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UrduPenn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will host a virtual event on May 6 and 7 that will bring together cell and gene therapy leaders from the two institutions and around the world to discuss the latest achievements in the field, novel strategies, and future developments and applications for chimeric antigen receptor, CAR, T cell therapy and more.
Tag: Penn Medicine
Less is More for the Next Generation of CAR T Cells
Penn Medicine researchers discovered that less is more when it comes to the length of what is known as the single-chain variable fragment in CAR T cells.
Penn Medicine’s Shelley L. Berger, PhD, and M. Celeste Simon, PhD, named 2021 Fellows of the AACR Academy
World-renowned genetics researcher Shelley L. Berger, PhD, and cellular biologist M. Celeste Simon, PhD, have been named as members of the 2021 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy.
Hormone Drugs May Disarm COVID-19 Spike Protein and Stop Disease Progression
Hormone drugs that reduce androgen levels may help disarm the coronavirus spike protein used to infect cells and stop the progression of severe COVID-19 disease, suggests a new preclinical study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in Cell Press’s iScience.
Five Years Later: Penn-developed CAR T Therapy Shows Long-lasting Remissions in Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
A significant number of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients in a Penn Medicine-initiated clinical trial continue to be in remission five years after receiving the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy Kymriah™, researchers in Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Scarred Villain: Study Explores Neurocognitive Basis of Bias Against People Who Look Different
A new brain-and-behavior study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarifies how the “anomalous-is-bad” stereotype manifests, and implicates a brain region called the amygdala as one of the likely mediators of this stereotype.
Penn Medicine Opens the Largest Healthcare Sterilization Facility in the Country
Penn Medicine opened its new Interventional Support Center (ISC), the largest instrument processing and surgical supply preparation facility in the country. Located in Southwest Philadelphia, the ISC is the first facility of its kind in Pennsylvania. In this space, staff will both sterilize and package thousands of instruments each day in preparation for surgeries and procedures.
Penn Medicine Partners with Renowned Artist Maya Lin for Art Installation Ahead of 2021 Opening of Hospital on Penn’s West Philadelphia Campus
Penn Medicine’s Pavilion, one of the largest hospital projects underway in the United States and the largest capital project in the University of Pennsylvania’s history, will feature an art installation by renowned artist and designer Maya Lin. The artwork—tentatively titled “DNA Tree of Life”—will be on display in the atrium of the new state-of-the-art facility, set to open later this year.
Mutations Commonly Linked to Breast Cancer Found to Pose No Increased Risk, Population Study Reveals
Several genetic mutations previously linked to breast cancer and included on commercial genetic tests, including direct-to-consumer tests, were found not to increase a woman’s risk of disease, according to a population study of more than 64,000 women published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine from several institutions, including Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine Surgeons Develop Universal Patient-Reported Outcomes Tool to Improve Hernia Care
Penn Medicine researchers have successfully developed, tested, and implemented a first-of-its-kind, patient-informed questionnaire tool for ventral hernia repair surgery patients that could be broadly used to improve the way clinicians care for patients and potentially outcomes.
Post-ICU Interviews Reveal Outcomes Important to Patients, Families
A Penn Medicine study in American Journal of Critical Care offers insights into patients’ and families’ priorities for quality metrics during the ICU stay and postdischarge outcomes. Researchers conducted interviews with individual ICU survivors, as well as family caregivers of patients who survived and of patients who died.
New Biomarker Identifies Patients with Aggressive Lymphoma Who Don’t Respond to Precision Therapy
A new biomarker discovered by a team that includes researchers from Penn Medicine identifies patients with an aggressive form of lymphoma unlikely to respond to the targeted treatment ibrutinib.
CRISPR-edited CAR T Cells Enhance Fight Against Blood Cancers
Knocking out a protein known to stifle T cell activation on CAR T cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology enhanced the engineered T cells’ ability to eliminate blood cancers.
Penn Medicine Researchers Unlock the Door to Tumor Microenvironment for CAR T Cells
Combining chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy with a PAK4 inhibitor allowed the engineered cells to punch their way through and attack solid tumors, leading to significantly enhanced survival in mice.
Penn Medicine and Comcast/Independence Health’s Quil Come Together for Digital Patient Education
Internationally recognized leaders in health care and connectivity partner with Quil platform to customize and enhance care and patient education through video and digital communication
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health Extend Strategic Alliance to 2023
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health announced the renewal of their strategic alliance in cancer and neuroscience services for another three years. The collaboration, which first began in 2015, has enabled South Jersey residents to access comprehensive health care closer to home from a cross-disciplinary team of Penn and Virtua clinicians.
What Fuels the Beating Heart? Study Reveals Nutrients Used by Normal and Failing Hearts
A team led by Penn scientists produced a detailed picture of fuel and nutrient use by the human heart. The study was the first of its kind, involving the simultaneous sampling of blood from different parts of the circulatory system in dozens of human participants, in order to record the levels of related molecules going into and coming out of the beating heart.
Penn Medicine Scientists Engineer Bacteria-Killing Molecules from Wasp Venom
A team led by Penn Medicine has engineered powerful new antimicrobial molecules from toxic proteins found in wasp venom. The team hopes to develop the molecules into new bacteria-killing drugs, an important advancement considering increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can cause illness such as sepsis and tuberculosis.
Offering a Pay-for-Performance Program to Oncology Practices Increases Prescriptions of Evidence-based Cancer Drugs
A pay-for performance program that offers enhanced reimbursement to oncology practices for prescribing high-quality, evidence-based cancer drugs increased use of these drugs without significantly changing total spending on care, Penn Medicine researchers report in a new study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Penn Medicine Researchers Receive Prestigious National Institutes of Health Director’s Awards
The NIH selected two researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to receive its Director’s Awards, part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program. Brian Litt was honored with a Pioneer Award, supporting his novel neurodevice research. Gregory Corder was selected as a New Innovator Award winner for research investigating the mechanisms of chronic pain.
Penn Researchers Receive Grant to Use AI to Improve Heart Transplant Outcomes
Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania were awarded a $3.2 million grant from the NIH to enhance research for improving heart transplant outcomes for patients. The four-year grant will fund a project exploring the use of AI-driven analysis to determine the likelihood of cardiac patients accepting or rejecting a new heart.
Gender Parity in Heart Failure Research: More Female Authors Could Mean More Female Participants
Representation of women leading heart failure research remains limited, according to new research led by Penn Medicine. The authors say the findings point to a need to support great gender diversity among researchers to drive diversity among clinical trial participants and even improve patient outcomes.
Penn’s ‘Enhanced Recovery’ Program Significantly Reduces Post-Op Opioid Use
Penn Medicine researchers found that when an “Enhanced Recovery After Surgery” protocol was employed—which optimizes patients’ surgical care before, during, and after surgery—the majority of patients did not need opioids for pain management at one, three, and six months after elective spinal and peripheral nerve surgery.
Penn Researchers Identify New Genetic Cause of a Form of Inherited Neuropathy
Inherited mutations in a gene that keeps nerve cells intact was shown, for the first time, to be a driver of a neuropathy known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This finding is detailed in a study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, presenting a clearer picture of the disease’s genetic underpinnings that could inform the development of gene therapies to correct it.
Sensory Neurons Outside the Brain Drive Autistic Social Behaviors, Penn Study Suggests
A new study from Penn Medicine lends further evidence that the social behaviors tied to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emerge from abnormal function of sensory neurons outside the brain.
Penn Launches Region’s First Center for Translational Neuromodulation
The Penn Brain Science, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation (brainSTIM) Center brings together a team of leading neuroscientists, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and engineers at Penn using neuromodulation techniques to research, repair, and enhance human brain function—the first translational center of its kind in the region.
The Gut Shields the Liver from Fructose-Induced Damage
After one consumes food or a beverage containing fructose, the gut helps to shield the liver from damage by breaking down the sugar. However, the consumption of too much fructose can overwhelm the gut, causing fructose to “spill over” into the liver, where it wreaks havoc and causes fatty liver, researchers discovered.
Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Are More Likely to Develop Heart Rhythm Disorders Than Other Hospitalized Patients
Patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to an intensive care unit were 10 times more likely than other hospitalized COVID-19 patients to suffer cardiac arrest or heart rhythm disorders, according to a new study. .
Homeless Patients Are More Likely to be Readmitted to a Hospital Within 30 Days of Discharge
Patients who are homeless are far more likely than housed individuals to be readmitted to a hospital within 30 or 90 days of their discharge, according to a new multi-center analysis of inpatient data from Florida, Massachusetts and New York.
10 Percent of Patients Continue to Use Opioids Three to Six Months After Heart Surgery
Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
New Mental Health Platform Provides Support for Healthcare Workers
A team at Penn Medicine, in collaboration with UnitedHealth Group, created COBALT—a digital platform that offers immediate access to mental health support for health care workers during this critical time.
Follow-up Treatments After Opioid Overdose Rare Among Insured Patients
Of nearly 6,500 commercially insured patients treated in EDs nationwide for an overdose or other opioid-related medical complications, only 16 percent accessed opioid use disorder (OUD) medications or another form of treatment within three months of the ED visit.
Steep Decline in Organ Transplants Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
France and the United States have experienced a tremendous reduction in the number of organ donations and transplant procedures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By early April, transplant centers in both countries were conducting far fewer deceased donor transplants compared to just one month earlier, with the number of procedures dropping by 91 percent in France and 50 percent in the United States.
How Do Commonly Used Blood Pressure Medications Affect Outcomes Among Patients with COVID-19?
A new international trial will evaluate whether the use of medications to treat high blood pressure affect outcomes among patients who are prescribed the medication and hospitalized with COVID-19. Investigators will examine whether ACEI or ARBs help to mitigate complications or lead to worse outcomes.
Penn Medicine Partners with Local Restaurants to Create Healthcare Meal Delivery Platform
Penn Medicine created a new meal delivery platform for frontline hospital staff called Nourished, to ensure safe and convenient access to local takeout meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nourished allows staff to easily order affordable meals from a curated list of local restaurants via text message.
Measuring the Risk Among Clinicians Who Intubate Patients with COVID-19
Penn launched the U.S. component of a global registry that aims to help protect health care providers who intubate patients with COVID-19 and quantify their risk of developing the disease. The intubateCOVID registry tracks exposures and outcomes among providers who perform intubations, with the ultimate goal of reducing the transmission of COVID-19 to these providers.
Penn Medicine Announces Appointment of Daniel Yoshor, MD, as Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery
Daniel Yoshor, MD, has been named chair of the department of Neurosurgery in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and vice president of Clinical Integration and Innovation for the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Frailty May Be Highly Predictive of Complications, Death in Patients with Mitral Valve Disease
Frailty measurements have become increasingly important in assessing surgical risk in patients with mitral valve disease, and research published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery shows that frailty plays a significant role in outcomes following mitral valve procedures.
How “Pioneer” Protein Turns Stem Cells into Organs
Early on in each cell, a critical protein known as FoxA2 simultaneously binds to both the chromosomal proteins and the DNA, opening the flood gates for gene activation, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The discovery, published in Nature Genetics, helps untangle mysteries of how embryonic stem cells develop into organs.
Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine Ranked 3rd Best Medical School in the United States
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked #3 among the nation’s medical schools, marking 23 consecutive years the school garnered honors among the top 10 research-oriented medical schools.
Reducing Kidney Failure Rate Among Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease
Now, as part of an effort to reduce the rate of patients with diabetic kidney disease who develop kidney failure, researchers at Penn Medicine are spearheading a collaboration to better understand the progression of DKD and advance research aimed at preserving kidney function in these patients.
Giving Commonly Used Muscle Relaxant Through Nose Shows Potential to Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases
Delivering the medication dantrolene through the nose rather than the mouth may help the medication penetrate the brain more effectively, potentially maximizing its therapeutic benefits in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease.
Internationally Recognized Cardiothoracic Surgeon Available for Comment on Aortic Dissection
Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, is Director of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program at Penn Medicine, a multidisciplinary program encompassing all aspects of aortic disease, including thoracic aortic reconstruction and Marfan syndrome. He also is Vice Chief of the Division of…
Machine Learning Identifies Personalized Brain Networks in Children
Machine learning is helping Penn Medicine researchers identify the size and shape of brain networks in individual children, which may be useful for understanding psychiatric disorders. In a new study published in Neuron, a multidisciplinary team showed how brain networks unique to each child can predict cognition. The study is the first to show that functional neuroanatomy can vary greatly among kids, and is refined during development.
DNA Misfolding in White Blood Cells Increases Risk for Type 1 Diabetes
Researchers found, in mice, that changes in DNA sequence can trigger the chromosomes to misfold in a way that puts one at a heightened risk for Type 1 diabetes. The study revealed that differences in DNA sequences dramatically changed how the DNA was folded inside the nucleus, ultimately affecting the regulation of genes linked to the development Type 1 diabetes.
Penn’s Community Health Worker Program Yields $2.47 for Every $1 Invested Annually by Medicaid
Every dollar spent on patients receiving support from Penn Medicine’s community health worker (CHW) program resulted in an annual return on investment (ROI) of $2.47 for every dollar invested annually by Medicaid, according to a new study published online today in Health Affairs. The savings are generated by reducing hospitalizations.
People with Obesity Who Experience Self-Directed Weight Shaming Benefit from New Intervention
While it’s known that weight “self-stigma” is associated with poor mental and physical health, little is known about how to help people combat it. Researchers show that people who received a new stigma-reduction intervention, along with standard behavioral weight loss treatment, devalued themselves less due to their weight compared to participants who only received the treatment.
Penn Study Paves Way for New Vaccines to Protect Infants Against Infections
A new Penn Medicine study puts researchers within closer reach of vaccines that can protect infants against infections by overcoming a mother’s antibodies, which are known to shut down immune defenses initiated by conventional vaccines. That hurdle largely explains why vaccinations for infectious diseases like influenza and measles not given until six to 12 months of age. Findings from the preclinical study were published online today in Science Translational Medicine.
Bystander CPR Less Likely for People Living in Hispanic Neighborhoods Compared to Non-Hispanic Neighborhoods
People living in predominately Hispanic neighborhoods are less likely to receive CPR from a bystander following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest compared to people living in non-Hispanic neighborhoods, researchers from Penn Medicine and the Duke University of School of Medicine reported in the journal Circulation. This same group also had a lower likelihood of survival.
Direct-to-Consumer Fertility Tests Confuse and Mislead Consumers, Penn Study Shows
Direct-to-consumer hormone-based “fertility testing” for women is viewed by consumers as both an alternative, empowering tool for family planning, and a confusing and misleading one, according to the results of a new study from Penn Medicine. Findings from the small, first-of-its-kind ethnographic study reinforce the need for consumer education around the purpose and accuracy of the tests, which have seen increasing interest in recent years due to the low cost and widespread availability. The study was published in the journal of Social Science and Medicine.