A Clifton Heights infant named KJ Muldoon has made Nature Science Journal’s top 10 list of people who helped shape medicine in 2025, thanks to a frontline gene-editing treatment he received, writes Sarah Gantz for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

CHOP and Penn are researching how to make his treatment available to more patients.

KJ received international acclaim after doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia treated his rare liver condition with a gene-editing drug.

KJ was honored in Nature as a “trailblazing baby.” Also on the list are a neurologist, an entomologist, and a data researcher.

KJ has a rare disorder that keeps his liver from processing protein, and he was at risk for dangerous levels of ammonia building up in his bloodstream.

His doctors analyzed KJ’s genetic profile to find the mutation causing his condition. They laced medication with bits of genetic code created with CRISPR to repair the mutation.

While KJ will still need ongoing care, the medication dramatically improved his liver function.

“This is the future of medicine, a step toward using gene-editing for diseases for which there are few treatments,” said Kiran Musunuru, one of the lead doctors on KJ’s case, back in May.

Read more about KJ’s gene-editing treatment and his mention in Nature’s list of medicine influencers in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in December 2025.