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Food insecurity linked to elevated mortality risk among cancer survivors

Food insecurity linked to elevated mortality risk among cancer survivors

A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine shows that cancer survivors experiencing food insecurity had a 28 percent relative increase in risk of death versus those who were food secure.

Eric Horvath

1 min. read

Gene therapy may slow loss of motor function in ALS
A microscopic rendering of a neuromuscular junction.

Image: Koto_Feja via Getty Images

Gene therapy may slow loss of motor function in ALS

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia used RNA interference to silence a key protein that causes ALS, showing promise for treating the devastating neurodegenerative disease.

Kelsey Geesler

Innovative program jointly launched by Independence Blue Cross and Penn Medicine accelerates access to outpatient scans

Innovative program jointly launched by Independence Blue Cross and Penn Medicine accelerates access to outpatient scans

A joint program from Independence Blue Cross (IBX) and Penn Medicine gets patients on the path to care and a diagnosis faster and to save both providers and IBX time on prior authorization requests for outpatient scans (such as, CT, PET, and nuclear medicine scans, MRI and echocardiograms). Launched in 2023, the success of the program has driven IBX to expand the program to other network providers.

Penn Medicine outreach addresses health-related social needs
A volunteer with Penn Medicine SHARE Food Program hands a box of food to a bike courier.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine Magazine

Penn Medicine outreach addresses health-related social needs

For five years, Penn Medicine’s Social Needs Response Team has connected patients to vital support foundational to good health.

From Penn Medicine Magazine

2 min. read

Nancy A. Speck honored for pioneering research in hematology

Nancy A. Speck honored for pioneering research in hematology

Speck, the John W. Eckman Professor in Medical Science II and chair of the department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine, has been named the 2025 recipient of the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology.

Decoding ancient immunity networks
Hand holding a blood vial that reads "complement (C3 + C4)"

A collaborative team from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine have unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that acts like the body’s bouncer, “deciding” which foreign materials get degraded by immune cells and which are allowed entry.

(Image / iStock Md Saiful Islam Khan)

Decoding ancient immunity networks

A collaborative team from Penn Medicine and Penn Engineering have  unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that “decides” which foreign materials are friend or foe.

Nathi Magubane , Ian Scheffler , Holly Wojcik , Matt Toal

5 min. read

New chair of Orthopaedics starts a new chapter in a lifetime of service
Benjamin Potter holding a piece of prosthetic hardware.

Benjamin “Kyle” Potter demonstrates how the OPRA implant (Integrum LLC), which is FDA-approved for osseointegration following transfemoral amputation, fits into the AXOR II failsafe device, directly linking a patient's residual bone to an external prosthesis.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

New chair of Orthopaedics starts a new chapter in a lifetime of service

Following a distinguished military career, Benjamin ‘Kyle’ Potter is bringing his battle-tested expertise to Penn.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?
Leafcutter ants moving around a bright green leaf.

In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but PIK Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered that molecular signals can override that blueprint. Their findings reveal how simple neuropeptides can reprogram ant behavior, reshuffling roles in nature’s most disciplined workforce.

(Image: Courtesy of Tierney Scarpa)

What can ants and naked-mole rats teach about societal roles?

PIK Professor Shelley Berger and colleagues explored the genetic basis of labor distribution in communal-dwelling species and discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms. Their findings offer fundamental insights into complex social behaviors.

5 min. read

Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed
Maria Oquendo.

Maria Oquendo is the Ruth Meltzer Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News)

Penn’s Psychiatry chair is helping to reenvision how mental illness is diagnosed

Maria Oquendo is leading a task force to reimagine the future of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read