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Perelman School of Medicine
Providing a ‘LIFT’ to first-generation med students
Providing a ‘LIFT’ to first-generation med students
All new students face challenges in the transition to college, but for first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students, it’s a whole new world. Providing a community for these students helps counter feelings of isolation and the “impostor” syndrome that FGLI students may experience.
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Tissue gets stiffer when it’s compressed. That stiffening response is a long-standing biomedical paradox, as common sense dictates that when you push the ends of a string together, it loosens tension, rather than increasing it. New research explains the mechanical interplay between that fiber network and the cells it contains.
Failure of mitochondrial quality control causes heart disease
Failure of mitochondrial quality control causes heart disease
A new Penn Medicine study reveals a well-known protein participates in mitophagy; mutations in the genes of that protein suppress mitophagy and cause disease.
Researchers unravel the early makings of an exhausted T cell
Researchers unravel the early makings of an exhausted T cell
Knowing which T cells will lose the battle against cancer earlier could inform treatments and the development of new immunotherapies.
Algorithm personalizes which cancer mutations are best targets for immunotherapy
Algorithm personalizes which cancer mutations are best targets for immunotherapy
A new model developed by researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center hand-picks cancer cells to target for more effective, customized cancer vaccines.
In pursuit of a cure, when ideas and options have run out
In pursuit of a cure, when ideas and options have run out
A new book from Penn Medicine’s David Fajgenbaum chronicles his journey to beat Castleman disease, a rare disorder that he’s lived with for almost a decade.
Mounting brain organoid research reignites ethical debate
Mounting brain organoid research reignites ethical debate
Penn neuroscientists call for an ethical framework grounded in scientific principles for transplanting human “mini-brains” into animals as the field evolves.
A Q&A with Penn Medicine’s Jason Freedman for National Coming Out Day
A Q&A with Penn Medicine’s Jason Freedman for National Coming Out Day
The assistant professor of clinical pediatrics discusses being out at Penn and shares some of his own experiences as a gay man.
How safe and effective are new pulmonary embolism devices?
How safe and effective are new pulmonary embolism devices?
A scientific statement from the American Heart Association, led by Penn Medicine, identifies the risks and benefits of new interventional devices compared to the use of blood thinners alone.
Penn alumnus Gregg L. Semenza awarded Nobel in Physiology or Medicine 2019
Penn alumnus Gregg L. Semenza awarded Nobel in Physiology or Medicine 2019
He is one of a trio of researchers sharing the award for their studies of how cells sense and adapt to varying oxygen levels.
In the News
Forbes
Eye drops proven to reverse vision loss in clinical trial
Eve Higginbotham of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about some of the shortcomings of eye drops that treat age-related farsightedness. “There’s a question of whether or not people will actually use these drops twice a day in order to see a little better up close,” she said. “I am sure there may be a small segment of the population that may choose to put drops in twice a day, but for the vast majority of individuals, using drops twice a day may be a challenge.”
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Time
‘I burned all the time.’ Selma Blair discusses her MS diagnosis and hope for effective treatments for chronic diseases
Carl June of the Perelman School of Medicine was noted for his contributions to the development of CAR T cell therapy. “The approaches we’ve learned in cancer may well apply to dementia,” he said. “I think that will be the next wave of research.”
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Forbes
FDA: Deliveries of scarce childhood cancer drug due to resume later in October, but shortages may continue for months
Peter Adamson of the Perelman School of Medicine authored a letter proposing a “call to action” to make sure childhood-cancer drug shortages don’t reoccur.
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Inside Higher Ed
Twitter’s gender imbalance
Rachel Werner of the Perelman School of Medicine authored a study that found that while men and women use Twitter at equal rates, the site has not reduced gender disparities in academia overall.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn’s genital herpes vaccine is a winner in animals. Next up: Testing on humans
Harvey Friedman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about his efforts to develop an “urgently needed” genital herpes vaccine. “What we have is close to perfect in animals. No one else has done that,” he said. “The big unknown is whether it will work in humans.”
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