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Cancer Research
Decentralizing cancer screenings
Decentralizing cancer screenings
A Projects for Progress team in the Abramson Cancer Center continues to work with the West Philadelphia community to bring cancer screenings out of clinical settings.
Penn Medicine studies unlock new insights into gene therapy
Penn Medicine studies unlock new insights into gene therapy
The studies on AAV-based gene therapies in non-human primates suggest that integration into human DNA is unlikely to drive cancer mutations.
How cell developmental biology fits into the future of medicine
How cell developmental biology fits into the future of medicine
Ben Stanger, the Hanna Wise Professor in Cancer Research and professor of medicine and cell and developmental biology, discusses his research and publishing his first book, ‘From One Cell: A Journey into Life’s Origins and the Future of Medicine.’
A ‘thermometer’ tool to measure tumor growth between scans
A ‘thermometer’ tool to measure tumor growth between scans
Researchers at Penn Medicine have developed a first-ever tool that gives a real-time assessment of tumors to provide less uncertainty for patients worrying between scans.
Leveraging the body’s postal system to understand and treat disease
Leveraging the body’s postal system to understand and treat disease
An interdisciplinary team of researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Arts & Sciences has developed a technique that allows for characterization of both individual carrier and cargo for clinically important molecules.
Study shows promise for iNKT cell platform to treat cancer
Study shows promise for iNKT cell platform to treat cancer
Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine have shown that invariant natural killer T cells from a healthy donor can persist in MHC-mismatched canines, demonstrating a reliable platform to inform human clinical trials.
Removing the barrier surrounding solid tumors clears path for T cells
Removing the barrier surrounding solid tumors clears path for T cells
Penn researchers uncover a new way to target solid tumors. Using CAR T cells to remove cancer-associated fibroblasts surrounding pancreatic tumors allows T cells to infiltrate and attack the tumor cells.
Genetic switch turns tumor suppressor into oncogene in colorectal cancer
Genetic switch turns tumor suppressor into oncogene in colorectal cancer
Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine have shown that an enzyme that suppresses early-stage colorectal cancer switches to become an oncogene as the cancer progresses.
An immunotherapy strategy against all blood cancers
An immunotherapy strategy against all blood cancers
Researchers at Penn Medicine have demonstrated a new potential treatment using CAR T cell therapy using a CRISPR base-editing to develop a method called “epitope editing.”
Carl June on the boundless potential of CAR T cell therapy
Carl June on the boundless potential of CAR T cell therapy
In a Q & A, June, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy, and Daniel Baker, a fourth-year doctoral student in Penn’s Cell and Molecular Biology department, discuss how the treatment can extend to treating diseases beyond cancer.
In the News
CNN
There’s still no standard test to detect pancreatic cancer early. Scientists are working to change that
A 2020 study from the Perelman School of Medicine found that a blood test to screen for certain biomarkers associated with pancreatic cancer was 92% accurate in its ability to detect disease.
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Associated Press
A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests
A clinical trial led by Stephen Bagley of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that targeting two associated proteins with CAR T cell therapy could be a viable strategy for shrinking brain tumors.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
UPenn scientists among those developing vaccines that arm the immune system to fight cancer
Penn Medicine researchers like Nobel laureate Drew Weissman are leading efforts to develop a vaccine that prevents cancer, with remarks from Susan Domchek of the Basser Center for BRCA and Robert H. Vonderheide of the Abramson Cancer Center.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn’s BRCA cancer vaccine trial aims to prevent the disease in healthy people
A trial led by Susan Domchek of the Perelman School of Medicine could use a preventive vaccine to protect people with a BRCA gene mutation from cancer.
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Psychology Today
AI detects cancers and immunotherapy biomarker
Daiwei Zhang and Mingyao Li of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues have developed an AI tool called iStar that can automatically spot tumors and types of cancer that are difficult for clinicians to see or identify and can predict candidates for immunotherapy.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn started giving cancer patients free rides to appointments. It helped reduce no-shows and increase clinical trial enrollment
The Abramson Cancer Center is attempting to address one of the most common challenges cancer patients face: lack of transportation to critically important appointments. Robert Vonderheide and Carmen Guerra of the Perelman School of Medicine are quoted on the Ride Health initiative.
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