Many of the most exciting medical advances from 2025 are already beginning to benefit patients, and others point toward promising options on the horizon. This easy‑to‑read overview breaks down the year’s top breakthroughs so you can see how they might shape your health or the care of someone close to you.
Moving toward earlier prevention of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is often found late and has a low five‑year survival rate, so stopping it early is a major research priority. Lab studies showed that blocking a growth‑related protein called FGFR2 can prevent early abnormal pancreatic cells from turning into cancer in some settings, and because drugs that target this protein already exist, clinical trials in high‑risk people may be possible.
New non‑hormonal options for hot flashes
More than 8 out of 10 women have hot flashes and night sweats during menopause, and many cannot safely take hormone therapy because of past cancers, blood clots, or other conditions. In 2025, two daily non‑hormonal pills, elinzanetant and fezolinetant, offered effective relief by calming temperature‑control cells in the brain that react to estrogen changes.
Needle‑free epinephrine for kids with allergies
Food allergies affect about 1 in 13 children, and fast treatment with epinephrine can stop a severe reaction and prevent hospitalization or death. A new nasal spray form of epinephrine (Neffy) was approved for some children, using special technology to help the medicine quickly enter the bloodstream through the nose, which may make it easier and less frightening to treat emergencies.
New steps toward regenerating organs and limbs
Scientists studying salamanders, which can regrow lost limbs, identified an enzyme and a gene that help control how new tissue forms and how large it becomes. Other teams used stem cells to build a heart “patch” that strengthened weak heart muscle in monkeys and created working ureter tissue in the lab, early progress toward repairing or replacing damaged organs in people.
Easier testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Millions of Americans are diagnosed with STIs each year, and many more do not know they are infected, which can lead to infertility, chronic pain, and ongoing spread of infection. New tools such as the Teal Wand let people collect HPV samples at home with a prescription, and an at‑home test for infections like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomonas can give app‑based results in about 30 minutes, which may encourage more people to get tested and treated.
Customized gene editing for a single child
Doctors used CRISPR gene‑editing technology to design a one‑of‑a‑kind treatment for a baby boy with a rare genetic disease that caused dangerous ammonia buildup and often leads to death or liver transplant. They packaged genetic instructions in tiny fat‑based particles to reach his liver cells and help them make the missing enzyme, and early results suggest his health has improved dramatically.
Simpler HIV prevention with twice‑yearly shots
HIV still causes more than 100 new infections every day in the United States, even though preventive medicines (PrEP) work very well when taken consistently. A new long‑acting injection given about every six months was shown to prevent nearly all HIV transmissions in studies, and global health leaders see it as a major step toward overcoming barriers like daily pills and stigma.
Vaccines that protect beyond infections
Vaccines that prevent shingles, flu, and COVID‑19 may also lower the risk of other serious health problems. A large review linked the shingles vaccine to fewer heart attacks, strokes, and possibly less dementia, and people with some advanced cancers who received an mRNA COVID vaccine around the time they started immunotherapy tended to respond better and live longer.
A detailed map of the human body in motion
The U.K. Biobank completed over a billion imaging measurements from about 60,000 volunteers, including MRI and ultrasound scans of the brain, heart, blood vessels, bones, and other organs. Combined with blood tests, genetics, and lifestyle data, these scans are already helping researchers show how changes in one organ, such as the heart, often coincide with changes in the brain and may clarify how to prevent conditions like dementia.
Powerful new tools for treating obesity
In 2025, the World Health Organization issued its first global guideline on using GLP‑1 medicines for obesity, recognizing these drugs as part of long‑term treatment for a condition that affects more than a billion people worldwide. GLP‑1–based medicines, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, can help many patients lose 15% to 25% of their body weight in clinical trials—approaching the benefit of bariatric surgery—and may also improve heart, kidney, and liver health.
If you are interested in any of these advances, talk with your healthcare team about whether related tests or treatments are available now, or whether clinical trials might be an option for you.
