Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.(Image: Kevin Monko/Penn Dental Medicine) Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies. 2 min. read
New KIR-CAR T cell therapy shows promise in multiple solid cancers New KIR-CAR T cell therapy shows promise in multiple solid cancers The first-of-its-kind phase I clinical trial at Penn Medicine uses a CAR T cell therapy modeled after natural killer cells and designed to limit T cell exhaustion.
Building better delivery vehicles for medicine Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering Building better delivery vehicles for medicine Penn researchers in the Mitchell Lab are modifying lipid nanoparticles, the delivery vehicles for mRNA therapies, to make them more potent, precise, and better tolerated. 2 min. read
Learning I had Lynch syndrome ‘saved my life’ Dennis Massimo and his sister Lauren Massimo in 2026.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News) Learning I had Lynch syndrome ‘saved my life’ Dennis Massimo was only 42 and symptom-free when he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, thanks to a research study he signed up for with the Penn Medicine BioBank nearly a decade earlier. 2 min. read
Targeting tumor supporting cells: Advancing CAR T success in pancreatic cancer Image: Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library via Getty Images Targeting tumor supporting cells: Advancing CAR T success in pancreatic cancer Research led by Penn Vet’s Ellen Puré has used lipid nanoparticles to generate CAR T cells directed at a type of tumor support cells—cancer-associated fibroblasts—melting away the protective barrier around pancreatic tumor cells and paving the way for a potentially safer, more accessible, and cost-effective method to treat solid tumors. 3 min. read
A topical cream may prevent or slow growth of some common skin cancers A topical cream may prevent or slow growth of some common skin cancers An experimental cream developed at Penn Medicine that blocks a specific enzyme may offer a precise, better‑tolerated path to prevent and treat cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. 1 min. read
David Holt is making cancer visible David Holt is a small animal professor of surgery at Penn Vet.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Vet) David Holt is making cancer visible Penn Vet’s David Holt advances cancer care with a simple question asked in the operating room: “Have we removed it all?” 2 min. read
$10M gift establishes the King Center for Lynch Syndrome at Penn Medicine $10M gift establishes the King Center for Lynch Syndrome at Penn Medicine The gift from Jeffery and Cynthia King and Jason and Julie Borrelli creates a comprehensive center at Penn Medicine for one of the most common genetic conditions that increases the risk of developing cancer.
First CRISPR-based platform to pinpoint leukemia drivers Image: Alena Butusava via Getty Images First CRISPR-based platform to pinpoint leukemia drivers The new toolkit, developed by Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, allows researchers to test potential cancer targets directly in patient leukemia cells. 2 min. read
Cancer care for the mind and spirit Patients are 10 times more likely to engage in mental health services when the therapy is integrated in a medical clinic, says Rebecca Boswell, center, with therapists at the Psychosocial Oncology Clinic.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine News) Cancer care for the mind and spirit A psychosocial oncology program is a part of a revolution in cancer care at Penn Medicine to address a wider range of cancer patients’ experiences, and includes specially-trained psychotherapists at no cost. 2 min. read