Science & Technology

Facebook CEO aims to rid world of all disease

By T.K. Randall
September 23, 2016

Image: Vaccine
Credit: John Keith (Photographer) / (PD) For years, scientists have struggled to tackle some of the modern world's biggest killers, but while finding cures to specific diseases is an achievable goal, is it ever going to be possible to find an effective treatment for every single malady that has ever befallen mankind ?

Zuckerberg certainly seems to think so and not only believes that it can be done, but that it will be possible to "cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century."

Not everyone however is optimistic that what he is suggesting is genuinely achievable so soon."I don't think it's realistic," said Dr Sheena Cruickshank of the University of Manchester. "Everything changes. Our immune systems change, diseases often change. Some of the infections are challenging to deal with because we don't understand fully how the mechanism of infection works."

Some diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes, might not even have a 'cure' as such outside of people making significant changes to their own lifestyles.

There's also the problem that $3 billion isn't going to go very far in the grand scheme of things. In 2017, for instance, President Obama budgeted $34 billion towards tackling HIV alone.

Finding an answer to all diseases within just 84 years seems like an almost impossible task.

Source: BBC News

Tags: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook