We’ve solved many medical mysteries. Where are the cures? | Saloni Dattani
Summary
Science journalist Saloni Dattani argues that medical breakthroughs are hindered not by a lack of technology, but by flawed economic incentives and funding structures. She highlights how diseases affecting the poor, like malaria, face development delays due to low profitability, while innovations like advanced market commitments can accelerate progress. Dattani urges listeners to view diseases as solvable problems requiring persistent human ingenuity and systemic change.
Topics discussed
Intro: Medical progress and the barriers to innovation
Sponsors: Capital One, Land Rover Defender, and Dell
The invisible progress of modern medicine
Recent breakthroughs in vaccines and genome sequencing
Why the malaria vaccine took decades to reach patients
Advanced market commitments to fix incentives
Collaborative networks improving leukemia survival rates
Ring vaccination strategy for the Ebola vaccine
Conclusion: Diseases are solvable problems, not facts of life
Outro, credits, and preview of next episode
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