10.20
Health Sciences
A COVID vaccine for kids
A COVID vaccine for kids
Jeff Gerber, who is heading the clinical trial of the Moderna vaccine in kids under 12 at CHOP, speaks with Penn Today about the trial and why getting children vaccinated is so essential.
The search for the culprit behind songbird deaths
The search for the culprit behind songbird deaths
Across the United States, songbirds are dying from a mysterious condition. Working with long-established partners, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine are striving for a diagnosis.
Combining gamification, cash incentive increases veterans’ exercise
Combining gamification, cash incentive increases veterans’ exercise
A new study finds that daily step counts increased by approximately 1,200 among veterans who were given goals and participated in gamelike interventions with loss-framed cash rewards.
Getting to the heart of genetic cardiovascular diseases
Getting to the heart of genetic cardiovascular diseases
Day, a physician-scientist and cardiologist works to unlock the mysteries of genetic heart disease, integrating translational and clinical science to understand the full spectrum of genetic heart disease evolution and progression.
The long view on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy
The long view on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy
Penn researchers weigh in on the regulatory and scientific efforts to track COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccine conversations go door-to-door
Vaccine conversations go door-to-door
Canvasser with the West Philadelphia Vaccine Street Team Pilot Program go door to door to dispel misinformation and show their neighbors that vaccination is safe, by example.
Pandemic preparedness, three years early
Pandemic preparedness, three years early
In a Q&A, team members behind the outbreak simulation PennDemic discuss how the exercise, now in its fourth iteration, equipped an interdisciplinary group of grad students for COVID-19 and beyond.
Medical journal articles by women are cited less than men’s articles
New Penn Medicine research finds that original research articles with women as both primary and senior authors are cited the least.
How the human-animal bond complements treatment for veterans
How the human-animal bond complements treatment for veterans
For some military veterans, these four-legged accomplices also take on the role of therapist and confidant in the battle against post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rajan Jain’s unique journey to becoming a physician-scientist
Rajan Jain’s unique journey to becoming a physician-scientist
A physician-scientist, Jain treats patients as a cardiologist in addition to seeking new knowledge about stem cell biology, heart development, and genome organization in his lab.
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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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 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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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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Fortune
Same vaccines, but different fatality rates: Why are some COVID outbreaks worse than others?
John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine said, “We’ve learned more in the last year and a half about human immunology and human vaccine responses than we probably learned in the previous several decades.”
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