Researchers at Stanford Medicine never stop driving the biomedical sciences forward. This year, among other advancements, they published studies that deepen our understanding of cellular interactions, pioneer methods for delivering medication, predict disease and reveal simple measures that prevent illness.
At the end of 2025, Stanford Medicine science writers reflected on recent advancements that hold the highest potential to improve patient outcomes. Below is a curated list.
A new study suggests shingles vaccine could slow dementia’s progress: Health records of Welsh older adults showed that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who did not receive the vaccine; they also showed that the vaccine may slow the progress of dementia. The study, led by Pascal Geldsetzer, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, supports an emerging theory that viruses that affect the nervous system can increase the risk of dementia and offers a simple way to reduce that risk.
Research may speed pain treatment by re-creating a neural pathway in a dish: Sergiu Pasca, MD, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor II of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, assembled four miniaturized parts of the human nervous system to reconstitute what’s known as the ascending sensory pathway, promising to accelerate what has been slow progress in understanding how pain signals are processed in humans and how best to alleviate pain.
Study finds a way to eradicate liver tumors in mice: Blocking the activity of erythropoietin turns formerly “cold,” or immune-resistant, liver tumors in mice into “hot” tumors teeming with cancer-fighting immune cells. When pathology professor Edgar Engleman, MD, combined the treatment with an immunotherapy that further activates these immune cells against the cancer, it led to complete regression of existing liver tumors in most mice.
Skin grafts help patients with painful skin condition: A clinical trial led by professor of dermatology Jean Tang, MD, PhD, found that genetically engineered skin grafts can heal persistent wounds in people with epidermolysis bullosa, also known as butterfly disease because the skin is so fragile the slightest touch produces blisters and wounds. The grafts, created from the patient’s own cells, help heal their wounds and significantly reduce pain.
People with ‘young brains’ outlive ‘old-brained’ peers: A team led by Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, the D. H. Chen Professor II and a professor of neurology and neurological sciences, discovered that a blood test can determine the relative age of a person’s organs and organ systems. The test could even predict who is most likely to die from medical conditions associated with those organs and systems. The brain’s relative age, the researchers found, was the best predictor of longevity.
Gentler stem cell transplant successfully treats genetic disease: Fanconi anemia patients were able to receive stem cell transplants without having to undergo toxic chemotherapy or radiation, a Stanford Medicine team found. Led by Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, the researchers treated three pediatric patients with an antibody they developed, in combination with other drugs, before successfully transplanting stem cells to treat the genetic disease. Two years later, all three patients were doing well.
Ultrasound could deliver drugs with fewer side effects: Stanford Medicine researchers developed a system that can target medications to precise locations in the body and the brain. Raag Airan, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology, and his colleagues used nanoparticles to encapsulate drugs, then ultrasound to release the drugs where they are needed. The researchers showed that rats who received ketamine through the targeted system showed less anxiety than those who received ketamine conventionally.
Lung cancer cells and neurons together spur tumor growth: Small cell lung cancer cells that reach the brain team up with neurons, whose electrical signals promote tumor growth, Stanford Medicine researchers learned. The discovery, co-led by Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and the Milan Gambhir Professor in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, hints at new cancer therapies that interrupt the signaling between neurons and cancer cells.
Listening to Mom’s voice helps preemies’ brain development: Premature infants who heard nightly recordings of their mother’s voice showed more mature language pathways in their brains on MRI scans, a Stanford Medicine team led by Melissa Scala, MD, a clinical professor of neonatology, found. The preemies, who were born more than eight weeks early, heard their mother reading from a children’s book for 160 minutes each night. Their MRI scans were significantly different from the same-aged preemies who did not hear the recordings.
A prosthesis restores sight for those with macular degeneration: A year after a device was implanted in their eyes, most patients with macular degeneration regained the ability to read with the help of special glasses. Daniel Palanker, PhD, a professor of ophthalmology, led the study, the first to restore form vision, or the ability to perceive shapes and patterns. The prosthesis and the glasses allowed the patients to read at least two lines on a standard eye chart.
Scientists tie lupus to a virus nearly all of us carry: While the Epstein-Barr virus resides silently in 95% of Americans, it occasionally sets off a few immune cells, which persuade other immune cells to go rogue and attack various systems in the body, resulting in systemic lupus erythematosus. The finding, spearheaded by William Robinson, MD, PhD, the James W. Raitt, MD, Professor and a professor of immunology and rheumatology, may apply to other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
Researchers cure Type 1 diabetes in mice: In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Researchers at Stanford Medicine — led by Seung Kim, MD, PhD, the KM Mulberry Professor and a professor of developmental biology, gerontology, endocrinology and metabolism — were able to cure the disease in mice by transplanting blood stem cells and pancreatic islet cells from mismatched donors. None of the animals developed significant side effects from the treatment or required immune suppressant drugs.
