9.19
Katherine Unger Baillie
Science News Officer
kbaillie@upenn.edu
Veterinary Medicine
Is treatment forever? Success of gene therapy for inherited blindness depends on timing
Is treatment forever? Success of gene therapy for inherited blindness depends on timing
An FDA-approved gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited vision disorder with a childhood onset and progressive nature, has improved patients’ sight. But new research underscores the importance of further investigation to halt the progression of the disorder.
The diet-microbiome connection in inflammatory bowel disease
The diet-microbiome connection in inflammatory bowel disease
Dogs with a Crohn’s-like disease fed a special diet were found to have characteristic changes in their gut microbiomes, paralleling changes seen in children with Crohn’s.
Where ethics, welfare, and sustainability meet swine
Where ethics, welfare, and sustainability meet swine
At New Bolton Center’s model pig farm, free-roaming sows are implanted with RFID chips, nourished by organic feed, and powered by solar energy.
Game Commission and Penn Vet partner to protect wildlife
Game Commission and Penn Vet partner to protect wildlife
The Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program will increase disease surveillance, management, and research to better protect wildlife throughout the state from a spread of diseases, including chronic wasting disease and West Nile virus.
Lung cell transplant boosts healing after the flu
Lung cell transplant boosts healing after the flu
A serious case of the flu can cause lasting damage to the lungs. In a study in mice, researchers found that transplanting cells from the lungs of healthy animals enhanced healing in others that had had a severe respiratory infection.
Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission
Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission
Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine show how a new model for studying the way parasites known as kinetoplastids adhere to mosquitoes’ insides could illuminate strategies for curbing diseases.
100th puppy
100th puppy
An 8-week-old black Labrador retriever is the 100th puppy to enter the Penn Vet Working Dog Center research-based training program.
Social solutions to antibiotic resistance
Social solutions to antibiotic resistance
Research by sociologist Julia Szymczak of the Perelman School of Medicine is aimed at understanding, and eventually changing, behaviors that lead to the overprescribing of antibiotics.
Chemo is a go for treating equine lymphoma
Chemo is a go for treating equine lymphoma
New Bolton Center’s Daniela Luethy’s research on 15 horses with lymphoma concluded that chemotherapy had encouraging results. Her study poses opportunities for further research with more case control.
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
An enzyme that modifies chemicals formed in the body by alcohol, tobacco, and certain foods may be a new target for treating Parkinson’s disease. The altered compounds may play a role in triggering the onset or advancing the progression of the neurodegenerative condition.
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In the News
BBC News
Meet the Dogs Being Trained to Sniff Out Looted Ancient Treasures
The School of Veterinary Medicine’s Working Dog Center is collaborating with Red Arch Cultural Heritage Law & Policy Research to train five dogs to identify stolen artifacts. (Video)
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The Washington Post
Does Your Pooch Really Need Prozac?
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine weighed in on the use of psychiatric drugs in veterinary medicine. Siracusa says that drugs can be a more “benign” option than other behavior modification tools, such as shock collars.
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