Cancer Research

A moment for men’s health

Since 2012, the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center has been advancing lifesaving therapies and raising awareness of the risks faced by individuals with BRCA gene mutations.

Carter Johns

Can we intercept cancer?

Penn researchers are developing new ways to detect and “intercept” cancer from every angle, including basic science to understand the molecular changes that lead to cancer and developing new methods for finding it.

From Penn Medicine News

From a small town in Lebanon to cancer research

When Mayassa Bou-Dargham, a postdoctoral fellow in Penn’s Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute received a pilot project grant, a banner was hung in her Lebanese hometown. Getting there took years of determination, self-confidence and, in small part, fate.

From Penn Medicine News

CAR T cell therapy may eliminate tumor cells missed by surgery

The results of a study led by Penn Medicine’s Carl June greenlights preclinical trials for the application of CAR T therapy in gel form to surgical wounds following partial tumor removal to eliminate residual tumor cells.

From Penn Medicine News

The Jin Lab taps into a key cell for cancer research

The lab, led by Chengcheng Jin, an assistant professor of cancer biology and microbiology, is investigating how the immune system co-evolves with tumors during cancer progression.

From Penn Medicine News

Advances in cancer research

Recent research shows promise in a novel CAR T therapy after cancer relapse, and a novel treatment for multiple myeloma.

From Penn Medicine News



In the News


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

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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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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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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Forbes

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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