12.8
Health Sciences
A whol(istic) new approach to cancer treatment
At Pennsylvania Hospital, the Abramson Cancer Center’s seven-week Holistic Living Challenge program provides free access to holistic and traditional Chinese medicine resources, encouraging patients to focus on adopting wellness practices in a supportive group environment.
Making hepatitis C-infected organs safe for transplantation
Twenty patients at Penn Medicine have been cured of the hepatitis C virus following lifesaving kidney transplants from deceased donors who were infected with the disease. The kidney transplants for these patients, too, are functioning just as well as kidneys that are transplanted from similar donors without HCV.
Architects of innovation
The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is rising as a towering example of the value of behavioral research in health-care building design.
Drugs in development for cancer may also fight brain diseases, including ALS
In a study done by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences, PARP inhibitors, which are used for fighting cancer, can be useful for the treatment and prevention of brain disorders such as ALS.
Two students’ paths to White Coat Day
Ralph St. Luce & Rotem Kimia, two members of a new class of medical students at the Perelman School of Medicine, discuss what brought them to medicine, in anticipation of the school's annual White Coat Ceremony.
Bringing art to inner city teens
Renee Andrea Mills of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a passion for helping people and a passion for art, and for the past 25 years, she has combined both in community outreach, sharing the joy of creativity.
Cancer cells send out ‘drones’ to battle the immune system from afar
Checkpoint inhibitor therapies have made metastatic melanoma and other cancers a survivable condition, but only for some patients. Researchers uncovered a novel mechanism by which tumors suppress the immune system, raising the possibility that a straightforward blood test could predict which patients could respond to immunotherapy.
Ensuring equality with a framework for workforce inclusion
A study published in JAMA Network Open from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine identifies six factors that measure workforce inequality in delivering health care, as part of Office of Inclusion and Diversity’s equality mission.
Mentoring program introduces high school students to dentistry
The Summer Mentorship Program introduces first-generation and under-represented high school students in Philadelphia to higher education possibilities, including Penn Dental School's four-week immersion program that includes hands-on experience and mentorship with current dental students.
Therapy for rare cancers receives FDA approval
A trial led by researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center received first approval for AZEDRA, an anti-cancer drug for advanced pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma patients who are not candidates for surgery.
In the News
Science
What now for human genome editing?
The Perelman School of Medicine’s James Wilson discussed possible venues for the scientific oversight of controversial research. The FDA could be a good option, he suggested, but the organization would have to change its confidentiality restrictions to supervise effectively.
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Reader’s Digest
The 10 most common types of cancer in the United States
Thomas Karasic of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on treatments for liver and pancreatic cancers.
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Today
Died of a broken heart? The science behind close couple deaths
David Casarett of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the phenomenon of spouses dying shortly after one another. Casarett said social and cultural factors may play a role, as in cases when “the surviving spouses stop taking care of themselves. Sometimes they become depressed.”
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Smithsonian Magazine
What’s new, and what’s not, in the reported birth of the CRISPR babies
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Kiran Musunuru said that the birth of gene-edited babies does not constitute a scientific advancement because “there was nothing preventing previous researchers who edited human embryos from doing the same, except their own ethics and morals.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Black and Hispanic Americans have a harder time quitting cigarettes. Will this Penn study find a way to help?
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, led by Scott Halpern, are exploring better ways to support smoking cessation in black and Latino populations. “We’re confident that if we succeed in producing this evidence, health systems and payers will respond,” Halpern said.
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