Clinical discoveries that have proved life-savers
The vital contribution of people in research was celebrated last month as part of International Clinical Trials Day. Here, health correspondent Mark Smith looks at 10 healthcare breakthroughs that could only have been discovered through research
Research has come a long way since James Lind carried out the first clinical trial in 1747. The naval surgeon, on board the HMS Salisbury, took 12 men with scurvy, divided them into six pairs and experimented with different remedies. He discovered that the pair treated with citrus fruits made an impressive recovery.
The experiment not only cured two men of scurvy, but paved the way for the discovery of the health and care advances we’re all familiar with – from effective treatments for cancer to cognitive behavioural therapy.
Professor Jon Bisson, director of Health and Care Research Wales, explains how research is helping improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales.
He said: “Behind every effective treatment there is a person. A person who has taken part in a study or research project. Without them, we simply wouldn’t have the treatments we rely on. For existing patients, involvement in a research study is often welcome as it can offer them a new, sometimes breakthrough, treatment option.
“But it’s worth remembering that you don’t have to be unwell to take part and make a difference.”
He said one of the easiest ways to get involved in health and social care research is by registering for HealthWise Wales.
He explained: “HealthWise Wales is Wales’ largest research project – funded by the Welsh Government – which aims to involve everyone in Wales over the age of 16 in improving the health and wellbeing of the population.
“It only takes 10 minutes to sign up online or over the phone, and by answering questions about your health you can contribute to research on the prevention and treatment of conditions like coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health and dementia.
“I hope that more people are encouraged to ask about health and social care research. Taking part, however big or small, gives you the opportunity to improve tomorrow’s care. That’s a powerful thing.” 1. Aspirin Felix Hoffman developed the process of synthesising acetyl salicyclic acid in 1897. Two years later, the first clinical trials were successfully completed and aspirin was launched.
In early clinical trials aspirin was found to be an effective treatment for pain, fever and inflammation. It has since become one of the best-known medicines in the world, used or being tested to treat a range of conditions including heart attacks, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and dementia. 2. The discovery of insulin Canadian scientist Frederick Banting and his colleague, Charles Best, spent years in a laboratory experimenting to extract insulin from the pancreas.
In 1921 they co-discovered the life-saving treatment for diabetes. The following year the first person with diabetes was successfully treated with insulin injections. 3. Development of penicillin as a drug Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin’s antibacterial properties by accident in 1929.
But it wasn’t until Sir Ernst Chain and Lord Foley’s work during World War Two that it became possible to produce the drug in pharmaceutical quantities. They went on to purify and extract penicillin, which was then used to treat wounded soldiers on the front line. 4. Smoking linked to cancer In 1950 Sir Richard Doll and Sir Austin Bradford Hill studied 40,000 British doctors and showed that the death rate from lung cancer among heavy smokers was 20 times the rate in nonsmokers. The study has provided the foundation for all other research into the impact of smoking on health. 5. Physical activity cuts the risk of heart disease Professor Jerry Morris demonstrated that people with less active jobs were more likely to suffer heart problems in 1953, proving the link between physical activity and heart disease.
His research examined the records of heart disease in men and women with different occupations. He found that bus drivers, in particular, had a higher risk of heart attack than the conductors who worked with them.
Their working behaviour was the difference: bus conductors walked up and down hundreds of steps a day, whereas drivers sat in their seats for hours at a time. 6. Structure of DNA unravelled Researchers revealed the DNA double helix structure in 1953.
DNA is a long chain molecule, made up of many building blocks, that encodes genetic information and passes it from one generation to the next in all living things. Scientists have been able to build on this basic knowledge of DNA, allowing us to identify faulty genes, such as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes linked to some breast cancers. 7. Pacemaker Wilson Greatbatch, an American electrical engineer, helped develop the first implantable cardiac pacemaker in 1958. Over the years, research has contributed to advances that have given thousands of UK patients a pacemaker. Pacemakers are now fitted in a routine procedure under local anaesthetic. 8. Cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was pioneered by Dr Aaron T Beck in the 1960s, while he was a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania.
After his own research showed that psychoanalysis did little to help patients with depression, Beck tested a different approach. Today, CBT is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other health problems. 9. IVF Scientist Robert Edwards and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe started working together in the 1960s. They believed that they could help couples with fertility problems by taking eggs directly from the ovaries and returning them to the womb once they had been fertilised. More than 250,000 UK babies have now been born as a result of IVF. 10. Clinical trials of radiotherapy for cancer Scientists began testing radiotherapy as a treatment for a number of cancers in the 1960s. Today around four in 10 cancer patients have radiotherapy.