Medicine | Penn Today

These eight diseases are so rare that drug firms haven’t tried treating them with gene therapy. A $97 million program aims to help

Gene therapy for a rare form of blindness will be tested at Penn Medicine while gene therapy for a condition that causes skeletal deformities and seizures will be tested at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Surgery may help advanced cancer patients with obstructed bowel

A new clinical trial by Robert Krouse of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues suggests that patients with advanced abdominal tumors and major bowel obstructions should be offered surgery earlier in their hospital stay.

Microscopic rendering of mRNA gene editing.

‘In vivo’ RNA-based gene editing model for blood disorders developed

Researchers from Penn Medicine and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia show that gene editing tools can be delivered via lipid nanoparticles, which would reduce cost and increase access to cutting-edge gene therapies.

Should Ozempic come with a warning about a risk of suicidal thoughts?

Tom Wadden of the Perelman School of Medicine is not concerned that semaglutide could cause suicidal ideation or depression.

Could psychedelics simultaneously treat chronic pain and depression?

This summer, Ahmad Hammo, a rising third-year student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is conducting a pilot study to explore psilocybin’s potential as a therapy for chronic pain and the depression that often accompanies it.

Gruesome photos reveal horrors of ‘zombie’ drug fentanyl additive

A study by Jessica O’Neil and Steven Kovach of the Perelman School of Medicine reveals the dangerous impact of xylazine, a fentanyl additive, on the human body.

Behavioral economics strategies can help patients quit smoking after a cancer diagnosis

Researchers from Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia find ‘nudges’ from electronic health records could improve the implementation of tobacco use treatment.

Drilling into a model of a skull: a ‘cool’ taste of doctoring for Philly high schoolers

The “Pipeline Plus” summer program at Penn Medicine, run by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, is designed to teach Philadelphia high school students about careers in the health sciences.

New weight loss drugs carry high price tags and lots of questions for seniors

Mitchell Lazar of the Perelman School of Medicine says that new weight loss medications have only been on the market for a few years and still necessitate caution.

Gene therapy eyedrops restored a boy’s sight. Similar treatments could help millions

Aimee Payne of the Perelman School of Medicine says that an eyedrop approach delivers gene therapy that directly addresses the root cause of disease.

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