against the covid-19 pandemic, all types of vaccines are being developed using this technology against a range of diseases.
In the crosshairs of vaccines are, among others, malaria, tuberculosis, genital herpes, HIV, cystic fibrosis, cancer and various types of lung diseases.
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech plans to begin the first human tests of its mRNA vaccine against malaria and tuberculosis in a few weeks, while US company Moderna will do so against the viruses that cause genital herpes and shingles .
One of the most promising mRNA vaccines is against cancer. Immunizers are designed to recognize cancer cells and destroy them.
Other pharmaceutical companies are studying the possibility of administering the Covid vaccine quickly and effectively with a simple nasal spray. They have worked on animals and human trials are expected soon.
2. Advanced spatial observation
Credit, J.Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
The Vera C. Rubin telescope camera has thousands of times the capacity of a conventional camera
The world has marveled at the 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 making breakthroughs for decades.
But there will be deeper exploration tools.
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 sensing 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
Credit, NASA
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight program will literally illuminate the craters and hidden corners of the Moon to analyze the composition of ice deposits.
NASA’s Artemis program, which sent the Orion capsule to the moon without a crew on board and successfully returned it to Earth in December, is just the beginning of more visits to our satellite.
On December 11, the UAE launched its Rashid lunar rover, which is scheduled to survey the surface of our natural satellite.
On that date, NASA also sent an orbital satellite to explore the composition of water ice deposits in the craters and darkened regions of the Moon.
There is also the Japanese module HAKUTO-R, which will attempt a soft landing on the Moon in April, as well as the Indian Chandrayaan-3, which will try to land near the south pole of the Moon in mid-2023.
One of the most anticipated missions will be the first civilian flight to the Moon. Eleven people will take a six-day trip aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket.
4. Engineering CRISPR genetics
Credit, Getty Images
Gene manipulation is expected to progress significantly in 2023
The treatment has shown promise 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 go-ahead will make exa-cel available to patients with sickle cell disease, a severe structural deformity of red blood cells that impairs blood circulation.
And 2023 could be the year in which CRISPR-Cas9 therapy will be approved, a gene editing technique that allows you to alter a DNA strand, cutting a part of it and reconstituting it to form a new sequence.
5. Drugs against Alzhandimer
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Alzheimer’s research will enter a drug development phase
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 hailed 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 concerns the drug lecanemab, which attacks the sticky plaque — called beta-amyloid — that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
In a flawed field of research, this drug is considered “the initiator of Alzheimer’s therapies,” according to experts.
Another drug, called blarcamesine, which activates a protein that improves neuron stability, will remain in clinical trials. The novelty is developed by the pharmaceutical company Anavex Life Sciences.
