10.21
Health Sciences
CAR T cell therapy receives approval for use across European Union
The European Commission has approved a personalized cellular therapy developed at the Abramson Cancer Center, making it the first CAR T cell therapy permitted for use in the European Union in two distinct indications.
From addiction and loss to recovery and empathy: Q&A with Nicole O’Donnell
At Penn Medicine’s Center of Excellence, the certified recovery specialist reaches out to people who are addicted in need of support and guidance, drawing on her own experience to be uniquely helpful and intuitive for people who need the most help.
New insights into malaria culprit
New insights from the Perelman School of Medicine on the origins of deadly infectious diseases are vital to understanding the emergence of human pathogens, and may even lead to eradicating malaria.
A promising candidate for a universal flu vaccine
A flu vaccine that targets a deeper level of the virus itself may be the key to a universal flu vaccine that is more effective at protecting humans from any strain of flu each season.
New Parkinson’s disease biomarker guidelines invigorates drive for treatments
Identifying biomarkers of Parkinson's disease, such as proteins found in blood, is key to discovering treatment for the disease. New guidelines, published in Science and Translational Medicine journal, are the result of a collaboration between researchers with unique expertise outside of academia.
The Spatz 10-step system is now a national model for breastfeeding vulnerable babies
Penn Nursing’s Diane Spatz created an alternative model that focuses on serving the needs of vulnerable infants who are hospitalized and separated from their mothers.
Knockdown and replace: A gene therapy twofer to treat blindness
More than 150 different mutations in the light-sensing molecule rhodopsin can cause retinitis pigmentosa, characterized by a progressive loss of night and peripheral vision, and a team of researchers have developed a treatment for the condition. Successful results in dogs set the stage for testing in humans.
‘Alarming’ diabetes epidemic in Guatemala tied to aging, not obesity
A new study by Penn Center for Global Health, published in PLOS One, finds that 25 percent of the large indigenous population in Guatemala has either type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Penn Medicine’s Carl June receives 2018 Albany Prize
Carl June, a gene therapy pioneer at the Abramson Cancer Center, will receive the 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research.
Bringing nursing to the most remote places
Registered nurse Nancy Bonalumi teamed up with Project Helping Hands, a nonprofit organization that deploys volunteer medical teams to remote areas in developing nations, from Nepal to Kenya, and recently returned from her fifth visit to Bolivia.
In the News
CNN
Smoking featured in half of hip-hop videos, study finds
The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Dan Romer offered commentary on a study of smoking in music videos. He noted that the study didn’t differentiate between marijuana and tobacco products or consider the role of product placement.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Depression often goes undiagnosed. Researchers are turning to Facebook to change that
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored a study on social media and mental illness. “Depression is a really debilitating disease and we have treatments that can help people,” said Raina Merchant. “We want to think of new ways to get people resources and identification for depression earlier.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Brown fat could help fight obesity. This Penn scientist is looking to harness its power
Patrick Seale of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed differing types of human fat: “white fat,” which stores energy, and “brown fat,” which burns it. Seale was recently awarded the Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award for his research on the subject.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Is blackout drinking the same as passing out from alcohol? A Penn psychologist explains
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Reagan Wetherill discussed common misconceptions about alcohol-related blackouts. People in a blackout are “conscious and interacting with their environment,” she said. But their brains are “not creating memories” due to alcohol’s impact on the hippocampus.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Planning for your retirement? Many Americans aren’t financially prepared for how long they may live
Lyle Ungar of the School of Arts and Sciences and Lisa Walke of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the effects of healthy behavior on the human lifespan. The best way to extend one’s life, apart from quitting smoking, is exercise. “I know no one wants to hear that,” said Walke.
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