Groundbreaking Biomedical Breakthroughs to Watch in 2024

In 2024, biomedical innovation truly captivated us—or more precisely, our vision and cognition. Some of Spectrum’s most read pieces this year focused on technologies that enhance our eyesight, featuring accounts of retinal implants and intelligent contact lenses capturing your attention. You delved into non-invasive solutions to facilitate sleep and protect cognitive function for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease, alongside an imaging probe designed to support highly invasive neurological surgeries.

However, it wasn’t exclusively mental concerns. This year, you also explored supportive exoskeletons and affordable MRI scanners, in addition to a DNA storage device that promises a novel method for preserving large volumes of data.

As we anticipate how emerging technologies will enhance our senses or elevate our well-being in 2025, take a moment to reflect on the major stories of the past year. Continue reading to discover Spectrum’s premier biomedical articles of 2024.

Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering

Supportive frames known as exoskeletons can aid individuals in physiotherapy and rehabilitation movements. These devices function by stimulating a user’s muscles through electrical impulses; however, such activation may lead to quick fatigue. Researchers in South Korea and Switzerland propose a potential remedy: an electrostatic clutch system. This system utilizes sleeves fitted around joints, remaining normally flexible but capable of rapidly stiffening to offer support without extra stimulation in between activities. The tech, named “Synapsuit,” is undergoing prototyping by the Korea Electronics Technology Institute.

Pixium

In 2022, contributor Mark Harris illustrated how the visually impaired users of a retinal device manufactured by California’s Second Sight were left with unsupported implants when the company ceased operations. That situation nearly repeated itself when French biotech Pixium Vision faced financial challenges in November 2023—until, fortunately, remarkable trial findings were published earlier this year, leading to the company’s acquisition by Science, a startup co-founded by a former Neuralink executive.

Elemind

The startup Elemind has introduced a $349 headband that claims to expedite your journey to sleep. This product, which launched preorders this year, monitors brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) sensors and enhances it with sound delivery via bone conduction. Spectrum’s highly regarded former editor Tekla Perry conducted a brief test of the headband, albeit under suboptimal conditions. “It wasn’t the optimal time or setting to pursue sound sleep, yet I—and others present—observed that after just 2 minutes, I was yawning incessantly.”

Getty Images

Elon Musk has made audacious assertions regarding the forthcoming capabilities of Neuralink Blindsight, a visual prosthetic developed by his company aiming to restore eyesight in individuals who have lost vision in both eyes. The device was classified as a breakthrough device by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September—though experts informed Spectrum that it is unlikely to meet Musk’s expectations.

Greg Mably

For individuals dealing with mental health issues such as bipolar disorder, monitoring their mood holds significant importance. Smartphone applications could effectively fulfill this role, delivering objective insights into our emotional states.

state from information gathered without any user contribution. Distinct from conventional mood-monitoring applications and journals, these applications discreetly accumulate data in the background regarding a user’s actions. However, despite their potential, they encounter obstacles, such as privacy dilemmas and a requirement for thorough clinical verification.

St. Michael’s Foundation

In the treatment of aneurysms and strokes, neurosurgeons often struggle with unclear images. However, this may soon change with the introduction of a novel fiber-optic imaging probe. The probe weaves through the intricacies of brain arteries, capturing sharp images of the brain to assist surgeons. “Previously … medical professionals had a satellite-like perspective of the brain’s vascular network, whereas now they possess a Google Street View-like outlook,” explains contributor Elie Dolgin. This probe has undergone testing in clinical trials at two medical facilities in Toronto and Buenos Aires, while a startup is aspiring to commercialize the technology.

Getty Images

Modern MRI machines are costly and demand substantial magnets and a significant amount of energy to operate. Since these machines are generally located in specialized hospital facilities, MRIs are out of reach for over two-thirds of the world’s population. However, an innovative, simplified full-body MRI scanner functions at a considerably lower cost and only requires 1,800 watts, as opposed to 25 kilowatts or more. This device employs AI to achieve image quality comparable to conventional MRI scanners while utilizing significantly weaker magnets.

Tsai Laboratory/MIT Picower Institute

Initial clinical trials are starting to indicate that stimulating the brain at specific frequencies may be advantageous for individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. According to a research team at MIT, sound and light oscillations at 40-hertz activate a neural-cleansing mechanism that assists in removing beta-amyloid, the protein that aggregates in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. This non-invasive treatment is currently being evaluated in randomized trials, and investigations are expected to persist for several years, although some companies are already marketing “wellness” products that provide gamma-frequency light or sound stimulation.

Edmon de Haro

Our data is accumulating rapidly. In fact, it’s expanding at a pace that our storage capacity will struggle to keep up with in only a few years. This is why certain organizations are making advances toward constructing a DNA drive to accommodate this influx of data, replacing traditional magnetic tape and disk drives. With each DNA base (A, T, G, and C) functioning as a bit, DNA provides significantly better storage density; one assessment suggests that all 120 zettabytes of online information could be housed in a volume of DNA akin to the size of a sugar cube. Presently, researchers are exploring methods to proficiently read and write extensive amounts of DNA data.

Erfan Pourshaban

Intelligent contact lenses could serve multiple consumer and medical functions—including monitoring glucose levels, administering medication for eye conditions, or even functioning as a display for augmented reality. Yet, how can one power a device affixed to one of the most delicate areas of the human body? Researchers from the University of Utah have developed a hybrid energy-harnessing mechanism that derives power from both light and tears: When the eyes are open, diminutive, flexible solar cells composed of silicon harness light from both natural and artificial sources. Then, in a literal blink of an eye, a secondary system acts like a metal-air battery, utilizing the electrolytes in tears as a biofuel. This integration allows for uninterrupted power generation and provides sufficient energy for intelligent contact lenses.