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School of Veterinary Medicine
Penn Team Characterizes the Underlying Cause of a Form of Macular Degeneration
Named for Friedrich Best, who characterized the disease in 1905, Best disease, also known as vitelliform macular dystrophy, affects children and young adults and can cause severe declines in central vision as patients age. The disease is one in a group of conditions known as bestrophinopathies, all linked to mutations in the BEST1 gene.
Look to Lactate to Help Predict Ill Cats’ Prognoses, Penn Vet Study Says
Many factors go into evaluating the prognosis of a critically ill animal, usually involving a combination of objective metrics, such as blood pressure or blood oxygenation, and more subjective clinical signs, such as alertness or lethargy.
Penn Vet Library Exhibit Explores the Human-Animal Connection Through Art
Eleanor Hubbard, an artist and University of Pennsylvania alumna, is a firm believer in the power of serendipity. Without it, her latest exhibition, “Natural Selection: Lost Cat, Found Ox and Other Inspiring Bonds,” would have never come to be.
Mathematical Models Lend Penn Vet Professor Insights Into Diabetes
For a trove of examples of the rich outcomes of interdisciplinary work, look no further than Darko Stefanovski’s research portfolio.
Penn Vet Team Identifies New Therapeutic Targets for the Tropical Disease Leishmaniasis
Each year, about 2 million people contract leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of a sand fly. The cutaneous form of the disease results in disfiguring skin ulcers that may take months or years to heal and in rare cases can become metastatic, causing major tissue damage.
T Cells Support Long-lived Antibody-producing Cells, Penn-led Team Finds
If you’ve ever wondered how a vaccine given decades ago can still protect against infection, you have your plasma cells to thank. Plasma cells are long-lived B cells that reside in the bone marrow and churn out antibodies against previously encountered vaccines or pathogens.
Penn Vet Study Shows How Solid Tumors Resist Immunotherapy
Immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, offering hope to those whose malignancies have stubbornly survived other existing treatments. Yet solid tumor cancers are often resistant to these approaches.
Penn Vet Research Identifies New Target for Taming Ebola
Viruses and their hosts are in a eternal game of one-upmanship. If a host cell evolves a way to stop a virus from spreading, the virus will look for a new path. And so on and so forth.
Antibiotic Resistance
Increasing worldwide incidence of antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to public health. Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are available to comment on antibiotic resistance, including antimicrobial stewardship, efforts to develop new antimicrobials and antibiotic use in pets and livestock.
Penn: Epigenetic Change Ties Mitochondrial Dysfunction to Tumor Progression
Mitochondria, the mighty energy factories of the cell, often malfunction in cancer, as well as in other conditions such as aging, neurodegenerative disease and heart disease. Whether these changes in mitochondria actually contribute to the spread of cancer, however, has been controversial.
In the News
Huffington Post
Thirteen subtle changes veterinarians would never ignore in their cats
Kaitlyn Krebs of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that cats can indicate illness through behavioral changes such as hiding or spending time in unusual places.
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WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)
Migratory birds mainly responsible for bird flu outbreak, experts tell Pa. lawmakers
Louise Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that avian flu viruses are being spread far geographically because of wild migratory birds.
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The New York Times
Why do women live longer than men?
Montserrat Anguera of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that epigenetic factors like climate or chronic stress may also play a role in life span, widening or shrinking the disparities between men and women.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Are cats at risk of bird flu? What pet owners can do to protect their cats
Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that avian flu is risky and fairly fatal for cats, though the number of documented feline cases has so far been low.
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Science Alert
New strain of bird flu in Nevada reveals a concerning mutation
Louise Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that cows may be more broadly susceptible to bird flu viruses than initially thought.
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