By. Dr. Nataliya D. Brantly
Can technology cure disease? Frequently the capabilities of innovative technologies are placed on a pedestal for their potential to revolutionize disease treatment and cure. It has become common to see headlines such as “Eight diseases CRISPR technology could cure”[1] (2022), “Curing Disease Through Technology”[2] (2019) or “New Startup Develops Potential Cure for Type 1 Diabetes”[3] (2022) discussing a new biomaterial (iTOL-100) with potential to eliminate the need for immunosuppression drugs after insulin-producing cells, tissues, or organ transplants. The potential and the promise of biomedical technologies to improve human lives has been looming over the global scientific and medical communities for decades. Optimism about technologies just over the horizon are creating new business and research opportunities that continue to spur the imagination and inspire hope that tomorrow will be better. This leads to the general public asking whether “we could be on the brink of combating aging, curing diseases, and discovering the technology that makes revival from biostasis a possibility.”[4] The prospects are exciting and fascinating, futuristic, but how realistic are they? What better way to examine the future of biomedical technologies to pose these questions to another type of technology. By taking the conversation about technological advances in health and removing the human we can see how an aggregate of human knowledge as compiled and interpreted by a machine assesses the present and future of biomedical technologies. Below is a conversation with ChatGPT about technological cure of disease followed by a conclusion. ChaptGPT answers are direct quotes including all or part of the response.
Question: What does it mean to cure a disease?
ChatGPT: “Curing a disease generally refers to the complete and permanent elimination of the underlying causes or agents of the disease, resulting in the restoration of normal health and function. A cured individual no longer experiences the symptoms of the disease, and there is no risk of the disease returning or progressing. Curing a disease implies a state of health that is indistinguishable from that of a person who has never had the disease.”
Question: What does it mean to have a technological cure to a disease?
ChatGPT: “Having a technological cure for a disease refers to the use of advanced scientific and technological methods to effectively treat and eliminate the underlying causes of the disease, leading to the restoration of health and normal bodily functions in individuals affected by the disease. A technological cure goes beyond symptom management and aims to directly address the root causes or mechanisms responsible for the disease.”
Question: Can technology cure disease?
ChatGPT: “Technology has played a significant role in advancing our understanding of diseases, improving diagnostics, developing treatments, and enhancing patient care. However, it's important to clarify that while technology can greatly contribute to disease management and treatment, the concept of "curing" diseases is more complex.”
Question: Has there been an instance of technology eradicating chronic disease in a person?
ChatGPT: “As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there hasn't been a recorded instance of technology alone completely eradicating a chronic disease in a person. Chronic diseases are often complex and have multifaceted causes, making them challenging to eliminate through technology alone. However, technology has played a significant role in managing and improving the lives of individuals with chronic diseases.”
Question: Provide an example where CRISPR-Cas9 cured a disease.
ChatGPT: “As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there hasn't been a documented case of CRISPR-Cas9 fully curing a disease in humans. However, there have been significant advancements and promising results in laboratory and preclinical studies. One notable example is the work done with beta-thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder.”
Question: Did CRISPR-Cas9 eliminate any genetic disease for any single individual?
ChatGPT: “As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there has not been a confirmed case of CRISPR-Cas9 eliminating a genetic disease for any single individual in a clinical setting. While there have been promising results in laboratory studies and preclinical research using CRISPR-Cas9 to target genetic mutations associated with certain diseases, the technology is still in the early stages of clinical development and testing.”
Question: Has there been an instance of a technology curing genetic disease in a person?
ChatGPT: Yes, there have been instances where technology has played a role in curing genetic diseases in individuals. While not all genetic diseases are curable through technology alone, certain targeted interventions have shown success in achieving disease remission or significant improvement. Here are a few examples:
1. Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)…
2. Gene Editing for Beta-Thalassemia…
3. Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)…
4. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)…
5. CAR-T Cell Therapy for Certain Leukemias…
It's important to note that while these examples demonstrate the potential of technology to cure genetic diseases, successful outcomes often depend on factors such as disease type, individual patient characteristics, the stage of disease progression, and the specific technology being used. As medical research and technology continue to advance, we can expect more innovations in the field of genetic disease treatment and potential cures.
Question: Is the promise of a technological cure of a disease over-exaggerated in contemporary society?
ChatGPT: “In contemporary society, there can be instances where the promise of technological cures for diseases is portrayed with a sense of optimism that may sometimes be overly ambitious or unrealistic. While technology has made remarkable advancements in the field of medicine and disease management, it's important to strike a balance between optimism and realistic expectations.”
This brief conversation demonstrates that ChatGPT lacks consistency in its position on the subject. More specifically, as a computer program based on information and data before September 2021, ChatGPT 3.5 is incapable of independent thought, personal beliefs, opinions, or independent reasoning. The inconstancies reflected in the answers provided mirror the inconsistencies within the data ChatGPT was trained on. What this means, is that ChatGPT is likely to provide inaccurate or biased responses if the information it was trained on contained inaccuracies or biases. Additionally, ChatGPT was trained on publicly available sources of information that include a variety of websites on the Internet. Therefore, the outcome of this conversation is not surprising considering the lack of consensus online regarding the perception and role of biomedical technologies in disease treatment, management, and cure.
Human disease and the technologies designed to treat or cure it is complex and needs more conceptual analysis, clarification, and examination. The hope and optimism about technology’s role in disease cure might be fueled by science fiction imaginaries or by the promise of laboratory experiments. However, it is important to keep in mind the following questions: What do we give up when we accept technological cure of disease? What burdens do we gain in the research for the technological cure to disease? How do technologies designed to treat and cure disease also influence our (in)security? When assessing the role of technologies in the cure of disease we must also consider who might be harmed in the process, what health inequalities exist among what populations, what ethical concerns and considerations such technologies bring up, such as those related to privacy, consent, and possible misuse. Moreover, our society’s increased reliance on technologies in all aspects of life, including human health, can develop dependencies, as well as a false sense of reliance, security and trust on technological solutions that might be subject to malfunction, disinformation, failure, cybersecurity threats or disruptions of the supply chain. Lastly, human health is not only in the physical body, but also carries a psychological dimension. We should also be cognizant of biomedical technologies potentially impacting one’s mental health, contributing to increased anxiety, stress and fostering a sense of insecurity.
Notes:
[1] Clara Rodríguez Fernández. 2022. Eight diseases CRISPR technology could cure. Labiotech. https://www.labiotech.eu/best-biotech/crispr-technology-cure-disease/.
[2] Terry Treadwell. 2019. https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/wounds/editorial/curing-disease-through-technology.
[3] Tess Malone. 2022. New Startup Develops Potential Cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Georgia Institute of Technology. https://research.gatech.edu/new-startup-develops-potential-cure-type-1-diabetes.
[4] Jennifer O'Keeffe. 2022. Can Future Technology Help Cure Every Disease? Tomorrow.Bio. Futurism. https://www.tomorrow.bio/post/future-technology-help-cure-every-disease-2022-11-22.