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Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a new therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma. For decades, research has associated female sex and a history of previous pregnancy with better outcomes after a melanoma diagnosis. Now, a research team from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania says it may have determined the reason for the melanoma-protective effect.

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A rare glimpse into the prior authorization requirements implemented by public and private insurance providers across the country has found substantial administrative burden for a new class of medications for patients with high cholesterol that places them at high risk for heart attack or stroke. So-called proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are self-injected medications approved for individuals with a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who have high cholesterol despite receiving traditional statin medications and other treatments. Results of the study are published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

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By analyzing immune cells of children who came to the emergency department with flu symptoms, researchers found that the suite of genes these early-response cells expressed was shaped by factors such as age and previous exposures to viruses. Better understanding how early infections influence long-term immune response has implications for the diagnosis and treatment of young patients who suffer from acute respiratory tract infections.

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Newly described stretches of super-silenced DNA reveal a fresh approach to reprogram cell identity to use in regenerative medicine studies and one day in the clinic.

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Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of Penn Medicine, has received a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Outstanding Investigator Award. The highly competitive award provides long-term support to “an experienced investigator with an outstanding record of research productivity.” In issuing the award, the NHLBI, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, described Epstein as “an outstanding, pioneering investigator” and “a gold standard role model for physician-scientists in the field.”

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The proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib has taken on an increasing role in the treatment of multiple myeloma, but new research from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania shows the therapy comes with the risk of cardiovascular problems in a higher than expected percentage of patients.

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Sticker shock may be leading many insured Americans with cancer to forego treatment with a wide range of oral cancer drugs, suggests a study published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the findings point to high out-of-pocket costs as a barrier to potentially life-saving or life-prolonging treatments. As breakthroughs in cancer care continue, the study raises questions about whether patients will able to take advantage of new treatment options.

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In a historic move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a gene therapy initially developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for the treatment of a rare, inherited form of retinal blindness. The decision marks the nation’s first gene therapy approved for the treatment of a genetic disease, and the first in which a new, corrective gene is injected directly into a patient.

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In honor of the season of giving, Penn Medicine debuts four new short videos of Penn Medicine CAREs-funded initiatives making a difference all year long.

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Penn Medicine’s Innovation Accelerator Program, now in its fifth year, has announced funding for four new projects aimed at addressing disparities to improve health care delivery and patient outcomes.

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Cancer care in South Jersey is about to enter a new era. Penn Medicine, in partnership with Virtua, announced plans to build a new proton facility on the campus of Virtua’s acute care hospital, Virtua Voorhees. The new $35 million center, which will allow cancer patients to undergo cutting edge proton therapy in single-room treatments, is expected to be completed by 2020. It will be the first and only proton therapy center in South Jersey.

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Douglas H. Smith, MD, the Robert A. Groff Professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received a $4-million, four-year PACT (PA Consortium on Traumatic Brain Injury) award from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to lead a multi-institution effort to transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of traumatic brain injury.

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A pilot study collected physiological information from six healthy young male volunteers as they went about their normal daily lives. Thousands of indicators were measured with wearable devices and smart phone apps. The study showed the feasibility to detect the chronobiome of an individual -- a collection of physiological traits in a 24-hour rhythmic pattern -- despite the ‘noise’ of everyday life.

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Despite the fact that their disease may be more severe, a new study shows minorities are less likely than white Americans to see a doctor for psoriasis treatment. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that black, Asian, and other non-Hispanic minorities are about 40 percent less likely to see a dermatologist for psoriasis than whites.

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Pets have become an integral part of human medical research. However, a recent collaboration between Penn Med and Penn Vet has turned the tables on the arrangement.

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Two investigational immunotherapy approaches, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, have shown encouraging results in the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who had relapsed and were resistant to other therapies. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center administered CAR T cells to patients following chemotherapy, with 64 percent of patients responding in a clinical trial. In a separate study, patients got an infusion of an experimental monoclonal antibody, which resulted in an overall response rate of 60 percent. Both of these investigational approaches targeted a receptor called B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA), which is highly expressed in myeloma and thus a promising target for treatment.

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In a pair of clinical trials stretching from Philadelphia to Tokyo, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy Kymriah™ (formerly known as CTL019) demonstrated long-lasting remissions in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients. Results from a global, multisite trial will be presented today at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta (Abstract #577). Results from the single-site study, with follow-up extending past two years, will be published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Patients with certain advanced hereditary breast cancers may have new treatments options on the horizon, according to two studies presented this week at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Susan Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, will present new results from the Mediola and OlympiAD trials showing continued success of treating BRCA-related metastatic breast cancer with the PARP inhibitor olaparib with limited side effects for patients.

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Although digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), or 3-D mammography, costs more than a digital mammography (DM) screening, it actually may help rein in cancer screening costs, according to preliminary findings (PD7-05) presented by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania during the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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A schizophrenia patient’s own perceptions of their experiences -- and confidence in their judgments -- may be factors that can help them overcome challenges to get the life they wish, suggests a new paper published in Clinical Psychological Science from researchers at Penn Medicine’s Aaron T. Beck Psychopathology Research Center.

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DNA sequences between mitochondria within a single cell are vastly different, found researchers. This knowledge will help to better illuminate the underlying mechanisms of many disorders that start with accumulated mutations in individual mitochondria and provide clues about how patients might respond to specific therapies.

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Louis J. Soslowsky, PhD, the Fairhill Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will receive the H.R. Lissner Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

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Making an AD mouse model that incorporates both Aβ and tau pathologies in a more AD-relevant context has been greatly sought after but difficult to accomplish. This study is a big step for AD research, which will allow testing of new therapies in a more realistic context.

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Penn Medicine launches first-of-its-kind app for bariatric surgery patients. Penn Life Gained is built using Apple CareKit, a software framework designed to help people actively manage their own medical conditions.

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Female Parkinson’s disease patients are much less likely than male patients to have caregivers, despite the fact that caregivers report greater strain in caring for male patients. The findings come from a large study reported today in Neurology by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. According to the researchers, the disparity between female and male patients probably derives in part from the fact that women tend to outlive their most likely potential caregivers: their husbands.

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The number of doctors and advance practitioners in the United States who focus on nursing home care rose by more than a third between 2012 and 2015, according to a new study published today in JAMA from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Of all physicians and advance practitioners who do any work in nursing homes, 21 percent now specialize in nursing home care. The authors say the trend suggests the rise of a significant new specialty in medical practice, though how it will affect patient outcomes and continuity of care is yet to be seen.

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Among women with dense breast tissue, for whom traditional mammograms are less effective at detecting cancer, who request additional screening after a negative mammogram, abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MR) may be a valuable cancer detection tool. In a study of 195 asymptomatic women with dense breast tissue who had a negative mammogram within the previous 11 months, AB-MR detected five additional cancers after a negative screening mammography, according to preliminary findings from a Penn Medicine team presented this week at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago.

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The traits we inherit from our family define and connect us in countless ways. Sometimes these traits are obvious, like curly hair or dimples. But sometimes what we inherit remains hidden, like BRCA gene mutations. With the help of celebrities like actress Cobie Smulders, star of television comedy series How I Met Your Mother and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Basser Center for BRCA launched a video and social media campaign—with the hashtag #invisiblegenes—in the hopes that it will highlight illnesses that can be prevented or treated with early detection.

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Women have smaller, more breakable nerve fibers in the brain compared to men that may make them more susceptible to concussions, suggests a new study from Penn Medicine neuroscientists published online today in the journal Experimental Neurology.

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Malaria parasites, although widespread among wild chimpanzees and gorillas, have not been detected in bonobos, a chimp cousin. Although the researchers saw evidence of a new malaria species in bonobos, it was limited to one small area of their range. This work helps the hunt for biological loopholes to potentially exploit the life history of ape pathogens to better understand how they cross over to humans.

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  PHILADELPHIA—Anil K. Rustgi, MD, chief of the division of Gastroenterology and T. Grier Miller Professor of Medicine and Genetics, and Hongzhe Li, PhD, a professor of biostatistics in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, both at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

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Sage Snyder and Julia Dickman are sophomores in high school. They do all the normal things high schoolers do – hang out with their friends, go shopping, and play sports after school. But for these two, the buck doesn’t stop there. Sage and Julia were both born prematurely. They spent the first several months of their lives in intensive care, and over the years have continued to experience the lasting effects of premature birth. Together with other teens who were born premature, Sage and Julia founded Preemies 4 Prevention, an effort that officially launches this month and works to raise awareness of the devastating effects of preterm birth and support for research at Penn’s March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center.

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A new treatment program that combines the power of technology with tried and true methods to help cancer patients overcome their addiction to tobacco is ready to enroll its first patients at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. As part of the program, doctors are alerted about a patient’s tobacco use through the electronic medical record. At that point, an automated referral is made for the patient to Penn’s Tobacco Use Treatment Service (TUTS), which then directly provides patients with state-of-the-science tobacco use treatment in an effort to get them to quit for good and assist with their medical treatment and recovery.

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A team led by Penn Medicine’s Mary Regina Boland, PhD, an assistant professor of Informatics in Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, looked at previously documented associations between specific diseases and being born at a certain time of the year, probing deeper to pinpoint the links between them.

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Penn Medicine researchers have singled out a bacterial enzyme behind an imbalance in the gut microbiome linked to Crohn’s disease. The new study, published online this week in Science Translational Medicine, suggests that wiping out a significant portion of the bacteria in the gut microbiome, and then re-introducing a certain type of “good” bacteria that lacks this enzyme, known as urease, may be an effective approach to better treat these diseases.

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People with psoriasis are at a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes than those without psoriasis, and the risk increases dramatically based on the severity of the disease. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found people with psoriasis that covers 10 percent of their body or more are 64 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those without psoriasis, independent of traditional risk factors such as body weight. Applying the study’s findings to the number of people who have psoriasis worldwide would equate to 125,650 new cases of diabetes attributable to psoriasis per year.

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When it comes to your likelihood of receiving bystander CPR if you experience a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in public, it turns out your gender may play a lifesaving role. According to a new study from researchers in the Center for Resuscitation Science at Penn Medicine, which is being presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2017, men are more likely to receive bystander CPR in public than women.

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The first view of the physical mechanism of how a blood clot contracts at the level of individual platelets is giving researchers a new look at a natural process that is part of blood clotting. The team describes how specialized proteins in platelets cause clots to shrink in size.

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Penn Medicine will conduct the Northeast’s first clinical trial of uterine transplants, to provide women with Uterine Factor Infertility (UFI) - an irreversible form of female infertility that affects as many as 5 percent of women worldwide and 50,000 women in the United States - with a new path to parenthood.

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Business experts estimate that the market for Cannabidiol (CBD) products will grow to more than $2 billion in consumer sales within the next three years. While interest in this area continues to grow, little has been done to ensure regulation and oversight of the sale of products containing CBD.

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The below average efficacy of last year’s influenza vaccine (which was only 20 to 30 percent effective) can be attributed to a mutation in the H3N2 strain, a new study reports. With the mutation, most people receiving the egg-grown vaccine did not have immunity against H3N2 viruses that circulated last year.

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Deborah A. Driscoll, MD, the Luigi Mastroianni Jr. Professor and chair of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) 2017 Leadership Award for an Individual. The award will be presented at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) annual meeting in Boston on Nov. 4 during the GWIMS Poster and Awards Reception, held jointly with the AAMC’s Council of Deans (COD).

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Compared to controls, patients with psoriasis (PsO) are at higher risk for serious liver disease than patients with rheumatoid arthritis – two autoimmune diseases often treated with similar drugs that can cause liver damage.

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Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, a renowned leader in medical education, has been named senior vice dean for Medical Education in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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The eyes are for seeing, but they have other important biological functions, including automatic visual reflexes that go on without awareness. The reflexive system of the human eye also produces a conscious, visual experience, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

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A new treatment for a rare and often incurable condition called dermatomyositis (DM) reduced the severity of the disease in patients whose DM was resistant to other therapies. As part of a randomized, double-blind study conducted at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 22 patients were given either a drug called anabasum or a placebo. The 11 patients who got the drug improved during the trial, with less severe skin disease and better patient-reported quality of life and symptom assessments.

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Minority women are far less likely to undergo breast reconstruction than white women, even if they live in the same area and have similar insurance.

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Disrupting sleep-wake cycles from a predominantly daytime to a delayed eating lifestyle, -- i.e., skipping breakfast and making lunch the first meal of the day, plus eating late dinner, disrupts the body’s natural circadian (24-hour) rhythm, the cycle that tells us when to sleep, wake up, eat, and influences hormones and other functions.

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Researchers found mutations in a master-switch protein called Epithelial Splicing Regulatory Protein 1 in individuals with a type of congenital hearing loss. In general, what connects most of the unexplained hearing-loss cases is that protein building in the cochlea during development goes awry. The cochlea has the all-important job of transforming mechanical energy in the form of sound waves into electrical signals that run along auditory nerves to the brain.