From face transplants to 'female Viagra,' these were the medical innovations that defined 2015

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It was a busy — and often awe-inspiring — year for biomedical science.

From face transplants to a method to rewrite our DNA, 2015 has seen some major breakthroughs.

Without further ado, here are the major breakthroughs that have helped advance the field this year:

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A controversial gene-editing method took major steps toward entering the medical mainstream.

Super-muscular animals. Genetically modified human embryos. An end to the organ-transplant shortage.

All of the above have been promises from the last year, since an easy method of tweaking DNA was first discovered in late 2014. This year, CRISPR-Cas9 earned a Breakthrough of the Year Award, beating out other events such as the discovery of Homo naledi, a previously unknown ancestor to humans, and the Pluto flyby, which allowed scientists to get an up-close view of Pluto and its moons for the first time.

Here’s a list of some of the new areas where CRISPR is being tried out:

Gene-editing company Editas is testing its potential to treat a rare eye disorder.
UC San Diego scientists used it to make malaria-resistant mosquitoes.
Chemical company DuPont is working with gene-editing company Caribou Sciences to try and make allergy-free peanuts.

Doctors at NYU are leading the charge toward more full-face transplants, like this one for a firefighter who was badly injured in the line of duty.

Patrick Hardison, a firefighter whose face suffered major burns from a fire in 2001, got a face transplant from a donor in August. The procedure, which had been years in the making, took more than 26 hours and involved more than 100 people.

It involved detaching the face of a donor with the same size face and blood type, among other qualifications, removing Hardison’s damaged face, and attaching the donor’s face in its place. NYU’s Langone Medical Center is hoping to turn this success into making the center the leading face-transplant site in the country.

Scientists created a device that seals a gunshot wound in 20 seconds.

Severe wounds need to be sealed as quickly as possible, and a few seconds can be the difference between life or death in some situations. This year, the FDA approved the XStat, a syringe-like device that injects tiny sponges into deep wounds.

Once they make contact with blood, the sponges expand and close up the wound until the person can receive more medical attention. The XStat got initial approval for military use last year, but can now be used for life-threatening situations at home.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider