“We did translational medicine before they had a name for it.”
Dr. Joshua Hare, Cardiology

Since 1889, Johns Hopkins has stood at the forefront of modern medicine, speeding the transfer of new knowledge from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside. We were the first to combine teaching, research and clinical practice, and the first to encourage doctors and scientists to work together across disciplines. This spirit of discovery has allowed us to set many medical milestones:

1897 First American use of X-rays in surgery
1913 First model of renal dialysis
1915 Discovery of heparin, the drug used to prevent blood clots during heart surgery
1944 First “blue baby” operation, proving that a beating heart can be operated upon, ushering in the era of heart surgery
1958 Development of CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation
1960s Pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation
1969 First use of laser to prevent blindness
1969-70 Discovery of restriction enzymes, the "biochemical scissors" that cut DNA at predictable places, enabling the genetic revolution in biology and medicine (1978 Nobel Prize)
1971 First total knee replacement
1972 Invention of the first implantable, rechargeable cardiac pacemaker
1972 Identification of the sites in the brain where heroin and other opiates act, opening the door to development of non-addictive pain relief medications
1982 Development of nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy surgery that allows men to maintain their quality of life
1984 First proof that clot-busting medications could stop a heart attack
1991 Identification of aquaporin, the first "water channel" protein that allows cells to actively control water transport, playing a role in diseases of the eye, lung, and kidney (2003 Nobel Prize)
1993-98 Identification of genes and genetic defects responsible for colon cancer, offering the chance to detect the disease before it starts
1996 Development of an effective treatment for brain tumors using a biodegradable polymer implant
1997 Identification of a gene that regulates muscle development in mice, offering a target for the treatment of patients with muscle-wasting diseases
1998 Isolation and culturing of the first human embyronic germ cells, which can become any type of cell in the body and hold promise as a source of replacement cells for tissues damaged by injury or disease
1999 Reduction of vision loss due to macular degeneration by using photodynamic therapy and translocation surgery
2000 Identification of a compound that turns off appetite and causes weight loss in animals, which could lead to control of human appetite
2003 Development of a simple blood test to predict which people may be at a higher than normal risk for the most common form of colon cancer
2003 Development of “biopacemakers” by using gene therapy to convert heart muscle cells into natural pacemakers
2004 Isolation and growth of cardiac stem cells using heart tissue obtained during biopsies, holding promise of reintroducing those cells into the same patients to regenerate their failing hearts

In the years to come, Johns Hopkins will continue to develop bold new cures that will change medicine forever.

“I really think that we can change the way that medicine is practiced and we can do it better than any other institution in the world.”
Dr. Richard Lange, Cardiology

 

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