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Perelman School of Medicine
How humans evolved a super-high cooling capacity
How humans evolved a super-high cooling capacity
The higher density of sweat glands in humans is due, to a great extent, to accumulated changes in a regulatory region of DNA that drives the expression of a sweat gland-building gene, explaining why humans are the sweatiest of the Great Apes.
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Racial, gender, and socioeconomic factors linked to likelihood of getting diabetes treatment
Racial, gender, and socioeconomic factors linked to likelihood of getting diabetes treatment
Penn Medicine researchers show Black, Asian, female, and lower-income patients with diabetes receive less sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors compared with overall trends.
Mysterious ‘nuclear speckle’ cell structures may help block cancers
Mysterious ‘nuclear speckle’ cell structures may help block cancers
A new study out of Penn Medicine shows that the tumor-suppressor protein p53 brings speckles and DNA together to boost gene expression.
Gene therapy shows promise in initial trial for patients with childhood blindness
Penn Medicine researchers delivered working copies of the gene GUCY2D to the eyes of patients with severe vision impairments.
Study suggests those who had COVID-19 may only need one vaccine dose
Study suggests those who had COVID-19 may only need one vaccine dose
People who have recovered from COVID-19 had a robust antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, therefore only a single dose may be needed to produce a sufficient antibody response, according to new research from the Penn Institute of Immunology.
Penn Medicine awarded nearly $7 million to study influenza viruses
Penn Medicine awarded nearly $7 million to study influenza viruses
Penn Medicine is one of five institutions in the U.S. chosen by the National Institutes of Health as a Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response to improve pandemic preparedness.
Cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June receives the Sanford Lorraine Cross Award
Cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June receives the Sanford Lorraine Cross Award
The Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center received the award for his work in developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy.
Immune-stimulating drug before surgery shows promise in early-stage pancreatic cancer
Immune-stimulating drug before surgery shows promise in early-stage pancreatic cancer
Giving early-stage pancreatic cancer patients a CD40 immune-stimulating drug helped jumpstart a T cell attack to the notoriously stubborn tumor microenvironment before surgery and other treatments.
With impressive accuracy, dogs can sniff out coronavirus
With impressive accuracy, dogs can sniff out coronavirus
In a proof-of-concept study led by the School of Veterinary Medicine, dogs identified positive samples with 96% accuracy.
In the News
Seattle Times
Your COVID post-vaccine activities safety guide, including gyms, shopping, taking an Uber and more
Once two weeks have passed following a second COVID-19 vaccine dose (or one Johnson & Johnson dose), individuals are considered fully vaccinated. At that point , what activities are considered “safe” to resume? Meenakshi Bewtra of the Perelman School of Medicine says that for vaccinated people, activities that were once considered risky are safer, but advises people to proceed with caution in light of new variants, and to keep public health and safety at the forefront of daily activities by wearing a mask and maintaining social distance in public.
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Science Daily
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
For people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders, a more permissive blood-brain barrier appears to allow the immune system to get improperly involved in the central nervous system. The inflammation that arises likely contributes to the clinical manifestations of neuropsychiatric conditions, according to new findings from a team led by researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
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CBS Philadelphia
Earth Week: New research links lung cancer to air pollution in Philadelphia
Air in the Philadelphia region is ranked as the 12th most polluted in the country by the American Lung Association. Toxins in the air, mainly from traffic and industry, are known to cause lung cancer. Trevor Penning, a pharmacology professor in the Perelman School of Medicine, developed hazard indices for 421 zip codes using satellite imagery for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
I’m a doctor who examines asylum seekers. I want Biden to fix the asylum system
Jules Lipoff of the Perelman School of Medicine argued for reforming and expanding the U.S. asylum system. “We must renew the United States as a bold world leader in standing for the dignity of human rights,” he wrote.
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The Atlantic
COVID-19 vaccines are entering uncharted immune territory
Meena Bewtra of the Perelman School of Medicine said, regarding still unknown facets of how the coronavirus interacts with the immune system, “We still don’t understand why only certain people get so sick and die” from COVID-19.
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