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Health Sciences
Recent grad Meghan Ramos helps people by training animals
At Penn Vet's Working Dog Center, Ramos is leading research projects training dogs to detect infections using scent detection.
How to avoid food poisoning from E. coli and salmonella
There are numerous ways for your food to be contaminated with bacteria, and also numerous ways to avoid getting sick. Understanding the science behind what lies inside or on your food is key to staying safe and enjoying your meals.
How baking soda may boost cancer therapy
Researchers describe how acidity makes oxygen-starved cancer cells dormant and drug resistant, and efforts to reduce acidity may be the key to improved responses to immunotherapy.
Why do the choices made today affect those we make tomorrow?
It’s long been known that someone’s previous choices subconsciously affect those they make in the future. New research could pave the way for a deeper investigation into how such thought processes work.
Making an IMPaCT on community health services
Training community members as healthcare liaisons originated as an Innovation Accelerator at Penn, and is now a branded product on the health care market across the country.
Dermatologists offer tips on how to prevent and detect skin cancer
As Skin Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, Penn experts offer tips to spot skin cancer early, how to keep it away for good, and much more.
Early-life seizures prematurely wake up brain networks tied to autism
An antiepileptic drug may keep synapses associated with autism ‘silent’ following seizures so the brain can develop normally during the critical early years of brain development.
Protecting the littlest victims of the opioid crisis
A new protocol underway at Chester County Hospital from Penn Medicine aims to minimize distress for babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
By the Numbers: The cost of skin cancer
The numbers show that sun protection is key to avoiding skin cancer, the most common kind of cancer with the most accessible prevention tools.
Bioengineer takes big step forward in radical approach to treating neurodegeneration
Research by D. Kacy Cullen, an associate professor of neurosurgery in the Perelman School of Medicine, could aid patients with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
In the News
The New York Times
Clues to your health are hidden at 6.6 million spots in your DNA
Daniel Rader of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the availability of genetic screening for early indicators of heart disease.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
New hepatitis C drugs mean diseased organs can be used for transplants
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Peter Reese discussed the possibility of increased rejection in patients who’ve received infected kidneys, saying “we can’t rule it out. It’s possible there’s more immunological injury with hep C infection.”
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Associated Press
Penn Medicine eliminating sugary drinks in facilities
Ralph Muller of Penn Medicine discussed the hospital system’s recent announcement regarding the phasing out of sugary drink sales.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Hyperbaric oxygen: The mysterious therapy that saved a cancer survivor from radiation side effects
Hyperbaric therapy is controversial, according to Matthew Kelly of HUP, largely because “it’s expensive, and some practitioners overuse it, which gives a black eye to the field.” However, for some patients, the oxygen-rich environment can promote healing and fight infection.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Cancer ‘drones’ in blood weaken immune system, Penn scientists show
Wei Guo of the School of Arts and Sciences and George Xu of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed their team’s cancer research. “Tumor cells are smarter than we thought,” said Guo.
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