8.17
Perelman School of Medicine
‘Alarming’ diabetes epidemic in Guatemala tied to aging, not obesity
A new study by Penn Center for Global Health, published in PLOS One, finds that 25 percent of the large indigenous population in Guatemala has either type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Penn Medicine’s Carl June receives 2018 Albany Prize
Carl June, a gene therapy pioneer at the Abramson Cancer Center, will receive the 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research.
Two students’ paths to White Coat Day
Ralph St. Luce & Rotem Kimia, two members of a new class of medical students at the Perelman School of Medicine, discuss what brought them to medicine, in anticipation of the school's annual White Coat Ceremony.
Drugs in development for cancer may also fight brain diseases, including ALS
In a study done by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences, PARP inhibitors, which are used for fighting cancer, can be useful for the treatment and prevention of brain disorders such as ALS.
Cancer cells send out ‘drones’ to battle the immune system from afar
Checkpoint inhibitor therapies have made metastatic melanoma and other cancers a survivable condition, but only for some patients. Researchers uncovered a novel mechanism by which tumors suppress the immune system, raising the possibility that a straightforward blood test could predict which patients could respond to immunotherapy.
Ensuring equality with a framework for workforce inclusion
A study published in JAMA Network Open from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine identifies six factors that measure workforce inequality in delivering health care, as part of Office of Inclusion and Diversity’s equality mission.
Red blood cell ‘hitchhikers’ offer new way to transport drugs to specific targets
A new drug-delivery technology which uses red blood cells to shuttle nano-scale drug carriers, called RBC-hitchhiking, has been found to dramatically increase the concentration of drugs ferried precisely to selected organs.
Dr. Benoit Dubé appointed Chief Wellness Officer
Provost Wendell Pritchett and Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum today announced the appointment of Dr. Benoit Dubé, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, as the University of Pennsylvania’s first Chief Wellness Officer.
Greening vacant lots reduces depression in city dwellers
People living within a quarter mile of greened lots had a 41.5 percent decrease in feelings of depression and a nearly 63 percent decrease in self-reported “poor mental health,” compared to those who lived near the lots that received no intervention.
The changing landscape of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases
Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Zika, chikungunya, and dengue are among the vector-borne infections making headlines. Penn researchers shed light on what’s behind the spread and how to stay safe.
In the News
The Washington Post
Study: When a city’s trashy lots are cleaned up, residents’ mental health improves
Eugenia South of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the numerous benefits of cleaning vacant lots in urban neighborhoods. “We can make an impact on the entrenched health problems that we have,” said South.
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Associated Press
3 scientists share $500,000 prize for work on cancer therapy
Carl June of the Perelman School of Medicine was awarded the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for his work developing CAR-T cell therapies for treating cancer.
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The New York Times
Clues to your health are hidden at 6.6 million spots in your DNA
Daniel Rader of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the availability of genetic screening for early indicators of heart disease.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
New hepatitis C drugs mean diseased organs can be used for transplants
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Peter Reese discussed the possibility of increased rejection in patients who’ve received infected kidneys, saying “we can’t rule it out. It’s possible there’s more immunological injury with hep C infection.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Cancer ‘drones’ in blood weaken immune system, Penn scientists show
Wei Guo of the School of Arts and Sciences and George Xu of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed their team’s cancer research. “Tumor cells are smarter than we thought,” said Guo.
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