A 3D-printed prosthetic: Medical miracle or the latest tech? See 5 takeaways

South Florida is becoming a hub for health technology, with advancements that are transforming patient care and medical training. The tech includes AI targeting diseases and other groundbreaking treatments.

FULL STORY: ‘Life just changed.’ How Miami doctors use tech to treat cancer and sickle cell

Here are the highlights:

• Innovative treatments: High-intensity ultrasounds at Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County are offering a new, pain-free way to treat liver cancer by liquefying tumors, allowing the body’s immune system to naturally eliminate them without surgery or chemotherapy.

• 3D-printed prosthetics: Florida International University is creating affordable, kid-sized prosthetics using 3D printing, significantly reducing costs and improving accessibility for children, while also providing at-home exercise programs to enhance their use.

• Gene therapy advances: Jackson Health’s new gene therapy techniques are helping patients with sickle cell disease by modifying blood cells to reduce symptoms, offering a promising alternative to traditional treatments like bone marrow transplants.

• Patient success stories: Javarian Weatherspoon, a sickle cell patient, experienced a life-changing transformation after undergoing gene therapy, allowing him to live pain-free and participate in activities he previously couldn’t enjoy.

• Future prospects: The ongoing clinical trials and research in South Florida highlight the potential of gene therapy and other technological innovations to treat a variety of conditions, with federal approval already granted for several therapies targeting blood disorders and cancers.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Miami Herald journalists.