The past 12 months recorded several medical breakthroughs, including first-time gene therapy outcomes, notable FDA approvals and virtual healthcare delivery, ABC News reported Dec. 30.
Here are seven medical breakthroughs in 2025, according to ABC News:
1. In a world first, a patient controlled an iPad entirely through his thoughts. Earlier this year, Mark Jackson, an ALS patient, demonstrated success with technology developed by brain-computer interface company Synchron. With his thoughts, he can use an iPad to text his children, use social media and watch TV, according to the report.
2. In July, pharmaceutical company Apnimed shared positive results for what could be the first FDA-approved oral pill for obstructive sleep apnea. In a phase 3 trial, the drugmaker’s experimental daily pill reduced an average patient’s apnea-hypopnea index by 46.8% within 26 weeks of treatment. Apnimed said it plans to seek FDA approval in early 2026.
3. On Jan. 30, the FDA approved Journavx (suzetrigine), a nonopioid pain treatment that is the first in a new drug class to receive approval. In a trial, Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ medication significantly alleviated moderate to severe pain after abdominoplasty and bunionectomy procedures.
4. Researchers at New York City-based NYU Langone Health may have made a significant discovery in improving patient survival after xenotransplantation. In a study published in November, researchers said they identified antibodies and T cells that might cause rejection of genetically engineered pig kidneys, which about half a dozen patients have received.
5. In May, the FDA authorized the first blood test to aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The blood test is indicated for adults ages 50 and older who are presenting signs of cognitive decline. In a trial of 499 older adults, the test showed 92% diagnostic accuracy.
6. A clinical trial assessing transcontinental robotic telesurgery logged success after a surgeon at AdventHealth Celebration (Fla.) performed surgery on a prostate cancer patient in Angola — a distance of approximately 7,000 miles.
7. This summer, the world’s first patient to successfully receive a CRISPR gene-editing treatment was discharged from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Clinicians at CHOP and Penn Medicine in Philadelphia administered the bespoke therapy in February to KJ Muldoon, who was born with severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency. He responded well to follow-up doses and was discharged June 2.
Read ABC News‘ 2024 list of medical breakthroughs, here.
