Say goodbye to insulin injections and hello to snake toxins.

From penicillin to 3D-printed kidneys, the medical field has long served as a major catalyst of human ingenuity. In Colorado, that innovation doesnt appear to be slowing down. Centennial State institutions are helping pioneer treatments that could revolutionize health careboth today and in the years ahead.

A Gilded PillAbout 416,000 adults in Colorado suffer from diabetes. No wonder, then, that oral insulin (read: no more needles) is considered the holy grail of diabetes care. Denvers Creekside Endocrine Associates is part of the quest as one of only 37 places in the country testing an insulin pill developed by New Yorks Oramed Pharmaceutical. The key is ensuring the capsule reaches the liver before dissolving in stomach acid. If successful, the pill could also drastically lower the average cost of diabetes care, which is currently nearly $10,000 a year in the United States.

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Conversation StarterThis past August, UCHealth introduced the world to Alexas nerdy cousin, Livi. An artificial-intelligence-based virtual assistant, Livi can be summoned on an Amazon Echo by saying Alexa, ask UCHealth. Users can then pepper her with commands like Email me information on Crohns disease or Find me a neurologist, and Livi will consult network sources to locate the information. UCHealth hopes to expand Livis capabilities over the next few years. This fall, for example, she was integrated into its electronic medical record system and mobile app so she can check your test results and appointment times.

Game TheoryIn 2017, Childrens Hospital Colorado unveiled one of the first full-time hospital gaming and technology departments in the world. Patients with movement-debilitating illnesses such as cerebral palsy get the much-needed, potentially dexterity-improving activity they require by donning virtual reality and augmented reality headsets and, for example, exploring alien planets. The diversions can also make it easier for kids to undergo difficult treatments: The anxiety a child feels before a lumbar puncturean injection of medicine into her spinal fluidmight be lessened if she can confront the procedure while wielding a lightsaber.

Snake Venom SalesmanA professor at the University of Northern Colorado might have finally found a way for serpents to pay penance for the whole exile-from-Eden thing: Stephen Mackessys Venom Analysis Lab, which launched in the mid-1990s, has shown that toxins from some venomous snakes are capable of preventing cancer cells from metastasizing. The next step (likely still years away) is finding an application method that would weaponize compounds in the venom against a humans cancer without harming the humans body.

Good GenesBoth Lutheran Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente are early practitioners of pharmacogenomicsbasically, how your DNA affects your bodys reactions to medicines. In Lutherans pilot program, primary care providers give some patients the option of a 20-second cheek swab. Pharmacists and doctors can use subsequent genetic-testing reports to provide recommendations, such as lowering a dosage because genetic traits reveal your body might absorb drugs faster or suggesting you avoid a particular medication.

This article appeared in the 2020 issue of 5280 Health.

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The Innovations That Will Revolutionize Health Care in Colorado - 5280 | The Denver Magazine