Over the last two years, research has improved the understanding and treatment of disease. Using tools such as gene editing, advanced imaging, and computer modeling, studies have examined conditions that were previously difficult to study. ALSO READ: Cancer: Rwanda adds brachytherapy to treatment services Here are 10 breakthroughs that present new methods for treatment, prevention, and disease management in cancer, heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and genetic disorders. The New vaccine shows promise in treating cancer Researchers at the University of Florida, USA have developed a new mRNA cancer vaccine, a vaccine that uses genetic instructions to help the body recognise and attack cancer cells. The vaccine trains the immune system to target tumours in a similar way to how it fights viruses. ALSO READ: How will patients benefit from new cancer treatment? Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering in August 2025, the study showed that combining the vaccine with existing immunotherapy drugs (medicines that help the immune system fight cancer) increased its effectiveness. In mice with melanoma (a serious type of skin cancer) and cancers of the skin, bone, and brain, tumors shrank or disappeared. The vaccine activated immune cells and could become a ready-to-use treatment for many cancers, though human trials are still needed. First blood test approved to detect Alzheimer’s disease The Lumipulse G blood test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, Japan was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2025 as the first blood-based test to help detect Alzheimer’s disease in adults aged 55 and above with memory or thinking problems. ALSO READ: Scientists develop brain scan to detect Alzheimer’s disease by ‘lighting up’ dementia-causing plaques The test measures two proteins in blood plasma and calculates their ratio to indicate amyloid plaques (clumps of harmful protein in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s). This approach avoids invasive spinal fluid tests or costly PET scans (brain imaging). Clinical studies showed over 91 per cent agreement with standard tests, confirming its accuracy. Human embryo implantation in 3D Scientists in Spain recorded, for the first time in August 2025, a human embryo implanting into lab-grown tissue designed to replicate the lining of the uterus. The images show the embryo attaching to the tissue, embedding itself, and interacting with the surrounding cells as implantation begins. Since failed implantation is a leading cause of infertility and miscarriage, researchers say this close-up view could help improve in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments and give a better understanding of early pregnancy. 4. Shots that protect the heart, brain and fight cancer A review of 19 studies, presented at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, Spain in late August 2025 found that the vaccine for herpes zoster, the virus that causes shingles, was linked with a 16 per cent lower risk of stroke and an 18 per cent lower risk of heart attack compared with no vaccination. Researchers also reported that shingles vaccination may reduce the risk of developing dementia by up to a third over three years. At the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin, Germany, in October 2025, scientists found that cancer patients with advanced lung or skin malignancies who received a COVID‑19 mRNA vaccine within three months before starting immune checkpoint immunotherapy lived longer and had stronger treatment responses than those who did not receive the vaccine. 5. Gene editing saves baby born with rare disorder In 2026, doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA used CRISPR‑Cas9, the 2020 Nobel Prize-winning gene-editing tool to treat a baby boy born with a rare metabolic disorder. A genetic mutation damaged a crucial enzyme, causing toxic ammonia to build up in the baby's bloodstream (about half of infants with this condition die shortly after birth). At seven and eight months, doctors administered a personalised genetic therapy using lipid nanoparticles (tiny fat-based spheres that deliver genetic instructions) to prompt the liver to produce the missing enzyme. Early results showed strong health improvement. 6. Skull‑mounted brain device cuts teen’s seizures A teenager in London, UK, became the first child in a University College London‑sponsored clinical trial to receive a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device mounted on his skull to treat epilepsy, reducing daytime seizures by 80 per cent. The rechargeable device was implanted at Great Ormond Street Hospital in October 2023 and, by June 2024, had extremely improved his condition. The DBS sends electrical pulses to deep brain tissues (areas that control seizure activity), avoiding older systems with chest implants and long wires. The pilot CADET trial is expected to expand to more patients to test safety and effectiveness. 7. First new treatment for asthma attacks in 50 years A study led by King’s College London, UK, showed that the monoclonal antibody benralizumab, a lab-made protein originally derived from humanised mice cells (modified so the human body accepts it), can be injected during asthma or COPD attacks (a chronic lung disease that makes breathing difficult). The aim is to reduce hospitalisations and the need for additional treatment. The study was published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal in late 2024. Patients receiving benralizumab recovered faster and had fewer complications than those treated with standard steroids (prednisolone). Researchers said the therapy could improve acute care for patients with severe lung conditions. 8. Gene therapy restores hearing in youngest participant Doctors at the University of Cambridge, UK, restored hearing in an 18‑month‑old toddler through a gene therapy clinical trial that began in May 2023. The child was born deaf due to a mutation in the gene that prevents nerve impulses from the inner ear reaching the brain. An infusion of a working copy of the gene into the right ear allowed the toddler to respond to sound within four weeks, and by 24 weeks hearing for soft sounds was near normal. The trial involved extensive preclinical work in mice and non‑human primates to ensure safety and determine dosing. 9. Triple-drug therapy removes pancreatic tumors in mice Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, Spain, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on December 2, 2025, that a triple-drug therapy completely eliminated pancreatic tumors in mice models (mice genetically engineered to develop pancreatic cancer like humans) and prevented the cancer from becoming resistant. The treatment works by blocking several pathways that cancer cells use to grow. In all studied mice, the tumors disappeared and did not return during the observation period. Although promising, scientists caution that results in mice may not exactly match what happens in humans. 10. Liver blood flow influences cholesterol removal and heart health Scientists at the University of Leeds, England, found that changes in liver blood flow affect how the body removes cholesterol, a key factor in heart disease. Published in Science Advances in September 2024, the study used transgenic mice (mice genetically modified to model human biology) to show that blood through the liver’s portal vein (which carries blood from the intestines) controls bile production (fluid that removes cholesterol). Bile rises when blood flow drops, such as during exercise or fasting, and falls after eating or resting. Understanding this could lead to better treatments for cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease.
