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Cancer Research
Mysterious ‘nuclear speckle’ cell structures may help block cancers
Mysterious ‘nuclear speckle’ cell structures may help block cancers
A new study out of Penn Medicine shows that the tumor-suppressor protein p53 brings speckles and DNA together to boost gene expression.
Immune-stimulating drug before surgery shows promise in early-stage pancreatic cancer
Immune-stimulating drug before surgery shows promise in early-stage pancreatic cancer
Giving early-stage pancreatic cancer patients a CD40 immune-stimulating drug helped jumpstart a T cell attack to the notoriously stubborn tumor microenvironment before surgery and other treatments.
Cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June receives the Sanford Lorraine Cross Award
Cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June receives the Sanford Lorraine Cross Award
The Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center received the award for his work in developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy.
Penn Medicine cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June named 2021 Dan David Prize Laureate
Penn Medicine cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June named 2021 Dan David Prize Laureate
The Richard W. Vague professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has been recognized in the “future” category for his contributions to molecular medicine.
Take-at-home tests boost colorectal cancer screening tenfold
Take-at-home tests boost colorectal cancer screening tenfold
By making it the default to send screening tests to patients’ homes unless they opted out via text message, screening rates increased by more than 1000%.
Patients in cancer remission at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness
Patients in cancer remission at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness
Patients with inactive cancer and not currently undergoing treatments also face a significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, with Black cancer patients twice as likely to test positive for the virus.
Mutations commonly linked to breast cancer found to pose no increased risk
Mutations commonly linked to breast cancer found to pose no increased risk
Several genetic mutations previously linked to breast cancer and included on commercial genetic tests were found not to increase a woman’s risk of disease, according to a multi-institutional population study of more than 64,000 women.
Joe Biden’s longtime ties to Penn
Joe Biden’s longtime ties to Penn
As the nation prepares for its 46th president to take office Wednesday, Jan. 20, Penn Today reflects on the lasting impact he’s had at the University.
The backlog in mammograms during the COVID-19 pandemic
The backlog in mammograms during the COVID-19 pandemic
The backlog of diagnostic mammograms is not expected to return to regular operations for nearly six months at best, and a lack of early detection will have health implications on cancer management for years to come.
Researchers unlock the door to tumor microenvironment for CAR T cells
Researchers unlock the door to tumor microenvironment for CAR T cells
A new study finds that combining CAR T thereapy with an enzyme-inhibitor drug allows the engineered cells to battle through jumbled blood vessels and attack tumors.
In the News
CNN
There’s still no standard test to detect pancreatic cancer early. Scientists are working to change that
A 2020 study from the Perelman School of Medicine found that a blood test to screen for certain biomarkers associated with pancreatic cancer was 92% accurate in its ability to detect disease.
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Associated Press
A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests
A clinical trial led by Stephen Bagley of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that targeting two associated proteins with CAR T cell therapy could be a viable strategy for shrinking brain tumors.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn’s BRCA cancer vaccine trial aims to prevent the disease in healthy people
A trial led by Susan Domchek of the Perelman School of Medicine could use a preventive vaccine to protect people with a BRCA gene mutation from cancer.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
UPenn scientists among those developing vaccines that arm the immune system to fight cancer
Penn Medicine researchers like Nobel laureate Drew Weissman are leading efforts to develop a vaccine that prevents cancer, with remarks from Susan Domchek of the Basser Center for BRCA and Robert H. Vonderheide of the Abramson Cancer Center.
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Psychology Today
AI detects cancers and immunotherapy biomarker
Daiwei Zhang and Mingyao Li of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues have developed an AI tool called iStar that can automatically spot tumors and types of cancer that are difficult for clinicians to see or identify and can predict candidates for immunotherapy.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn started giving cancer patients free rides to appointments. It helped reduce no-shows and increase clinical trial enrollment
The Abramson Cancer Center is attempting to address one of the most common challenges cancer patients face: lack of transportation to critically important appointments. Robert Vonderheide and Carmen Guerra of the Perelman School of Medicine are quoted on the Ride Health initiative.
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