Can Tech Save the World?                                    By Priya (Editor)

This is the big question of our time. In today’s world we have so many challenges facing us: climate change, illnesses, drought, poverty and so on. Many of the answers to some of these seemingly unsolvable problems will result from beneficial advances in technology, and in this article, I wanted to highlight a few of my favourite examples.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

In the area of environmental sustainability: 
• Have a look at how Microsoft is using AI to map forests:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stNlw_CFklc&t=90s .  

• The company has found a way to capture CO2 from the air:    https://youtu.be/63S0t4k_Glw

• This company makes reusable cups made from coffee grounds!    https://youtu.be/djiD1TPdK7w

In the area of healthcare:
     • Check out this example (see the video) of how a blind virtuoso percussionist is able to be part of an orchestra and is able to follow the conductor’s baton:  https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/kyungho-jeon-haptic-baton-spc-intl/index.html

     • This new high-tech glove translates sign language into speech in real time:   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/30/health/sign-language-glove-ucla-scn-scli-intl/index.html
 
     • BenevolentAI is a company that uses AI and machine learning for scientific innovation. The company aims to accelerate the journey from inventive ideas to medicines for patients by developing AI to generate new treatments for some of the world’s 8,000 untreated diseases:   https://youtu.be/YlzrKrS6O80
    
     • Finally check out this sign language glove that translates sign language:   https://youtu.be/_4GybUnRfM8

Technology is a powerful tool: it has so much potential to change the lives of millions of people across the globe, as well as protecting our planet, as it solves the immense, and most prominent, problem of climate change. Technology is already revolutionising the society that we live in today for the better, creating equality and support for all, as seen above, and I know that there is so much more that it can do, and so many more lives that it can save.

So, if the question is "Can Tech Save the World? , going by just a few examples above, I would say... yes it can!

To continue with our 'Women in Tech' series, I am very excited to give you this insightful and thought-provoking interview with Agne Milukaite.

Agne is the CEO and Founder of Cycle.Land, a unique bike-sharing platform that is breaking new boundaries when it comes to sustainable transport. 

In this interview, she talks about her incredible company, which she started with the support of Oxford University, her technology role models, advice for female business leaders and more!

Thank you Agne for taking part in this interview!

(P.S. Click the button below to visit the Cycle.Land website!)

Go to Agne's website!

Precision Medicine: A paradigm shift in personalised care                                                                                          Shriyaa 10M

Precision Medicine is one of the most promising healthcare strategies to tackle diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality (Weill Cornell Medicine 2021). Maladies such as cancer and rare genetic conditions have taken an immeasurable toll on individual patients, their families, and communities worldwide. Many of these diseases are often the result of susceptibility to certain diseases inherited due to ethnic or genetic factors.

So, what is Precision Medicine?

Precision Medicine is a rapidly emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into consideration the genetic variation, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices, tailored for each patient (Kalra et al 2020) This method and approach will allow doctors and researchers to predict precise treatment strategies for diseases for many groups of people on an individual level. Precision Medicine is contrariety to the current one-size-fits-all approach; a flawed disease treatment and prevention method which has been developed extensively for an entire population, with minimal consideration for the variated distinction amongst different individuals.

Although the term "precision medicine" is a relatively new field of medicine, this fundamental concept has been instilled and practiced in healthcare for many years (Tang 2021).  For example, blood will not be given from any donor to a patient who requires a blood transfusion, but instead, the donor’s blood type is suited to the recipients to eliminate the potential risk of transfusion reactions, albeit in rare circumstances. Although these examples can be found in various aspects of medicine, the role of precision medicine in day-to-day healthcare is rapidly growing. By gaining understanding of the role that our DNA plays in our health, Precision Medicine holds the potential to help transform how the healthcare workforce can help deliver the four rudimentary Ps: Prediction and Prevention of disease, more Precise diagnoses, Personalised and targeted intervention, a greater Participatory role for patients.

Precision Medicine can be used to combine information about our genome, along with other clinical data, so that associations and patterns can be established. This is fundamental in developing our understanding for greater knowledge on our own individual risk of developing disease. Precision Medicine can help detect various preliminary illnesses and determine the most effective interventions and treatments to improve our health, whether they are drugs or even just simple adjustments to our daily lifestyle.
 
Precision Medicine is the next generation of healthcare that holds the potential to provide eminent benefits to patients. This approach will expand to many areas of healthcare in the near future and will inevitably lead to a paradigm shift in the way healthcare is delivered to communities.  Precision Medicine has opened up a world of medical opportunities where treatment is not a one-size-fits-all model; it should have a real effect for a real individual patient in real time.

References
Beales P. et al. (2021). Accessed from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/precision-medicine/about-the-institute
Kalra S, Das AK, Bajaj S, et al. (2020). Utility of Precision Medicine in the Management of Diabetes: Expert Opinion from an International Panel. Diabetes Ther. 11(2):411-422.
Tang P. (2021). Accessed from: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/precisionmedicine/
Weill Cornell Medicine (2021). Accessed from: https://eipm.weill.cornell.edu

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In case you wanted to know more about Precision Medicine, or wanted a visual explanation of it, I've included a short video explaining how it works and what its purpose is. Be sure to check it out!

Precision medicine looks at DNA structures, as well as environmental factors, and lifestyle choices, within humans.

A few "very" interesting links, all on...Tech for Good!

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56840169

The Met Office is working with Microsoft to build a weather forecasting supercomputer in the UK.

The aim of this new piece of tech is to provide more accurate weather forecasting and a better understanding of climate change.

According to Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office, it will be  six times more capable than the current one, and it will "provide the highest quality weather and climate datasets", so that everyone can "stay safe and thrive".

Look out for more on this forward-looking piece of technology - it might just save our planet!

An example of a supercomputer, the fastest computer in the world that can process a significant amount of data very quickly.

TeknTrash encourages you to recycle a large number of plastic, glass, and cardboard household products.

2. https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/03/09/5-green-tech-start-ups-out-to-change-the-world-in-2021

Be sure to check out this exciting article by Euro News, which talks about 5 eco-friendly start-ups that are out to change the world this year!

For example, Tekntrash created the Point of Disposal, a device which captures consumption data and allows for the instant recognition of disposed products and its geolocation. Users can take video evidence of recycling certain products and redeem points in the form of trips, gifts and promotions. So, sign up to TeknTrash, take a video of yourself recycling, and you can a win a free gift! This company is even looking into the prospect of making these points exchangeable for real money, so stay updated (by clicking the BUTTON below to go to their website!).

This is just one of the incredible, life-changing start-ups in this article. Click the link ABOVE to read about the other four innovations.

TeknTrash Website!

HEALTHCARE

3. https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/4-important-mental-health-care-technology-innovations/

The relationship between mental health and technology has been a widely discussed topic, especially in the smartphone era, post-2007. Ever since the release of the first iPhone, the plethora of apps available has lead to an insatiable appetite to consume social media and other forms of content on the Internet.

Some people feel that the Internet is a cause for anxiety and mental health disorders. However, technology isn't all bad. Click the link above, and read about the important applications of technology that can aid the improvement of one's mental health!

Technology can offer new ways to treat mental health disorders.

The transformation of medicine through new innovations.

Medicine is being completely transformed due to the advent of technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and 5G. See these mind-blowing examples below...

Check out this short article, which has a cool video of remote surgery, using 5G, on a banana!
https://www.5gworldpro.com/blog/2021/02/01/surgeon-in-london-performs-remote-operation-on-a-banana/

This next video feautures a futurist who, in one minute, explains why healthcare will positively disrupt healthcare forever!
https://youtu.be/wVZ2oFm4B3w

And last, but not least, check out the 10 ways AR and VR are adding substantial benefit to healthcare across the globe.
https://www.arm.com/blogs/blueprint/ten-ways-vr-ar-transforming-healthcare

Thank you so much for reading this issue, which was focused on "Tech for Good" - and thanks again to those that contributed.
Next term, the theme will be Artifical Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning so I hope lots of you will get involved. If you want to contribute, (or if you have any questions about the topics mentioned in this issue), please email me (ModiPriya@nlcs.org.uk), but I will be sending out an email to the school soon about the Autumn 2021 edition.

If you have time, I would really appreciate it if you could fill in the small survey below. It won't take long, and I would love to see your suggestions on the different topics I can include and the areas I need to work on in future editions.

Thank you!