Disease Cures: Still Needed, In Progress and Accomplished

Still Needed:

1. Cancer: Although significant progress has been made in improving cancer treatments, a definitive cure for all types of cancer is still elusive. Research is ongoing to develop more effective therapies, early detection methods, and personalized treatments.

2. Alzheimer’s disease: Despite extensive research, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Efforts are focused on understanding the underlying causes, developing disease-modifying treatments, and improving the quality of life for affected individuals.

3. HIV/AIDS: While advancements in antiretroviral therapy have transformed HIV from a deadly disease into a manageable chronic condition, a cure for HIV/AIDS remains elusive. Ongoing research aims to eradicate the virus completely or develop long-term remission strategies.

In Progress:

1. Diabetes: Research is actively being conducted to find a cure for diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes. This includes investigations into islet cell transplantation, stem cell therapy, immunomodulation, and artificial pancreas development.

2. Parkinson’s disease: Although no definitive cure exists for Parkinson’s disease, researchers are exploring various approaches, such as gene therapies, neuroprotective agents, and deep brain stimulation techniques to improve symptoms and potentially slow down the progression of the disease.

3. Multiple sclerosis: While there is no known cure for multiple sclerosis, research is ongoing to develop new disease-modifying therapies, repair damaged nerves, and restore immune system balance through immunomodulatory drugs.

4. Lyme Disease: Lyme and other vector-bore diseases it can be associated with represent a huge potential to reduce human suffering and improve global productivity. Challenging aspects include the ability of stealth pathogens to evade human immune systems, hide inside of cells, form cysts in response to antibiotics, hide in biofilms, and for which we currently lack valid and effective tests for destructive but slowly reproducing microbes which are rarely found in commonly tested bodily fluids in late disease stages.

Effectively Accomplished:

1. Polio: Through widespread vaccination efforts, the world has made significant progress in eradicating polio. Today, only a few countries continue to report cases of polio, and a global campaign continues to ensure vaccinations remain accessible to all.

2. Smallpox: Thanks to vaccination efforts, smallpox became the first disease to be eradicated entirely. The last known natural case of smallpox occurred in 1977, and the World Health Organization declared the disease eradicated in 1980.

3. Measles: Vaccination campaigns have significantly reduced the global burden of measles, preventing millions of deaths each year. However, ongoing efforts are needed to maintain high vaccination coverage and eliminate measles in various regions around the world.

Alphabetic List of 100 Diseases

The many diseases which afflict humans, as well as new emerging conditions, require new classes of medical technologies for rapid progress. While there are many more diseases than these, the list here may give you a prompt for research into current medical technologies and progress.

1. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
2. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
3. Alzheimer’s disease
4. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections
5. Ascariasis (roundworm infection)
6. Asthma
7. Autism
8. Beriberi (thiamine deficiency)
9. Blinding trachoma
10. Breast cancer
11. Bubonic plague (treatable with antibiotics)
12. Cancer (in general)
13. Cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart disease)
14. Cat Scratch Fever (Bartonella henselae infection)
15. Celiac disease
16. Cervical cancer
17. Chagas disease
18. Chickenpox
19. Childhood leukemia
20. Chlamydia
21. Cholera
22. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
23. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
24. Colon cancer
25. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
26. Crohn’s disease
27. Cystic fibrosis
28. Dengue fever
29. Diabetes (Type I immune disorder)
30. Diabetes (Type II metabolic disorder)
31. Diphtheria
32. Ebola (effective treatments now available)
33. Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis)
34. Epilepsy
35. Filariasis
36. Fungal infections
37. Gonorrhea
38. Guinea worm disease
39. Heart disease
40. Hemophilia
41. Hepatitis B (can be effectively managed with antiviral medication)
42. Hepatitis C (can bed with antiviral medication)
43. Herpes
44. HIV/AIDS (not completely, but effective antiretroviral therapy exists)
45. Hodgkin’s lymphoma
46. Human papillomavirus (HPV)
47. Hypertension (high blood pressure)
48. Influenza (flu)
49. Kidney disease
50. Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
51. Leukemia (various types)
52. Liver disease
53. Lupus
54. Lyme disease
55. Lymphatic filariasis
56. Lymphoma (various types)
57. Malaria (no universally effective)
58. Malnutrition
59. Measles
60. Melanoma (skin cancer)
61. Meningitis (bacterial types can bed with antibiotics)
62. Mental health disorders
63. Multiple sclerosis
64. Mumps
65. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
66. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
67. Obesity
68. Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
69. Osteoporosis
70. Ovarian cancer
71. Pancreatic cancer
72. Parkinson’s disease
73. Pellagra (vitamin B3 deficiency)
74. Pertussis (whooping cough)
75. Pneumonia
76. Polio (poliomyelitis)
77. Prostate cancer
78. Psoriasis
79. Rabies (preventive vaccines are available)
80. Rheumatoid arthritis
81. Rickets (vitamin D deficiency)
82. River blindness (Onchocerciasis)
83. Rubella (German measles)
84. Schistosomiasis
85. Schizophrenia
86. Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency)
87. Sickle cell disease
88. Sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis)
89. Smallpox
90. Stroke
91. Syphilis
92. Testicular cancer
93. Tetanus
94. Tetralogy of Fallot (congenital heart defect)
95. Trachoma
96. Tuberculosis (TB)
97. Typhoid fever
98. Ulcerative colitis
99. Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
100. Yellow fever