10.20
Health Sciences
Penn mRNA researchers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó awarded the 2021 Albany Prize
Penn mRNA researchers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó awarded the 2021 Albany Prize
For their landmark research that set a foundation for the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó have been selected to receive the prize after decades of work.
How to connect communities to colorectal cancer screening
How to connect communities to colorectal cancer screening
Penn Medicine has been on a multiyear journey to both raise the rates of screening for colorectal cancer and increase uptake of follow up care, with the goal of driving down colorectal cancer death rates and addressing inequities
Guidelines support breastfeeding during parent-newborn separation
Guidelines support breastfeeding during parent-newborn separation
A team of scientists led by a researcher from the School of Nursing has established a new clinical practice guideline using an evidence-based approach to support lactation when parents and newborns are separated due to a hospitalization.
The best new implants may be a piece of you
The best new implants may be a piece of you
Innovative techniques like autologous surgery involves implanting patients with something taken from a different part of their body, which eliminates the risk of infection and erosion of synthetic materials.
COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that uses fundamental Penn technology receives FDA approval
COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that uses fundamental Penn technology receives FDA approval
Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine to prevent COVID-19 uses fundamental modified mRNA technology created by Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Evolutionary ‘arms race’ may help keep cell division honest
Evolutionary ‘arms race’ may help keep cell division honest
Research from the lab of Michael Lampson in the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that certain proteins may have evolved to reduce the likelihood of chromosomes “cheating” to bias their chance of winding up in an egg during the cell-division process meiosis.
Brain powered: Neuroscience research at Penn Medicine’s Pavilion
Brain powered: Neuroscience research at Penn Medicine’s Pavilion
Penn Medicine’s newest inpatient facility will help to foster fundamental neuroscience discoveries and new neurotechnologies by bringing clinical care and neuroscience research closer together.
Supporting long-haul COVID-19 survivors who still struggle with symptoms
Supporting long-haul COVID-19 survivors who still struggle with symptoms
Continued care and support from programs like the Post-COVID Assessment and Recovery Clinic and the Penn Neuro COVID Clinic can prove essential to finally returning to a more normal life.
Forging healthy bonds with canine companions
Forging healthy bonds with canine companions
School of Veterinary Medicine postdoc Lauren Powell’s research illuminates how the personalities of both dogs and their owners influence the pairs’ ability to overcome behavioral challenges.
Patient preferences do not explain racial disparities in opioid prescribing
Patient preferences do not explain racial disparities in opioid prescribing
Black patients are less likely to get opioids for acute pain.
In the News
The New York Times
Waiting on U.S. mandate, some nursing homes are slow to vaccinate staff
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel said lower COVID-19 vaccination rates lead to more infections. “We should be clear that mandates have been working and have been working in every industry that has tried them,” he said.
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ABC News
Why breakthrough COVID deaths can be misunderstood
Edward Stadtmauer of the Perelman School of Medicine advised cancer patients to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “If you have abnormal plasma cells to begin with or are getting therapy that might suppress or damage plasma cells, you can see why that this group of patients may have the most difficulty responding to a COVID infection and responding to vaccines,” he said. “If there is any group of patients who should be vaccinated and get a booster, it is this group of patients.”
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Scientific American
Four success stories in gene therapy
Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire of the Perelman School of Medicine developed a gene therapy to treat blindness in patients with retinal dystrophy caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene. “These people can now do things they never could have dreamed of doing, and they’re more independent and enjoying life,” said Bennett.
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ABC News
Why COVID boosters weren't tweaked to better match variants
John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine said there’s no guarantee that a booster shot retooled to target the delta variant would work better than a general COVID-19 vaccine booster.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Why are incarcerated people, the only Americans with guaranteed health care, dying of COVID-19 faster than the general public?
Daniel Teixeira da Silva and SUMR scholar Kayla McLymont of the Leonard Davis Institute wrote an opinion piece about the lack of regulation of health care in U.S. correctional facilities. “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how these shortcomings in how health care is overseen in prisons and jails can have fatal consequences,” they said.
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