Kyle “KJ” Muldoon Jr. was born with a rare genetic disorder that left his body unable to remove toxic ammonia from his blood. He was lethargic and at risk of developing neurological disorders. The condition can be fatal. KJ joined a waiting list for a liver transplant. Then Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Kiran Musunuru at the…
Here at MIT Technology Review we’ve been writing about the gene-editing technology CRISPR since 2013, calling it the biggest biotech breakthrough of the century. Yet so far, there’s been only one gene-editing drug approved. It’s been used commercially on only about 40 patients, all with sickle-cell disease. It’s becoming clear that the impact of CRISPR…
The new year has barely begun, but the first days of 2026 have brought big news for health. On Monday, the US’s federal health agency upended its recommendations for routine childhood vaccinations—a move that health associations worry puts children at unnecessary risk of preventable disease. There was more news from the federal government on Wednesday,…
The Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero has been preparing for a surgery that might never happen. His idea? Swap a sick person’s head—or perhaps just the brain—onto a younger, healthier body. Canavero caused a stir in 2017 when he announced that a team he advised in China had exchanged heads between two corpses. But he never…