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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine and Johns Hopkins: HIV Infections Drop, but U.S. Falls Short of National Goals
The number of new HIV infections and the transmission rate in the United States dropped by 11 and 17 percent, respectively, between 2010 and 2015, but fell short of the goals put forth by President Obama’s U.S.
PIK Professor Michael Platt Earns $2.9 Million NIH Award for Neural Circuitry Work
Michael Platt of the University of Pennsylvania has received a five-year, $2.9 million Method to Extend Research In Time, or MERIT, award from the National Institute of Mental Health to continue his work on the neural circuits that mediate compl
Quieting Cells' Low-Oxygen Alarm Stops Flare-ups in Rare Bone Disorder, Penn Animal Study Finds
The cellular response to the lack of oxygen fans the flames of flare-ups in a rare bone disorder. In fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a mutation triggers bone growth in muscles, which limits motion, breathing, and swallowing, among a host of progressive symptoms.
Penn Vet’s William Beltran Honored for Translational Research to Treat Blindness
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology has recognized the University of Pennsylvania’s William Beltran with the ARVO Foundation’s 2016
Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics and colleagues Identify "Roadmap" of Disease Mechanisms to Identify Candidate Drug Targets
The discovery of shared biological properties among independent variants of DNA sequences offers the opportunity to broaden understanding of the biological basis of disease and identify new therapeutic targets, according to a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsyl
Penn/Vanderbilt Study: Genetic Risk Factors of Disparate Diseases Share Similar Biological Underpinnings
The discovery of shared biological properties among independent variants of DNA sequences offers the opportunity to broaden understanding of the biological basis of disease and identify new therapeutic targets, according to a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona Health Sciences
Penn’s 2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Group Grant Winners Announced
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania has announced the inaugural recipients of the Summer Undergraduate Research Group Grant. Alison Buttenheim and Mark Devlin have been selected by a committee comprised of faculty members representing all 12 of Penn’s schools.
Penn Study: A Long-noncoding RNA Regulates Repair of DNA Breaks in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
The discovery of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has dramatically changed the understanding of the biology of diseases such as cancer. The human genome contains about 20,000 protein-coding genes – less than 2 percent of the total – but 70 percent of the genome is made into non-gene-encoding RNA.
Penn Medicine Study Uncovers New Pathways that Control Skin Tanning and Lightening
When skin cells responsible for pigmentation are exposed to estrogen or progesterone, the cells respond by adjusting their melanin production, resulting in either skin darkening or lightening. Although pregnant women often experience alterations in skin pigmentation, the reason for the changes has long puzzled physicians.
Cholesterol Levels, Not Statins, Influence Colorectal Cancer Risk, Penn Study Suggests
Long-term use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins does not appear to decrease a patient’s risk of colorectal cancer, suggests a new, large case-control study from Penn Medicine researchers published this week in&
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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