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Cancer Research
A new role for a triple-negative breast cancer target
A team led by Rumela Chakrabarti of the School of Veterinary Medicine has made new discoveries into how a key protein involved in triple-negative breast cancer functions in puberty.
Off-the-shelf immunotherapy can bring lymphoma patients closer to remission
A Penn study shows the promise of an off-the-shelf immunotherapy in relapse/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, even when CAR T therapy fails.
The new tool in fighting cancer: Antibiotics
The antibiotic vancomycin alters the gut microbiome in a way that can help prime the immune system to more effectively attack tumor cells after radiation therapy.
Researchers identify method to slow down cancer cells efforts to multiply
A study from the Abramson Cancer Center finds that turning on a key metabolic process could make soft tissue sarcoma more susceptible to treatment.
Kill stomach cancer risk by attacking this common bacteria
Penn researchers are the first to assess Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer risk among certain demographics and ethnic groups.
Positive results in first-in-U.S. trial of CRISPR-edited immune cells
Genetically editing a cancer patient’s immune cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, then infusing those cells back into the patient appears safe and feasible based on early data from the first-ever clinical trial to test the approach in humans in the United States.
To monitor cancer therapy, researchers tag CAR T cells with imaging markers
With CAR T cell therapy, a patient’s own immune cells are genetically modified and inserted back into the body to find and kill cancer. Now scientists have now discovered a new way to track CAR T cells in the body.
Blood test can predict prognosis in deadly brain cancer
A Penn study points to clinical utility of liquid biopsy in glioblastoma, allowing doctors the ability to measure the progression of the cancer based on the amount of cell-free DNA in the bloodstream
Algorithm identifies advance care planning needs
A Penn-developed system can be used to ensure that doctors talk to cancer patients about their values and goals before it is too late.
Basser Center takes aim at BRCA
Twenty-five years after the discovery of genetic mutations that dramatically increase cancer risk, the Penn Medicine’s Basser Center for BRCA is building scientific knowledge alongside public awareness about BRCA-related cancers.
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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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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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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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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