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Health Sciences
Penn Researcher and CVS Health Physician Urge New Payment Model for Costly Gene Therapy Treatments
Hoping to encourage sufficient investments by pharmaceutical companies in expensive gene therapies, which often consist of a single treatment, a Penn researcher and the chief medical officer of CVS Health outline an alternative payment model in this month’s issue of Nature Biotechnology.
Penn Team Finds Ovarian Cancer Oncogene in 'Junk DNA'
Over the years researchers have made tremendous strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer by searching genomes for links between genetic alterations and disease.
Penn Study Shows Better Outcomes for Sepsis Patients Treated in Hospitals with Higher Volume of Cases
Patients with sepsis, one of the most time-sensitive and hard-to-detect illnesses in medicine, are more likely to survive the life-threatening condition when treated at a hospital that sees a higher volume of sepsis cases.
Network Visualization Program Fuses Science and Art
Science and art are often perceived to be at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. But Danielle Bassett, a 2014 MacArthur Fellow, believes the two disciplines can inform each other in tangible ways.
Penn-NIH Team Discovers New Type of Cell Movement in 3D Matrix
For decades, researchers have used petri dishes to study cell movement. These classic tissue culture tools, however, only permit two-dimensional movement, very different from the three-dimensional movements that cells make in a human body.
Penn Medicine Study: Attacking a Rare Disease at its Source With Gene Therapy
Treating the rare disease MPS I is a challenge. MPS I, caused by the deficiency of a key enzyme called IDUA, eventually leads to the abnormal accumulation of certain molecules and cell death.
Drug for Rare Blood Disorder Developed at Penn Receives Orphan Drug Status from European Union
A Penn Medicine-developed drug has received orphan status in Europe this week for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis.
Penn Study Shows 25 Percent Fewer Opioid-Related Deaths in States Allowing Medical Marijuana
On average, states allowing the medical use of marijuana have lower rates of deaths resulting from opioid analgesic overdoses than states without such laws. Opioid analgesics, such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin, are prescribed for moderate to severe pain, and work by suppressing a person’s perception of pain.
Penn Study: Electronic Alerts Significantly Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
A Penn Medicine team has found that targeted automated alerts in electronic health records significantly reduce urinary tract infections in hospital patients with urinary catheters. In addition, when the design of the alert was simplified, the rate of improvement dramatically increased.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
How many patients would recommend their Philly-area hospital to family and friends? Check your local hospital
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been named one of the most recommended acute-care facilities by patients in the Philadelphia area.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
UPenn medical school names first vice dean of AI
Mary Ritchie has been named the vice dean of artificial intelligence and computing at the Perelman School of Medicine. Mitchell Schnall has been named the first senior vice president for data and technology solutions at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
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The New York Times
Is apple cider vinegar really a cure-all?
Nitin K. Ahuja of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s no supportive data that adding acid to the stomach will somehow help control acid reflux.
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