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Cancer Research
Eight Penn scientists receive NIH grants through High-Risk, High-Reward Research program
A group of five scientists received the Transformative Research Award for a project focusing on cancer research, while three investigators received the New Innovator Award for independent projects developed by early-career investigators.
Understanding the needs of cancer care partners
Through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program, undergrads Abi Ocholi and Akin Adio deepened their understanding of qualitative research and of the experiences of caregivers.
$55M gift creates new ‘Cancer Interception’ Institute at Penn’s Basser Center for BRCA to stop hereditary cancers at the earliest stages
Funding for the Institute from Mindy and Jon Gray will propel early detection and prevention of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
T cells that ‘nibble’ tumors unwittingly help cancer evade the immune response
Blocking this process, known as trogocytosis, improved the ability of a CAR T cell therapy to treat cancer in mice, according to research led by School of Veterinary Medicine scientists.
Potential new therapeutic targets to treat melanoma
Penn Medicine research shows that a relative lack of DOPA, and not simply susceptibility to sun damage, helps explain why melanoma is much more common in people with light skin tones.
Losing mom to brain cancer fuels an expert’s mission for breakthrough
Research by Gregory L. Beatty, who lost his mother to glioblastoma, and colleagues have found that immunotherapy might have some activity in patients with relapsed tumors, and a potential target location for immunotherapy in glioblastoma tumors.
Cancer cells selectively load ‘drones’ to keep T cells from infiltrating tumors
Biologist Wei Guo and colleagues elucidate the process of sorting and loading cargo for these biological drones with implications for a more targeted and effective use of checkpoint inhibitor drugs in cancer treatment.
Deconstructing the mechanics of bone marrow disease
A new understanding of how mechanical features of bone marrow affect resident immune cells in a fibrotic cancer points to future therapeutic strategies for cancers and fibrotic diseases.
One protein’s role in genomic intermingling and T cell development
The findings, from a team led by Golnaz Vahedi of Penn Medicine, could have implications for T-cell based immunotherapies for cancer and other conditions.
Stress protein in fibroblasts may be a good target for future cancer drugs
A Penn study finds the ATF4 protein is overactive in many types of tumor cells and tumor-supporting fibroblasts to promote tumor survival, and may be a good target for future cancer treatments.
In the News
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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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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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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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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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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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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