Decade of Advances in Medicine — 2000

Houston surgeons successfully transplant nerves from a living human donor to her eight-month-old son to repair nerve damage. New 3-D computer imaging process (virtual colonoscopy) allows doctors to observe intestines painlessly and to screen for colon cancer. Scientists use gene therapy to increase production of key neurotransmitter (dopamine) and strengthen brain cells in monkeys that show signs of Parkinson's disease. A powerful new blood clot-busting drug reduces treatment time for heart attack victims from 90 minutes to 5 seconds. Robotic surgeries perform successful heart bypass and abdominal procedures.

Five years ahead of schedule, scientists succeed in mapping the human genome (all the genes in humans formed from 3.1 billion base pairs that make up DNA). To find out why this groundbreaking discovery could change the future of medicine, click here to read the full story.

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