Five science breakthroughs of 2023
23rd January 2024
As we welcome the new year and fresh beginnings, the Alto team has been reflecting on what has been a landmark year for science. Throughout 2023, we were riveted by some remarkable stories and discoveries. From the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to significant clinical breakthroughs in neurodegeneration and sickle cell disease, 2023 has seen transformative changes that will continue to make waves for years to come.
While 2024 looks set to bring us many more exciting science stories, I felt that it would be apt to reflect upon what has been a magnificent year of discovery. Here’s a brief look back at five great science breakthroughs that shaped 2023.
1. A breakout year for AI
Major technological advancements often creep into our lives incrementally, but 2023 saw an explosion of AI technology that changed the world almost overnight. Following the release of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s natural language processing model, towards the end of 2022, the platform went viral in 2023 and started making its way into our homes.
Astonishing users with its rapid responses and immense breadth of knowledge, the platform took the goliath tech industry by storm, who were seemingly outmanoeuvred by a small startup company with just a few hundred employees. Now that the technology is mainstream, ChatGPT and platforms like it are being leveraged in courtrooms, schools and workplaces, raising ethical concerns over how best to regulate this burgeoning technology.
In the world of science though, AI technology is beginning to make a positive impact. In just one example of the huge potential for science and medicine, last year, scientists experimented with harnessing AI to help the paralysed communicate. So-called brain-reading devices leverage AI to generate words from thoughts. 2023 saw several successful implantations, enabling facially paralysed patients to communicate with unprecedented speed and accuracy [1].
2. New Alzheimer’s Disease therapeutics
Approximately 1 million patients in the UK suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and dementia has become the UK’s leading cause of death, with AD making up two thirds of cases [2]. 2023 brought hope in the fight against AD, thanks to a brace of new therapeutics breaking into the clinic. The emergence of these new AD therapeutics represents a giant step forward in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases.
Up until 2023, therapeutics for AD have combatted only the symptoms of the disease. The new drugs, however, act by breaking down the Beta Amyloid protein that builds up in the brain of AD patients, leading to plaque formation and neuronal destruction. By targeting the buildup of Beta Amyloid protein, the course of the disease can be slowed. The first two such therapeutics, lecanemab and donanemab, have been approved by the USA and Japanese healthcare authorities, and the UK medical authorities are set to consider both of them for approval this year [3].
3. World’s first CRISPR therapy approved
In another heartening clinical breakthrough, 2023 brought us a transformative new gene therapy for sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. Sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia are genetic conditions caused by variations in the genes coding for haemoglobin. Both conditions are severely painful, and can lead to severe and life-threatening anaemia.
Until last year, the only therapeutic option available for these patients would be a bone marrow transplant. In order to have a chance of success, bone marrow must come from a closely matched donor, which can be a challenge and also still carries a risk of rejection. Following a rigorous assessment of its safety, quality and effectiveness, the new drug called Casgevy, based upon the CRISPR gene editing platform, was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in November 2023 [4].
This is the first CRISPR therapeutic to be approved for clinical use. It acts by editing the faulty gene responsible for the diseases, giving long-lasting protection. While the drug remains highly expensive, it represents a new era in therapeutics. Lastly, since these conditions overwhelmingly affect those from ethnic minority backgrounds, it is hoped that this new therapy can help to bridge some of the racialised inequalities in healthcare that have contributed to a lack of trust in healthcare systems by these communities.
4. Everybody’s talking about Wegovy
2023 was the year that saw a group of new weight loss therapeutics breaking into the market. The group of diet drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, were originally licensed to combat diabetes, but they have since gained approval as weight-loss therapies. Semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, is the best known of these drugs and it became a household name in 2023 [5].
Last year, Wegovy and others helped thousands to get over long-standing obesity issues. 2023 studies showed that, in addition to weight loss, GLP-1 drugs can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in obese people [6]. Another compelling aspect of this story is the changing perceptions around obesity. Once thought to be a mere lifestyle choice, the emergence of Wegovy shines light on the hormonal malfunction underlying obesity, since the drug acts by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to reduce appetite and blood-glucose levels.
The western world has a significant weight problem, with 650 million obese adults putting an immense strain on public health infrastructure. While the sensational headlines of a “miracle weight loss injection” may not be entirely accurate, it’s heartening to see effective therapies emerge.
5. Secrets of the universe revealed
2023 saw the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) begin transmitting images, gripping our imaginations and shaking the world of astrophysics. With the world estimated to be in the region of 13.7 billion years old, astrophysicists have long been observing distant objects as they were billions of years ago, revealing insights into the origins of galaxies, stars, and much more.
Until recently, the most powerful telescopes could see back as far as the first billion years of the universe’s existence. With the optical power of the JWST however, researchers can now observe objects so distant, that they appear as they did during the very early beginnings of the universe. It’s mind boggling to imagine the scale of the observable universe, but as we gawped at the first flurry of stunning images, scientists discovered primitive galaxies, and the oldest supermassive black hole ever observed – appearing as it did 13.2 billion years ago [7].
Reasons to be cheerful heading into 2024
While the news cycle is often dominated by gloomy headlines, 2023 brought us a number of exciting transformative science breakthroughs. The stories covered in this blog will surely develop further in 2024, and we look forward to covering these, and many other breaking developments as they emerge over the next 12 months. Together, let’s make it another bumper year for science!
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References
1. Naddaf M. (2023). Brain-reading devices allow paralysed people to talk using their thoughts. Nature, 620(7976), 930–931. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02682-7
2.Alzheimer’s Research UK. (2023) Dementia leading cause of death in 2022. Available from: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/dementia-leading-cause-of-death-in-2022/
3.The Guardian. (2023). New Alzheimer’s drugs bring hope of slowing disease for UK patients. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/17/new-alzheimers-drugs-bring-hope-of-slowing-disease-for-uk-patients
4.GOV.UK. (2023). MHRA authorises world-first gene therapy that aims to cure sickle-cell disease and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-authorises-world-first-gene-therapy-that-aims-to-cure-sickle-cell-disease-and-transfusion-dependent-thalassemia
5.The Guardian. (2023). Sales soar at Danish firm behind weight-loss drug semaglutide. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/02/novo-nordisk-sales-weight-loss-drug-semaglutide-wegovy-ozempic-danish-firm
6.Lincoff, A. M., Brown-Frandsen, K., Colhoun, H. M. et al. (2023). Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. The New England journal of medicine, 389(24), 2221–2232. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307563
7.Bogdán, Á., Goulding, A.D., Natarajan, P. et al. (2023). Evidence for heavy-seed origin of early supermassive black holes from a z ≈ 10 X-ray quasar. Nature Astronomy. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02111-9
