Biological advancements, in particular stem cell treatments, continue to forge ahead. Here we cover four major breakthroughs that are achieving improved patient outcomes. 

1.     Stem Cell Therapy Advancements For Diabetic Foot 

Findings released from a clinical study in September 2024 (Volume 15 - 2024 |https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2024.1427205) show stem cells provide a promising application for the treatment of DFU (diabetic foot ulcers). 

Diabetes is a rapidly growing epidemic. DFU is one of the leading causes of death in diabetic patients, with a global prevalence of approximately 1.8%–6.3%, and approximately 20% of diabetic patients are at risk of amputation. 

This latest study showed stem cells play a vital role in healing by promoting angiogenesis (being the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones), secreting growth factors, stimulating vascular differentiation, inhibiting inflammation, promoting collagen deposition, and immunomodulation. 

The study cited improvements when foot ulcers were treated in combination with other stem cell therapies that included hypoxic pretreatment to improve the survival rate of stem cell transplantation. The use of stem cell scaffolding, combining biomaterials, were also conducive to the healing of diabetic foot ulcer wounds.  

Next steps involve undertaking larger controlled studies that will focus on the route of stem cell administration and correct dosage to find a standardized treatment regimen.

2.      Wider Access To CAR T-cell Therapy

Targeted immunotherapy to treat a variety of cancers is gaining a lot of traction due to the results of many successful clinical trials.  

Cancer is currently the second leading cause of death in the United States (reference: Cancer Statistics) with heart disease being the number one killer. Every year, many new cancer diagnoses are increasing.

Just this week, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released Cancer Statistics, 2025, the organization's annual report on cancer facts and trends. The new findings show the cancer mortality rate declined by 34% from 1991 to 2022 in the United States. However, this progress is jeopardized as the number of cancers being diagnosed is growing at an alarming rate for many cancer groups. 

In its findings, The American Cancer Society projects more than 2 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2025.  A major shift is the cancer incidence rates among women under age 50 that were 82% higher than their male counterparts in 2021, up from 51% in 2002. Women aged 50-64 are also getting cancer at higher rates than men.

In particular, breast cancer has been rising faster among women under 50 (increasing by 1.4% a year since the mid 2000s).

Colorectal cancer (a term used to describe both colon and rectal cancer) is also rising at alarming rates. The American Cancer Society estimated 152,810 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in 2024.  Specifically for those aged 15-39, colorectal cancer cases have gone up by 93.1% between 2000 and 2021. The incidence of early onset colorectal cancer is expected to increase by more than 140% by 2030. 

A scientific report released (April 2024) in the ASM Journal, Microbiology Spectrum (reference:  https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02720-23) discovered patients with an aggressive form of colon cancer have unusually high levels of three bacteria in their guts. These are fusobacterium, clostridium and shewanella that have all been linked to diets high in processed foods and sugar, and low in fiber. Having a diet that lacks natural, unprocessed grains, fruits and vegetables raises the risk of this bacteria's population to surge in the gut and the use of antibiotics also causes this bacteria to proliferate.

Chemotherapy has been the standard systemic treatment for many cancers (particularly solid and blood cancers) for over seven decades.  Recent clinical studies show the major drawback of regular chemotherapy is it increases the expression of PD-L1 in almost all kinds of cancers. PD-L1 is a protein found on the surface of cancer cells. It interacts with a protein called PD-L1 on immune system cells called T cells, instructing the T cell to leave the tumor cell alone. High levels of PD-L1 (that chemotherapy provides) turns off T cells, preventing them from attacking cancer cells. This results in the body’s own immune system shutting down and the cancer cells taking over.

Most recent studies explore the abilities of T cells that boost the immune system to mount an attack against cancer cells. The studies show the immune system can be triggered to respond accordingly when it signals danger or encounters a foreign substance.

Many CAR T cell therapies have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat blood cancers, lymphomas, leukemia, and most recently multiple myeloma. As with all treatments there are associated side effects that need to be addressed. CAR T cell treatment also becomes more challenging when there are solid tumor antigens on normal tissues at varying levels making tumor cell targeting more difficult. 

The good news is these more targeted treatments use the body's own built-in defenses and immunotherapy strategies are tolerated by the body a lot more than traditional chemotherapeutic agents. This is providing less overall risk to the patient, lower mortality rates and giving new hope to fight the relentless fight against cancer.    

Professor of Pharmaceutical Services Paul R. Carlier for UI Centre for drug discovery, and College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois, Chicago explains: "the achievement of new approaches in biological therapies makes us more confident in treating cancer."

3.      Update On Complete Eye Transplant For Aaron James

In May 2023, we reported on the incredible surgical team at NYU Langone Health who performed the world’s first whole-eye and partial-face transplant for 46-year-old military veteran Aaron James, who had survived a high-voltage electrical accident at work. Now, over a year later, James has made a remarkable recovery and is back to daily life in Arkansas. 

An update on Aaron’s progress was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Notably, the transplanted donor eye has maintained normal pressure and blood flow over time, contrary to findings from animal models of whole-eye transplants, where the eye often shrank significantly. Although the transplanted eye has not regained vision, it does show photoreceptor response, indicating that rods and cones, the light-sensitive nerve cells in the eye, survived the transplant. This response converts light into signals that ultimately the brain could interpret for vision, giving hope for the future of whole-eye transplants with an aim to restore sight for many in the future.

The 21-hour surgery utilized innovative microsurgical techniques, customized surgical devices, and cell-based therapies. This procedure included the first attempt in injecting stem cells into a human optic nerve during transplant, aiming to enhance nerve regeneration.

For James, the highlights of the past year have been incredible milestones that most people take for granted: no more stares from strangers, the ability to enjoy solid foods again, and even the simple pleasures of smelling. Now, he can focus on what matters most, sending his daughter, Allie, off to college.

“I’m pretty much back to being a normal guy, doing normal things,” said James. “All in all, though, this has been the most transformative year of my life. I’ve been given the gift of a second chance, and I don’t take a single moment for granted.”

One accomplishment James eagerly anticipated was a recent visit to the DMV to finally replace his driver’s license. Trading in the old license, which displayed his injured face, for one that reflects his new identity moved the DMV worker to tears.

Dr. Rodriguez of NYU Langone Health explains:

“The first challenge is successfully transplanting an entire eye into a new human and keeping that eye alive without rejection.”

“We’ve done the work to transplant an eye. We now need to do more work in understanding how to restore sight to the eye,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “We look forward to continuing this research in collaboration across academia to accelerate these discoveries with unique tools and the best therapies.”

The researchers will continue the journey with James through uncharted territory in medical science.

4.      HIV Cure Following Stem Cell Transplant