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Genetics
Novel gene therapy platform speeds search for ways to cure blindness
Novel gene therapy platform speeds search for ways to cure blindness
A newly developed single-cell RNA sequencing technique enables researchers to quickly identify an optimal vector for delivering therapeutic genetic material to treat vision disorders, and perhaps other genetic conditions.
National Academy of Medicine welcomes two new members from Penn
National Academy of Medicine welcomes two new members from Penn
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Marylyn D. Ritchie and PIK Professor Sarah A. Tishkoff are among 100 new members to be elected this year to the Academy, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
A two-pronged approach to keep rheumatoid arthritis in check
A two-pronged approach to keep rheumatoid arthritis in check
A new study led by George Hajishengallis of the School of Dental Medicine shows that the protein DEL-1 could reduce the painful inflammation of RA in an animal model.
Imaging technology maps cells tied to inflammatory bowel disease
Imaging technology maps cells tied to inflammatory bowel disease
“Imaging mass cytometry” shows how cells tied to inflammatory bowel disease affect intestinal tissue, generating new theories for the progression of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Test predicts which patients with rare blood disease will respond to treatment
Test predicts which patients with rare blood disease will respond to treatment
A Penn Medicine study identifies blood proteins that indicate which patients with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease are most likely to benefit from the only FDA approved treatment for the disease, and uncovers an alternative.
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
The genome-wide association study pinpoints new target genes, cell types, and mechanisms for treating the disease that affects 850 people million worldwide.
Protein’s ‘silent code’ affects how cells move
Protein’s ‘silent code’ affects how cells move
A School of Veterinary Medicine-led study shows how, despite having nearly identical amino acid sequences, two forms of the protein actin differ in function due their distinct nucleotide sequences.
Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive
Pinpointing how cancer cells turn aggressive
Penn scientists have developed a new method for tracing the lineage and gene expression patterns of metastatic cancer at the single-cell level.
The use and misuse of race in health care
The use and misuse of race in health care
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff, the Perelman School of Medicine’s Giorgio Sirugo, and Case Western Reserve University’s Scott Williams shed light on the “quagmire” of race, ethnicity, genetic ancestry, and environmental factors and their contribution to health disparities.
Discovery of a new genetic cause of hearing loss illuminates how inner ear works
Discovery of a new genetic cause of hearing loss illuminates how inner ear works
A gene called GAS2 plays a key role in normal hearing, and its absence causes severe hearing loss, according to a study led by researchers in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.
In the News
Newsweek
Cancer breakthrough as ‘speckles’ may reveal best treatment
A paper co-authored by PIK Professor Shelley Berger finds that patterns of “speckles” in the heart of tumor cells could help predict how patients with a common form of kidney cancer will respond to treatment options.
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NPR
For kids with rare genetic disorders, customized CRISPR treatments offer hope
Scientists at Penn are trying to develop a template for groups of rare conditions that are similar enough to be affected by a single, easily adaptable gene-editing treatment.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
A Philly biotech got $60M from a TED initiative for AI in medicine
David Fajgenbaum of the Perelman School of Medicine helped found Every Cure, a biotechnology nonprofit that employs AI to help match existing treatments to new diseases.
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Stat
Study of gender-affirming care reveals immune system sex differences
Montserrat Anguera of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine comments on the work to comprehensively examine the impact of gender-affirming care on the immune system.
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The New York Times
A disease that makes children age rapidly gets closer to a cure
Kiran Musunuru of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s no guarantee that gene editing which worked well in mice will also work with human patients.
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USA Today
She’s fighting to stop the brain disease that killed her mother before it gets her
Kiran Musunuru of the Perelman School of Medicine comments on shutting off genetic signals in the brain to hold off diseases.
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