The concept of liquid biopsy first emerged in 2013, when scientists began to acknowledge that technological advances had overcome the problem of distinguishing between healthy and cancerous DNA fragments within the blood. It follows a number of significant medical advances since the turn of the millennium, among them the living bandage a bandage made from skin cells grown from a sample of a patient’s skin which has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of burns victims. More controversial innovations include the polypill, a pill containing a cocktail of drugs intended to prevent heart disease, and irisin, a newly identified hormone which purportedly reproduces the health benefits of exercise and a good diet.