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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine receives $3.5M NCI grant to study cervical cancer in HIV positive women in Botswana
The introduction of antiretroviral drugs in Botswana over the last two decades has increased the life expectancies of people living with HIV—many of whom are women co-infected with the human papillomavirus virus (HPV)—considerably: from 39 years to the low 60s. As a result, this co-infected group of women is at a much higher risk of developing HPV-associated cervical cancer.
Increased Knowledge of HPV Vaccines Does Not Predict a Higher Rate of Vaccination, Penn Study Finds
“Knowledge is power” is an old saying. Another cliché warns, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” When it comes to getting inoculated against the Human Papilloavirus (HPV), it seems that neither saying is true. In fact, according to a study by a multidisciplinary University of Pennsylvania research team, knowledge may in fact be a meaningless thing.
Penn-led Study Ties Aging to Oxidative Damage in Mitochondria
As long as humans have been alive, they’ve been seeking ways to extend life just a little longer. So far no one has found the fountain of youth, but researchers have begun to understand how humans age, little by little, offering hope for therapies that may blunt the effects of time on the body.
Penn Researchers Explain How Ends of Chromosomes Are Maintained for Cancer Cell Immortality
Maintaining the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, is a requisite feature of cells that are able to continuously divide and also a hallmark of human cancer.
Penn Researchers Describe New Cancer Drug Target Involving Lipid Chemical Messengers
More than half of human cancers have abnormally upregulated chemical signals related to lipid metabolism, yet how these signals are controlled during tumor formation is not fully understood.
Penn Study: Exercise Boosts Tumor-fighting Ability of Chemotherapy
Study after study has proven it true: exercise is good for you. But new research from University of Pennsylvania scientists suggests that exercise may have an added benefit for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Penn Medicine and Wistar Receive $12 Million NCI Melanoma Grant to Help Fast Track Lab Discoveries into Treatments
Penn Medicine and The Wistar Institute have been awarded a prestigious $12.1 million SPORE grant from the National Cancer Institute.
Penn Engineer Danielle Bassett Receives 2014 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced Wednesday that the University of Pennsylvania’s Danielle S. Bassett has been selected as a 2014 MacArthur Fellow.
Penn Muscle Institute Biologists Receive $9 Million to Research Cellular Motors
Researchers in the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute (PMI), based at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have received $9 million over the next five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate the biology of cellular motors.
Penn Medicine Study Reveals Profile of Patients Most Likely to Delay Hospice Enrollment Until Final Days of Life
One in six cancer patients enroll in hospice only during their last three days of life, according to a new study from a team 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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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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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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