Perelman School of Medicine

a person on public transportation wearing a mask while listening to music on a smartphone

Can contact tracing stop the spread of COVID-19?

Penn experts discuss how contact tracing works, the differences between traditional “analog” and new “digital” approaches, and how these two strategies could shape what everyday life looks like in the next phase of the pandemic.

scientists process samples in a field setting

Parasites and the microbiome

In a study of ethnically diverse people from Cameroon, the presence of a parasite infection was closely linked to the make-up of the gastrointestinal microbiome, according to a research team led by Penn scientists.

Film still of an intubation training video of a medical dummy and medical students in a hospital room

Videos, webinars and lots of feedback: Medical training’s shift amid COVID-19

Because hands-on learning and in-person simulations have been so altered during the coronavirus pandemic, there is now high demand for updated training videos and shifting best practices.

New cancer immunotherapy targeting myeloid cells slows tumor growth

Researchers found that inhibiting a molecule hijacked by tumor cells to suppress the immune system shrank tumors.

Closeup view of surgical tools on a tray while surgeons perform surgery in the background

Performing organ transplants safely amid the COVID-19 outbreak

The unique challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with fewer organ donations, led to a tremendous reduction in transplant procedures in the United States. But the Penn Transplant Institute is working through the crisis.

A medical worker in full personal protective gear holds up an x-ray of a chest and lungs

A possible link between certain psoriasis treatments and respiratory-tract infection risk

After examining data from large trials of autoimmune-disease medications called Interleukin-17 inhibitors, researchers found individuals who took these treatments were more likely to develop symptoms associated with respiratory-tract infections.

Fluorescent microscopic image of lung tissue stained in blue and pink

Blocking tumor signals can hinder cancer’s spread

A cross-campus team led by Serge Fuchs of the School of Veterinary Medicine used an inhibitor of an enzyme called p38α kinase to suppress the spread of melanoma to the lungs in a mouse model.

A health care worker in personal protective gear swabs a person in a vehicle at a drive-up COVID testing site.

At a community health center, doctors offer COVID testing—and screening for depression

The Sayre Health Center in West Philadelphia is including anxiety and depression screening with COVID-19 testing, a necessity for a population especially at risk for both.

neon x-ray of a torso with the liver organ highlighted brightly

New liver cancer research targets non-cancer cells to blunt tumor growth

By targeting senescent cells using “senotherapy,” researchers can greatly reduce tumors in models.

COVID-19’s assault on Black and Brown communities

Racism, inequality, and the coronavirus have combined to cause an alarming number of COVID-19 cases and deaths among African-American and Latinx populations.

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