The What’s In The News 2025 Roundup

Healthcare doesn’t sit still, and in the face of an uncertain global landscape, amazing progress was made that will change the lives of patients everywhere.

‘A little miracle’: First baby born in UK to woman with transplanted womb

Top of our list of highlights must be the birth of baby Amy Isabel Davidson, who made history as the first child in the UK born to a mother using a donated womb. Grace Davidson, 36, was born without a functioning uterus and received her sister’s womb in 2023, which became the UK’s first successful womb transplant. The procedure took 17 hours and was paid for by Womb Transplant UK, and all medical staff involved gave their time for free. Since Grace’s transplant, the surgical team have carried out three further womb transplants as part of a clinical trial. This is the story of love, dedication, joy, and hope we all need.

Read the full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78jd517z87o

 A new biomarker test detects early tau tangles in Alzheimer’s disease

In the UK, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects an estimated 1 in 14 people over the age of 65, and 1 in 6 over the age of 80.¹ For this reason alone, breakthroughs in diagnosis and/or treatment are worth getting excited about. Early in the year a team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine developed a biomarker test that can detect small amounts of the clumping-prone tau proteins that litter the brain and cerebrospinal fluid. These are recognised as a primary biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease. This development has the potential to revolutionise AD diagnosis and treatment, as early detection is associated with better prognosis.

Find out more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250210/New-biomarker-test-detects-early-tau-tangles-in-Alzheimers-disease.aspx

 Futuristic 3D heart scans on NHS speed up diagnosis and save millions of pounds

In May, NHS England published an article highlighting how AI is being used to bring benefits to patients and save money. Revolutionary AI-driven heart scans have been rolled out across 56 NHS hospitals in England, enabling healthcare practitioners (HCPs) to diagnose and treat patients with suspected heart disease much faster than traditional methods, by turning a CT scan of their heart into a personalised 3D image, which is then analysed using AI. The article revealed that over 24,000 patients had benefitted from the technology since 2021, avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures and saving an estimated £9.5M.

Read the full article here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/05/futuristic-3d-heart-scans-speed-up-diagnosis-and-save-millions/

Huntington’s disease successfully treated for the first time

Gene therapy is an area of medical innovation that is rapidly developing, and a few months ago a new gene therapy trial demonstrated a 75% slowing of progression in Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurological condition that kills brain cells and results in symptoms similar to those of dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease. The mutation responsible changes the function of the huntingtin protein – causing it to attack and kill neurons. The goal of the treatment is to reduce levels of this toxic protein permanently, in a single dose applied directly to a particular region of the brain. The therapy uses a cutting-edge combination of gene therapy and gene silencing technologies, and first approvals for the therapy are expected this year. 

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cevz13xkxpro

Read our blog post to understand the difference between gene therapy and gene editing: https://solarishealth.com/insights/understanding-gene-based-interventions-gene-therapy-vs-gene-editing

Repurposing existing medicines can expedite drug development

Developing new medicines is expensive and time consuming, so when existing medicines are found to be effective in new contexts, exciting levels of progress can be made. The average development time to get a new drug to market is around 10-15 years and costs 1-2 billion dollars. As a result, only 10-15% of all drugs make it through the necessary developmental phases. Because of this, there has been a growing trend in the repurposing of existing drugs to treat conditions for which the original medicine was not intended.

Last year, preclinical research showed that a single dose of a common asthma medication, zileuton, stopped severe allergic reactions in an animal model. Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois used mice that had been sensitised to peanut allergens, giving each mouse a single oral dose of zileuton an hour before consuming food containing peanuts. Amazingly, treated mice showed no signs of allergic reaction. The drug is thought to work by blocking an enzyme called 5-lypoxygenase which is needed to produce leukotrienes – chemicals that help transport intact protein allergens across the gut into the bloodstream where they trigger anaphylaxis. Trials are now underway in humans, and could, in the future, provide an important tool in the battle against food allergies.

Find out more about zileuton: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2491677-common-asthma-drug-could-prevent-life-threatening-allergic-reactions/ 

Find out more about this growing trend: https://solarishealth.com/insights/repurposing-existing-medicines-can-expedite-drug-development

Treatment regimens are changing: patients are benefiting from home-based therapies and low-frequency administration

In recent years, the healthcare landscape has been steadily moving towards more patient-centric models, focusing on convenience and quality of life. Treatments for chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), have previously involved regular trips to hospital for drug infusions, injections and extensive monitoring. These complex medication regimens negatively impact quality of life, cluttering calendars with appointments and hospital visits. However, in 2025 NICE approved cladribine for treatment in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. The treatment regimen necessitates a maximum of 10 days of treatment in the first year and 10 days in the second year, with no additional treatment necessary, significantly reducing the need for hospital visits and giving patients greater freedom in their daily lives.

Similarly, a study recently reported positive results for an annual injection of lenacapavir, a prophylactic drug designed to protect against HIV infection. Currently, many people take daily tablets or injections every 8 weeks for pre-exposure prophylaxis, and adherence is an issue. An annual injection would therefore be a major breakthrough for clinicians and patients alike.

Read more about these breakthroughs and what they mean for health services here: https://solarishealth.com/insights/treatment-regimens-are-changing-patients-are-benefiting-from-home-based-therapies-and-low-frequency-administration

Looking forward to 2026

The world of health innovation is always moving forward and we cannot wait to see what 2026 has in store for patients, carers, and healthcare providers alike. With further investment in gene therapies, AI diagnostics, repurposing existing medicines, and finding ways to treat chronic conditions at home, we are looking forward to seeing how lives are changed for the better in the coming year.

References:

1. NHS. Alzheimer’s Disease Overview. Last accessed: Dec 2025. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alzheimers-disease/