--- --- # Medical Momentum  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 16, 2014 10:53 AM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 16, 2014 10:53 AM UTC Progress in medicine can be an inch-by-inch slog. But every so often, small steps culminate in big advances. Such was the case in October, when researchers revealed game-changing discoveries that fundamentally alter their understanding of common but tough-to-treat conditions. These medical breakthroughs could pave the way for treatments that may someday be yours. \[This article contains a table. Please see your hard copy of magazine or PDF.\] | THE CONDITION | THE BREAKTHROUGH | THE PROMISE | WHAT’S NEXT | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | ALZHEIMER’S | Scientists call it “Alzheimer’s in a dish.” They can now see in a petri dish how the disease develops, a huge advance over animal models. | Now that they can see what goes wrong with cells in the brain, experts can develop drugs that interfere with or stop the nerve-damaging disease. | It’s the first step in a process that will likely take years before it produces a new therapy. But it’s a big step in the right direction. | | AGE-RELATED VISION LOSS | Transplanting retinal cells grown from IVF embryos restored vision to people with macular degeneration– without any serious side effects. | Half of the 18 patients can see three more lines on an eye chart, and some who were nearly blind can now see their watch and computer. | The study shows that these stem-cell transplants are safe, making it possible for more patients to participate in further trials. | | TYPE 1 DIABETES | Researchers have created the first batch of insulin-making stem cells that respond to sugar both in a lab dish of human cells and in mice. | If the cells are safe and effective for use in humans, they could effectively cure Type 1 diabetes and free patients from regular insulin injections. | This kind of cure is years away. The cells must be tested for safety in humans and must be compared with existing treatments. | | C. DIFFICILE | Fecal transplants can often cure this potentially lethal infection. Now scientists have a cleaner, less invasive vehicle: a pill. | Colonoscopies are replaced by capsules, which repopulate the patient’s gut with healthy, beneficial bacteria that wipe out the stubborn infection. | The treatment is now available at a few clinics like Massachusetts General Hospital. Other medical centers are expected to follow. | | OBESITY | Scientists pinpointed a brain signal that turns abundant, unhealthy white fat into brown fat, which efficiently burns calories instead of storing them. | If a drug could turn this process on and off in a controlled way, it could help burn calories and reduce excess body fat, curbing obesity and overweight. | Brown-fat science, while exciting, is still in its early days. Stay tuned for news as the research develops. | Sources: Nature; Lancet; Cell; JAMA Medical Momentum ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3512676/medical-momentum/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3512676/medical-momentum/"},"headline":"Medical Momentum","datePublished":"2014-10-16T10:53:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:49:38.431Z","description":"Scientists make major moves in tackling five challenging diseases","url":"https://time.com/3512676/medical-momentum/","keywords":["medicine"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/medicine/","name":"medicine"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3512676/medical-momentum/","name":"Medical Momentum"}}]}] ```