Meet the under-35s shaping the future of biotech

Every year, MIT Technology Review unveils a list of promising young innovators in science and technology. This year, nine individuals stand out, transforming the world of biotech. Here's a glimpse into five of their groundbreaking work:

1. Paschal Kija, at 28, has created a device called Mkanda Salama, or "Safe Wrap" in Swahili, to combat postpartum hemorrhage, a major cause of maternal deaths in Tanzania. The device costs just $70 and successfully halts bleeding in 73% of women within 20 minutes.

2. Xiao Yang, 34, is developing ultra-small, flexible brain electrodes inspired by Japanese kirigami art. These electrodes, shaped like neurons, could cause less damage to surrounding brain tissue and are being used to study brain cells.

3. Sarah Grandinette, 26, developed a personalized gene-editing therapy for her son, KJ, born with a rare genetic disorder. The therapy corrected a genetic misspelling and, when administered when KJ was seven months old, led to his recovery and hospital discharge.

4. Yuancheng (Ryan) Lu, 34, has shown that reprogramming therapies can reverse vision loss in aged, blind mice. The same approach is now being tested in humans with eye disease.

5. Samuel King, 27, used AI to design new genetic blueprints for bacteriophages, tiny viruses capable of infecting bacteria. In experiments, these AI-designed viruses proved capable of creating new copies and infecting other bacteria, potentially leading to future applications in drug creation or pollution control.