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School of Veterinary Medicine
Penn Study Identifies New Trigger for Breast Cancer Metastasis
For years, scientists have observed that tumor cells from certain breast cancer patients with aggressive forms of the disease contained low levels of mitochondrial DNA. But, until recently, no one was able to explain how this characteristic influenced disease progression.
Neurotoxin Effectively Relieves Bone Cancer Pain in Dogs, Penn Researchers Find
By the time bone cancer is diagnosed in a pet dog, it is often too late to save the animal’s life. Instead, the goal of treatment is to keep the dog as comfortable and free of pain as possible for as long as possible.
Penn Researchers Take First Step Toward a Macular Dystrophy Gene Therapy
Vitelliform macular dystrophy, also known as Best disease, is one of a group of vision-robbing conditions called bestrophinopathies that affect children and young adults. Caused by inherited mutations in the BEST1 gene, these diseases cause severe declines in central vision as patients age.
Penn Science Café: Dogs Leading the Fight Against Cancer
The University of Pennsylvania’s Nicola Mason, an assistant professor of medicine and pathobiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine, studies the immune systems of dogs, which happen to share many traits with those of humans.
Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center and Center for Dairy Excellence Form Partnership
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center and the Center for Dairy Excellence have signed a memorandum of understanding to formally recognize their partnership to h
Fish Skin Immune Responses Resemble That of the Gut, Penn Study Finds
Fish skin is unique in that it lacks keratin, the fibrous protein found in mammalian skin that provides a barrier against the environment. Instead, the epithelial cells of fish skin are in direct contact with the immediate environment: water.
Two Penn Students Awarded HHMI International Research Fellowships
Two doctoral students from the University of Pennsylvania, Nam Woo Cho of the Perelman School of Medicine and Maryam Yousefi of the School of Veterinary Medicine, have received International Student Research Fellowships from the Howar
Penn Vet Protects 145 Acres of Chester County Farmland With Conservation Easement
With the signing of an agricultural conservation easement this week, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has ensured that 145 acres of its New Bolton Center Campus will be protected from development and will continue
Fresh Analysis of Dinosaur Skulls by Penn Researchers Finds Three Species Are One
A new analysis of dinosaur fossils by University of Pennsylvania researchers has revealed that a number of specimens of the genus Psittacosaurus — once believed to represent three different species — are all members of a single species.
Penn Researchers Pinpoint How Smoking Causes Osteoporosis
Human bone breaks down and regenerates naturally all the time, in a perfectly balanced dance that maintains skeletal integrity. As people age, bone tends to deteriorate faster, causing osteoporosis and other disorders. Smoking artificially accelerates bone degeneration as well.
In the News
How to (responsibly) let your cat outside
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that some cats are perfectly happy within the confines of the home, while others have a greater desire to wander, explore, and investigate.
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Cats aren’t jerks. They’re just misunderstood
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the domestic cat suffers from its legacy of being a not-quite-wild animal on the margins of society.
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Dog respiratory illness map update: Mystery disease spreads to more states
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the dogs most at risk for respiratory illness are those with low immunity, such as young puppies, the unvaccinated, or older dogs, and potentially short-nosed breeds.
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What’s causing severe respiratory illnesses in dogs?
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that more dogs may be getting severely ill because they have been infected with multiple pathogens at the same time.
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What you need to know about the ‘mystery’ dog disease
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine explains how to protect dogs from the recent respiratory outbreak.
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