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What a ‘silenced’ chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity
female chromosomes

Image: Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library

What a ‘silenced’ chromosome can tell us about autoimmunity

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more frequently in women. Having multiple X chromosomes has been associated with an increased risk of developing lupus; however, the reason for this link is still not fully understood and may involve how X chromosomes are regulated in female immune cells.

3 min. read

New CAR T treatment opens doors for kidney patients
Anatomy of two kidneys

Image: jitendrajadhav via Getty Images

New CAR T treatment opens doors for kidney patients

An early Penn Medicine trial demonstrates CAR T cells can safely desensitize even the most challenging transplant candidates.

Matt Toal

2 min. read

A Philly man didn’t know if he’d ever get off the kidney transplant waiting list. CAR T made it happen

A Philly man didn’t know if he’d ever get off the kidney transplant waiting list. CAR T made it happen

“Since its first use in a 2010 clinical trial involving leukemia patients at Penn, efforts to broaden CAR-T’s applications have advanced slowly. The therapy has not proven effective against solid cancers, although some studies have shown potential.”

Immune linked high risk diabetic kidney disease found
Internal rendering of two kidneys.

Image: iStock/magicmine

Immune linked high risk diabetic kidney disease found

A Penn Medicine study maps kidney tissue in single cell resolution and identifies a form of disease linked to faster progression to kidney failure.

Matt Toal

2 min. read

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research
from left: Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(From left) Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; and Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research

Penn’s newest collaborative institution is the U.S. National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA BioFoundry (NSF AIRFoundry) which uses AI to improve, accelerate, and scale the design, manufacture, and delivery of RNA.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Shujie Yang: Harnessing sound to build the next generation of microrobotic medicine
Shujie Yang

Shujie Yang is at the frontier of single-cell acoustic manipulation, an emerging field that blends physics, mechanobiology, and medicine.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

Shujie Yang: Harnessing sound to build the next generation of microrobotic medicine

Yang’s lab at Penn Engineering uses precisely-controlled ultrasound waves to develop microscale tools that can manipulate cells, viruses, and soft materials without physical contact.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

20 breakthroughs of 2025
Masoud Akbarzadeh holding up one of the fabricated materials.

The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.

(Image: Eric Sucar)

20 breakthroughs of 2025

From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents.

5 min. read