Latest news from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania on News en-us Copyright 2024 News 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/university-of-pennsylvania-health-system-releases-sweeping-climate-and-sustainability-action-plan/?sc=rsin /articles/university-of-pennsylvania-health-system-releases-sweeping-climate-and-sustainability-action-plan/?sc=rsin Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:25:23 EST Following an Earth Day pledge to significantly reduce the organization's environmental footprint by 2050, the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) announced its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP), an ambitious strategy to halve emissions by 2030, and eliminate them by 2042, underscoring the goal to become the nation's most environmentally friendly health care organization. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/penn-study-highlights-inconsistencies-of-genetic-markers-for-predicting-heart-disease/?sc=rsin /articles/penn-study-highlights-inconsistencies-of-genetic-markers-for-predicting-heart-disease/?sc=rsin Sat, 16 Nov 2024 14:30:00 EST Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) are a cutting-edge tool in genetics, combining information from genetic markers across the genome to estimate a person's risk of developing certain diseases, such as coronary artery disease (CAD). By analyzing a person's DNA, PRSs offer insights into an individual's genetic predisposition for conditions like heart disease, potentially informing a more personalized approach to healthcare. But there can be significant variability across currently available PRSs, which may limit their reliability for individual predictions, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published this week in JAMA and presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/research-finds-no-significant-negative-impact-of-repealing-a-depression-era-law-allowing-companies-to-pay-workers-with-disabilities-below-minimum-wage/?sc=rsin /articles/research-finds-no-significant-negative-impact-of-repealing-a-depression-era-law-allowing-companies-to-pay-workers-with-disabilities-below-minimum-wage/?sc=rsin Fri, 15 Nov 2024 11:00:00 EST Debate continues to swirl nationally on the fate of a practice born of an 86-year-old federal statute allowing companies to pay workers with disabilities subminimum wages: anything below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, but for some roles as little as 25-cents-per-hour. Those in favor of repealing this statute highlight assumptions about reduced productivity along with the unfairness of this wage level--often used elsewhere to pay, for example, food service workers who typically make additional wages in tips. Those against repeal have voiced concerns that, without subminimum wage laws, employment opportunities for workers with disabilities may dwindle. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/new-study-links-liver-brain-communication-to-daily-eating-patterns/?sc=rsin /articles/new-study-links-liver-brain-communication-to-daily-eating-patterns/?sc=rsin Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:00:00 EST People who work the nightshift or odd hours and eat at irregular times are more prone to weight gain and diabetes, likely due to eating patterns not timed with natural daylight and when people typically eat. But is it possible to stave off the ill effects of eating at these "unusual" times despite it not being biologically preferable? Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/study-of-chemical-exposure-dementia-risk-funded-by-11m-nih-grant/?sc=rsin /articles/study-of-chemical-exposure-dementia-risk-funded-by-11m-nih-grant/?sc=rsin Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:50:14 EST By poring over decades worth of data, researchers hope to better determine how pesticides, metals, and exposures to other elements impact Alzheimer's disease risk Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/white-house-names-abramson-cancer-center-neuro-oncologist-a-cancer-moonshot-scholar/?sc=rsin /articles/white-house-names-abramson-cancer-center-neuro-oncologist-a-cancer-moonshot-scholar/?sc=rsin Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:50:12 EST The Biden Cancer Moonshot Program named Penn Medicine's Richard E. Phillips, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Neuro-Oncology and an assistant professor of Neurology, a Cancer Moonshot Scholar today. Phillips is among 11 scholars included in this year's cohort, who together will receive a total of $6 million to support cancer research and innovation across the country. The $2.4 million grant will support Phillips as he researches tumor epigenetics, an emerging field pertaining to how changes to DNA can impact the development of cancer cells, with a specific focus on brain tumors in children and young adults. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/encrypted-peptides-new-class-of-antibiotics-offer-hope-in-fight-against-antibiotic-resistance/?sc=rsin /articles/encrypted-peptides-new-class-of-antibiotics-offer-hope-in-fight-against-antibiotic-resistance/?sc=rsin Mon, 28 Oct 2024 10:30:00 EST In a significant advance against the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, , researchers have identified a novel class of antimicrobial agents known as encrypted peptides, which may expand the immune system's arsenal of tools to fight infection. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/garret-a-fitzgerald-md-receives-2024-award-for-distinguished-research-in-the-biomedical-sciences-from-american-association-of-medical-colleges/?sc=rsin /articles/garret-a-fitzgerald-md-receives-2024-award-for-distinguished-research-in-the-biomedical-sciences-from-american-association-of-medical-colleges/?sc=rsin Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:00:59 EST Garret A. FitzGerald, MD, FRS, has been recognized with the 2024 Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences from American Association of Medical Colleges. The award will be presented at the association's annual recognition event on October 30. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/six-penn-experts-elected-to-national-academy-of-medicine/?sc=rsin /articles/six-penn-experts-elected-to-national-academy-of-medicine/?sc=rsin Mon, 21 Oct 2024 16:45:16 EST Six experts from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the nation's highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Leaders in the fields of cardiology, nursing, palliative care, health justice, hematology and immunology are among the 100 new members, elected by current NAM members. They join dozens of other Penn members who are part of the prestigious group of health care thought leaders, clinicians, and researchers. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/basser-center-for-brca-awards-2024-basser-global-prize-to-patrick-sung-dphil-of-the-university-of-texas-health-science-center-at-san-antonio/?sc=rsin /articles/basser-center-for-brca-awards-2024-basser-global-prize-to-patrick-sung-dphil-of-the-university-of-texas-health-science-center-at-san-antonio/?sc=rsin Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:10:22 EST The Basser Center for BRCA has announced Patrick Sung, DPhil, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, as the recipient of the 2024 Basser Global Prize for his cutting-edge work in the field of DNA damage repair. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/long-term-antiviral-use-is-key-to-ocular-shingles-treatment/?sc=rsin /articles/long-term-antiviral-use-is-key-to-ocular-shingles-treatment/?sc=rsin Sat, 19 Oct 2024 09:45:00 EST Year-long use of a typical antiviral treatment for shingles was particularly impactful in reducing complications when the condition eventually affected the eye Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/penn-medicine-and-children-s-hospital-of-philadelphia-create-mrna-vaccine-to-prevent-and-treat-c-difficile/?sc=rsin /articles/penn-medicine-and-children-s-hospital-of-philadelphia-create-mrna-vaccine-to-prevent-and-treat-c-difficile/?sc=rsin Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:45:18 EST A new vaccine provides hope for treating and even preventing the highly contagious and difficult-to-treat Clostridioides difficile infection, more commonly known as C. difficile or C. diff. In animal models, this first mRNA-LNP C. difficile vaccine was found to protect against C. difficile first-time infections and relapsing infections by inducing a robust immune response, promote clearance of existing C. diff bacteria from the gut, and even overcome deficits in host immunity to protect animals after infection. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/prevention-research-center-awarded-6-5-million-cdc-grant/?sc=rsin /articles/prevention-research-center-awarded-6-5-million-cdc-grant/?sc=rsin Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:30:32 EST The University of Pennsylvania Prevention Research Center (UPenn PRC) has been awarded a grant totaling $6.5 million over five years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for community-based prevention and public health research, with a particular focus on cancer. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/14m-nih-grant-funds-gene-editing-research-for-rare-metabolic-diseases-at-penn-and-chop/?sc=rsin /articles/14m-nih-grant-funds-gene-editing-research-for-rare-metabolic-diseases-at-penn-and-chop/?sc=rsin Thu, 10 Oct 2024 09:00:00 EST A $14M grant will fund research on gene-editing therapies for rare metabolic diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The research will focus specifically on developing therapies for urea cycle disorders, which impact roughly 1 in every 35,000 children. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/from-replicant-s-dream-to-reality-imaging-ai-extending-lives/?sc=rsin /articles/from-replicant-s-dream-to-reality-imaging-ai-extending-lives/?sc=rsin Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:05:28 EST A new AI tool is providing a sci-fi level of precision to physicians reviewing images of people's livers, spleens, kidneys, and more to determine with some exactitude if they are showing any abnormal traits that could shorten a person's life Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/penn-medicine-at-the-2024-astro-annual-meeting/?sc=rsin /articles/penn-medicine-at-the-2024-astro-annual-meeting/?sc=rsin Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:00:00 EST Leading experts in radiation therapy from Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine will present new results from clinical trials and research studies at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 66th Annual Meeting. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/outcomes-of-proton-therapy-to-infradiaphragmatic-sites-in-pediatric-patients-with-hodgkin-lymphoma/?sc=rsin /articles/outcomes-of-proton-therapy-to-infradiaphragmatic-sites-in-pediatric-patients-with-hodgkin-lymphoma/?sc=rsin Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:05:56 EST Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/single-dose-gene-therapy-is-potentially-life-changing-for-adults-with-hemophilia-b/?sc=rsin /articles/single-dose-gene-therapy-is-potentially-life-changing-for-adults-with-hemophilia-b/?sc=rsin Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:00:00 EST Adults with hemophilia B saw their number of bleeding episodes drop by an average of 71 percent after a single infusion of gene therapy, according to the results of an international Phase III clinical trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and a multicenter group of investigators. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/researchers-uncover-new-infection-fighting-molecules-through-molecular-de-extinction/?sc=rsin /articles/researchers-uncover-new-infection-fighting-molecules-through-molecular-de-extinction/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:00:00 EST Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania /articles/100x-improvement-in-sight-seen-after-gene-therapy-trial/?sc=rsin /articles/100x-improvement-in-sight-seen-after-gene-therapy-trial/?sc=rsin Thu, 05 Sep 2024 18:30:00 EST The vision of people with a rare inherited condition that causes them to lose much of their sight early in childhood was 100 times better after they received gene therapy to address the genetic mutation causing it. Some patients even experienced a 10,000-fold improvement in their vision after receiving the highest dose of the therapy, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who co-led the clinical trial published in The Lancet. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania