Health Sciences

Penn Engineers Make First Full Network Model of the Musculoskeletal System

Network science examines how the actions of a system’s individual parts affect the behavior of the system as a whole. Some commonly studied networks include computer chip components and social media users, but University of Pennsylvania engineers are now applying network science to a much older system: the human body.

Evan Lerner

By altering bone marrow, ‘training’ can prepare innate immune system for future challenges

George Hajishengallis of the School of Dental Medicine and an international team of colleagues have found that “training” the immune system causes changes in the precursors of immune cells in the bone marrow. These changes could facilitate a more robust response to future infections or even enable the immune system to regenerate faster after chemotherapy.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Engineers: Bone Marrow Transplant Stem Cells Can 'Swim' Upstream

When a cancer patient receives a bone marrow transplant, time is of the essence. Healthy stem cells, which can restart the production of blood cells and immune system components after a patient’s own are compromised, need to make their way from the circulatory system into the bones as quickly as possible.

Evan Lerner, Ali Sundermier

Weekly Fish Consumption Linked to Better Sleep, Higher IQ

Children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have IQ scores that are 4 points higher, on average, according to new findings from the University of Pennsylvania published in Scientific Reports.

Michele W. Berger

FDA Approves Gene Therapy for Inherited Blindness Developed by Penn and CHOP

In a historic move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a gene therapy initially developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for the treatment of a rare, inherited form of retinal blindness.

Katie Delach



In the News


The Washington Post

Americans are sleeping more than ever. See how you compare

Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine says that work and traveling are the major sleep killers, with the majority of traveling being commuting to and from work.

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Today

Should you try oil pulling to boost your oral health? Dentists explain benefits and side effects

Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says there aren’t enough robust, large-scale clinical studies or trials demonstrating the supposed benefits of oil pulling.

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Fox 29 (Philadelphia)

Cannabis reclassification could be game-changer for U.S. drug policy

Michael Cirigliano of the Perelman School of Medicine says that marijuana deserves to be removed from the same category as LSD, heroin, and fentanyl.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

These two Philly-area nurses are on a mission to get nursing recognized as a STEM field

Marion Leary of the School of Nursing is co-leading a national coalition seeking to convince federal agencies to recognize the field of nursing as a STEM profession.

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Nature

Bird flu virus has been spreading in U.S. cows for months, RNA reveals

Louise Moncla of the Veterinary School of Medicine says that the bird flu virus is clearly being transmitted to cows in some way.

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