Low-dose radiation therapy helps relieve osteoarthritic pain Image: Mark Kostich via Getty Images Low-dose radiation therapy helps relieve osteoarthritic pain Penn Medicine clinicians are using a less intense form of radiation therapy typically used for cancer treatment to help bring patients relief from other conditions. 2 min. read
Prithvi Parthasarathy: Using AI to improve health care delivery in rural India Fourth-year neuroscience major Prithvi Parthasarathy is dedicated to innovating health care delivery.nocred Prithvi Parthasarathy: Using AI to improve health care delivery in rural India Prithvi Parthasarathy, a fourth-year neuroscience major, designed an AI triage tool to improve hospital efficiency and patient care. 3 min. read
20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read
The world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots A microrobot on a U.S. penny for scale.(Image: Michael Simari, University of Michigan) The world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robots Engineers at Penn Engineering have created robots barely visible to the naked eye that operate without tethers, magnetic fields or joystick-like controls. 2 min. read
University of Pennsylvania launches StartUP Fund University of Pennsylvania launches StartUP Fund StartUP Fund is a new early-stage investment fund dedicated to supporting innovative startup companies founded by Penn researchers and managed by Penn’s Office of the Chief Innovation Officer (OCINO).
Startup recognized for milestones in cancer care Marco Ruella, associate professor of medicine at PSOM and hematologist-oncologist at Penn Medicine, collaborates with his colleagues in the Ruella Lab.nocred Startup recognized for milestones in cancer care During the Penn Center for Innovation’s 10th annual Celebration of Innovation, viTToria Biotherapeutics was presented with the Startup of the Year Award for its remarkable progress in the development of promising treatment of T-cell lymphoma. 4 min. read
The path from labs to the marketplace “We saw vast, untapped potential in dental medicine, where translating and commercializing academic discoveries still lags,” says Hyun (Michel) Koo, CiPD’s co-founder and director. “With mounting evidence linking oral and systemic health, we can turn CiPD’s innovations into real-world solutions that reduce the burden of oral diseases and improve overall health.” (Image: Courtesy of William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management) The path from labs to the marketplace Penn’s William and Phyllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management helps scientists develop their business acumen and access partners to help bring their breakthroughs to market. 2 min. read
X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history Two X-ray plates from Arthur Goodspeed, believed to have created the world’s first X-ray image, were donated by his family to Penn’s University Archives.nocred X-ray plates from 1896 give a snapshot of Penn’s place in history A gift from the family of Penn physicist Arthur Goodspeed represents the beginning of a revolution in medicine that began at Penn. 5 min. read
A guide to Climate Week 2025 nocred A guide to Climate Week 2025 Taking place Oct. 13 to 17, Penn’s sixth Climate Week includes dozens of in-person and virtual events that cross disciplines, from energy policy and history to engineering and medicine 2 min. read
AI at the eyelid: Glasses that track health through your blinks Penn Engineering graduate student Dongyin Hu models BlinkWise, an AI-powered system that uses radio waves to monitor blinks and eye health.(Image: Sylvia Zhang) AI at the eyelid: Glasses that track health through your blinks Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed BlinkWise, an AI-powered system that uses radio waves to monitor blinks and eye health. 2 min. read