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Cancer Research
Vaccine-like mRNA injection can be used to make CAR T cells in the body
An experimental immunotherapy can temporarily reprogram patients’ immune cells to attack heart fibroblast cells via only a single injection of mRNA.
New insights into T-cell exhaustion could improve cancer immunotherapies
A new Penn Medicine study finds that suppressing key exhaustion genes may allow CAR T cell treatments to be used much more effectively against pancreatic and other solid cancers.
Improving diversity in cancer clinical trials
The Cancer Clinical Trials Community Ambassador Training Program at the Abramson Cancer Center was established in August 2021 to create spokespersons and resources to increase awareness and access to cancer clinical trials in the diverse Philadelphia communities.
FDA approves Penn’s ‘glowing tumor’ imaging drug to identify ovarian cancer cells
An injectable diagnostic illuminates cancer tissue that allows for greater precision during surgery was pioneered by surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania.
Changing the identity of cancer cells to eliminate them
A team led by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s M. Andrés Blanco has uncovered a new target for treating certain blood cancers that works by removing an obstacle to their maturation.
Entering a new phase in cell therapy for glioblastoma
Donald M. O’Rourke, director of the Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence at Penn Medicine, and others are exploring cellular immunotherapies as a potential better option for deadly brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme.
A new class of CAR T cells targets previously untargetable cancer drivers
Focusing on neuroblastoma, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have harnessed the immune system to destroy tumors.
Drugs designed for prostate cancer may treat melanoma in men
A new Penn study finds that testosterone contributes to sex differences in melanoma via the activation of the zinc transporter ZIP9.
Black women face increased risk of triple negative breast cancers
An analysis of nearly 200,000 patients highlights the heterogeneity of breast cancer risk factors for women of differing races, ages, and disease subtypes.
Penn Medicine and Wistar awarded $11.7 million melanoma research grant
The Specialized Programs of Research Excellence, or SPORE, grant from the National Cancer Institute will fund three new melanoma research projects over five years.
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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