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Health Sciences
T Cells Support Long-lived Antibody-producing Cells, Penn-led Team Finds
If you’ve ever wondered how a vaccine given decades ago can still protect against infection, you have your plasma cells to thank. Plasma cells are long-lived B cells that reside in the bone marrow and churn out antibodies against previously encountered vaccines or pathogens.
New Penn Research Examines Gun Use, Injury and Fear in Domestic Violence
A weapon, whether a body part such as hands, fists and feet or an external instrument like a gun, often accompanies intimate-partner violence. Susan B.
Penn Medicine: Gene Search Reveals New Mutations, Drug Targets in Rare Adrenal Tumors
Casting one of the largest genomic nets to date for the rare tumors of the autonomic nervous system known as pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCC/PGL) captured several new mutations driving the disease that could serve as potential drug targets, researchers from Penn Medicine and other institutions reported in
Penn Medicine: Orphan Disease Center Partners with Foundation to Study Gene Therapy Approaches to Treat Angelman Syndrome
Penn Medicine’s Orphan Disease Center (ODC) announces a new partnership with the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics or FAST to study gene therapy approaches to treat Angelman syndrome (AS).
Plant-made Hemophilia Therapy Shows Promise, Penn Study Finds
People with hemophilia require regular infusions of clotting factor to prevent them from experiencing uncontrolled bleeding. But a significant fraction develop antibodies against the clotting factor, essentially experiencing an allergic reaction to the very treatment that can prolong their lives.
CHOP/Penn/Boston Children’s Study: Low Blood Sugar No Benefit to Critically Ill Children
Critically ill infants and children do not gain extra benefit from lower blood-sugar levels, compared to higher levels within the usual care range, according to research from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania
Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Cell Death Agent a Potential Treatment for Vision Loss Associated with Multiple Sclerosis
A new therapeutic agent tested in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) produced anti-inflammatory activity and prevented loss of cells in the optic nerve, according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh-based Noveome Biotherapeutics.
Penn Genetics Researcher Receives Grant from Pharmaceutical Consortium to Study Diabetic Kidney Disease
Katalin Susztak, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Medicine and Genetics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received a $3 million grant from a consortium of pharmaceutical companies to identify genes and other characteristics that are signs of rapid decline in kidney function in patients with diabetic kidney disease.
Penn Medicine: New Zika Vaccine Candidate Protects Mice and Monkeys with a Single Dose
A new Zika vaccine candidate has the potential to protect against the virus with a single dose, according to a research team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As reported in Nature this week, preclinical tests showed promising immune responses in both mice and monkeys.
Penn Study: Bacteria in the Cervix May be Key to Understanding Premature Birth
Depending on the specific type, bacteria in a woman’s vagina and cervix may increase the risk of premature birth or protect against it, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
In the News
6ABC.com
Bird flu suspected in deaths of 200 snow geese in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley
Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that indoor cats are contracting bird flu through raw pet foods of poultry origin or raw milk products.
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Self
The surgeon general calls for new warning labels on alcohol—here’s the truth about how it impacts your health
Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine says that alcohol’s effects on the brain are observed more readily because it’s the organ of behavior.
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NPR
Tuberculosis rates plunge when families living in poverty get a monthly cash payout
Aaron Richterman of the Perelman School of Medicine says that there are large and underappreciated benefits of cash-transfer programs, such as potentially ending a tuberculosis epidemic.
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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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Time
Scientists are racing to develop a new bird flu vaccine
Drew Weissman and Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine are testing a vaccine to prevent a strain of H5N1 bird flu in chickens and cattle.
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