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Cancer Research
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.
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.
Activating an estrogen receptor can stop pancreatic cancer cells from growing
Activating the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor has been shown to stop pancreatic cancer from growing, but may also make tumors more visible to the immune system and thus more susceptible to modern immunotherapy.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Carl June elected to National Academy of Sciences
The researchers, from the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Perelman School of Medicine, join a class of honored scholars recognized for their unique and ongoing contributions to original research.
Blood test may help doctors catch pancreatic cancer early
A blood test may be able to detect the most common form of pancreatic cancer while it is still in its early stages while also helping doctors accurately stage a patient’s disease and guide them to the appropriate treatment.
Tailoring treatment for triple-negative breast cancer
Research led by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Rumela Chakrabarti identified a molecular pathway responsible for the disease’s progression and spread.
PARP inhibitor drugs can be ‘tuned’ for better killing of tumor cells
Using innovative techniques, a new Penn Medicine study helps clear up mystery about why PARP-inhibiting compounds vary so much in their clinical effectiveness
Alternative immune cells may surpass T cells to fight solid tumors
Penn researchers have shown success using genetically engineered macrophages, an immune cell that eats invaders in the body, to target solid tumors.
Penn is fighting pancreatic cancer
Researchers within the Penn Pancreatic Research Center and beyond continue to seek innovative ways to treat and detect this deadly disease—and are making promising progress.
A new way to predict lung cancer treatment response: The blood test
A Penn study shows a better clinical response to immunotherapy correlates with higher ratio of tumor mutations detected by a liquid biopsy.
In the News
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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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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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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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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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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Gut health could play a role in how blood cancer patients respond to therapy
Marco Ruella of the Perelman School of Medicine says that researchers need to tackle the problems with CAR T cell therapy to increase survival rates and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.
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