The medicine of the future, today

A pig kidney became a bridge to a human kidney

In the US, Tim Andrews, 66, who had end-stage kidney failure, received a kidney from a gene-edited pig. The kidney kept him off dialysis for 271 days, the longest period documented in a living recipient. When his immunosuppressive drugs were reduced because of an infection, the pig kidney was damaged and stopped working; in January 2026 Andrews received a human kidney from a donor, which started working straight away.

Given how long organ waiting lists are, this is a hopeful step. For now, though, experience comes from only a small number of patients; the safety and durability of gene-edited pig kidneys are being studied in clinical trials.

Sources: The Lancet, 9 September 2026 · Mass General Brigham

Stem cell–derived brain cell transplants in Parkinson’s

In the STEM-PD study, led by Lund University in Sweden and the University of Cambridge in the UK, dopamine-producing cells made from stem cells were transplanted into the brains of 8 people with moderate Parkinson’s disease. Of the 7 patients assessed after one year, 6 substantially reduced their medication dose, and brain scans suggested that the transplanted cells had survived.

No serious side effects were linked to the cells. Because this was a small, early-phase study, longer follow-up and larger studies are needed to see whether the effect lasts; the treatment is not yet in routine use.

Sources: Nature Medicine, 9 July 2026 · Parkinson’s UK

A drug “shuttled” into the brain: trontinemab

Trontinemab, developed by Roche, is designed to cross the blood–brain barrier more easily with the help of a carrier. According to early-phase data presented at the AAIC Alzheimer's conference in July 2026, amyloid build-up in the brain fell below the threshold level at 28 weeks in 92% of patients who received the high dose.

The drug is not yet approved; large phase III trials are ongoing. Side effects such as microbleeds in the brain were seen in a small number of patients.

Source: Clinical Trials Arena, 16 July 2026

CAR-T cell therapy for severe lupus

CAR-T, a method used to treat cancer, is also being tried in diseases where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. In the CARLYSLE study run by University College London (UCL), immune cells from people with severe lupus were reprogrammed to target the B cells that drive the disease. In the lower-dose group, 5 of 6 patients went into remission by standard criteria, and those with kidney involvement lost less protein in their urine.

There was no severe cytokine release syndrome and no nervous system side effects; liver injury in one patient resolved completely. These results come from an early study of 9 patients; a larger phase II study has started recruiting in the UK.

Source: UCL, 12 June 2026

Gene therapy for inherited deafness appears to last

42 people aged 9 months to 32 years with hearing loss caused by a fault in the OTOF gene had a harmless, modified virus carrying a healthy copy of the gene placed in the inner ear. In the study, run at eight centres in China, 90% of participants had better hearing at 2.5 years of follow-up, and more than half reached normal hearing levels. Children progressed from responding to sounds to speaking in short sentences and even singing.

There were no serious side effects. The effect was strongest in people aged 18 and under; 10% of participants did not respond. The treatment is only for OTOF-related hearing loss, and the approval process is just beginning.

Source: Nature, 22 April 2026 · Harvard Gazette

Blocking small arteries for knee osteoarthritis pain (GAE)

At Charité University Hospital in Berlin, 194 patients whose osteoarthritis pain had not improved with other treatments for at least 3 months had genicular artery embolisation: a thin catheter was used to deliver microspheres, which dissolve within a few hours, into small arteries around the knee. Median pain fell from 7 out of 10 to 3 at 12 months, and 80% of patients improved meaningfully.

There were no moderate or severe side effects. However, this was a single-centre study without a control group, and only 79% of patients could be reached at 12 months. Exercise remains the cornerstone of treatment for knee osteoarthritis.

Source: Radiology, 16 June 2026 · ScienceDaily

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Electrical stimulation after spinal cord injury: hope and reality

In a small study at Brown University in the US, 3 people with complete spinal cord injury had electrodes placed below and above the injury. Stimulation below the injury activated the leg muscles, while stimulation above it gave feedback on knee angle and stepping through signals felt in the chest, arm or back; the participants walked on a treadmill with a harness and a therapist’s support. In the international eWALK study of 48 people, however, stimulation delivered through the skin gave no extra benefit on top of 12 weeks of walking training.

The main message of eWALK: walking training on its own clearly improved walking, even in people who had lived with a spinal cord injury for a long time. Stimulation technologies are promising, but they do not yet replace rehabilitation.

Sources: Brown University, 11 March 2026 · eClinicalMedicine, 2026

Changing the way you walk in knee osteoarthritis

In a study of 68 people with osteoarthritis on the inner side of the knee, run by researchers from the University of Utah, New York University and Stanford University in the US, motion analysis was used to decide for each participant whether turning the toes 5 or 10 degrees inwards or outwards would help more, followed by 6 sessions of gait training. Over one year, pain fell by an average of 2.5 points out of 10 (1.3 in the sham training group). MRI findings suggested that cartilage breakdown progressed more slowly.

This is not a one-size-fits-all tip like “turn your toes in”; it needs individual measurement and expert guidance. The measurement will need to be simplified before the method can be widely used.

Source: The Lancet Rheumatology, October 2025

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A gene therapy designed for a single baby

In the US, a baby named KJ had a rare genetic disease (CPS1 deficiency) that causes ammonia to build up in the body. In about six months, researchers developed and delivered a personalised gene-editing treatment that corrected the baby's own mutation.

It is one of the first examples to show that making a treatment “tailored to each patient” is possible for very rare diseases.

Source: Innovative Genomics Institute, 2026

CRISPR treatments reach the clinic

Casgevy, the first approved CRISPR treatment, is used for sickle cell anaemia and beta thalassaemia. In studies, 16 out of 17 patients with sickle cell disease had no pain crises, and 25 out of 27 patients with thalassaemia did not need blood transfusions. Gene editing carried out directly inside the body is also showing promising results.

Thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia are common in Turkey, especially in the Mediterranean region. The treatment is expensive and is not available at every centre.

Source: Innovative Genomics Institute, 2026