Health Sciences

Brain stimulation restores memory during lapses

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has shown for the first time that electrical stimulation delivered when memory is predicted to fail can improve memory function in the human brain. That same stimulation generally becomes disruptive when electrical pulses arrive during periods of effective memory function.

Michele W. Berger

Penn Team Characterizes the Underlying Cause of a Form of Macular Degeneration

Named for Friedrich Best, who characterized the disease in 1905, Best disease, also known as vitelliform macular dystrophy, affects children and young adults and can cause severe declines in central vision as patients age. The disease is one in a group of conditions known as bestrophinopathies, all linked to mutations in the BEST1 gene.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Marcus Henderson and Ian McCurry of Penn to Connect Homeless With Health Care

A Google search back in 2013 started things off. Typing in “Philadelphia,” “homeless” and “church,” Ian McCurry, then a freshman in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, found a way to reach out to a vulnerable community that he could assist and support using his growing knowledge of health care.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Two at Penn Honored by National Minority Quality Forum

Two members of the University of Pennsylvania community have been named recipients of the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health Award, recognizing young minority thought leaders who are working to reduce health-c

Jacquie Posey, John Infanti



In the News


Newsweek

Sugar-coated gold nanoparticles could replace some antibiotics

According to a Penn Medicine study, a new therapy involving laser light and sugar-coated gold nanoparticles can reduce tooth decay and infected wounds without needing antibiotics.

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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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New Scientist

Alzheimer’s may be caused by a build-up of fat in brain cells

A study by Michael Haney of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that the root cause of Alzheimer’s is a build-up of fat droplets in brain cells.

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The Washington Post

Cats aren’t jerks. They’re just misunderstood

James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the domestic cat suffers from its legacy of being a not-quite-wild animal on the margins of society.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

Philadelphia hospital program adds psychologists to bridge mental health services for trauma survivors

A new psychology team at the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program has provided about 46 survivors with short- and long- term therapy, featuring remarks from Elinore Kaufman and Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine.

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