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PENN Medicine News
The latest news from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System.
- Stem Cells with Potential to Regenerate Injured Liver Tissue Identified
A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy. For the first time, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine led by Linda Greenbaum, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, have demonstrated that cells expressing the marker can differentiate into both liver cells and cells that line the bile duct. - Engineered Killer T-Cell Recognizes HIV-1’s Lethal Molecular Disguises
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues in the United Kingdom have engineered T cells able to recognize HIV-1 strains that have evaded the immune system. The findings of the study, published online in the journal Nature Medicine, have important implications for developing new treatments for HIV, especially for patients with chronic infection who fail to respond to antiretroviral regimens. - Teen Opiate Addiction Relapses Reduced with Combination Medication, Extended Treatment
For the growing number of teens addicted to opiates (i.e. heroin or prescription pain-relief drugs), short-term detoxification and/or psychosocial treatment programs are commonly recommended, despite high relapse rates and limited success. Researchers have found a more effective treatment method that targets the physiological aspects of opioid addiction, which may reduce the toll drug abuse takes on individuals, families, and communities. - Penn Scientists Map Molecular Regulation of Fat-Cell Genetics
A research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular 'master regulator' of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells. The findings appear online this week in Genes and Development. - Penn Scientists Show How Body Determines Optimal Amount of Germ-Fighting B Cells
New research reveals a complicated interplay between two receptors on the surface of B cells that allows them to integrate their signals, which are at odds with one another. 'One receptor sends signals to the cell nucleus that says, 'yes stay alive, the body needs more B cells,' while the other says ‘'wait a minute, be careful which B cells are allowed to live.'' - Penn Researchers Find Key to Sonic Hedgehog Control of Brain Development
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have discovered how the expression of the Sonic hedgehog gene is regulated during brain development and how mutations that alter this process cause brain malformations. The results appear online this month in Nature Genetics. - Structure and Signaling in Normal and Diseased Muscle - Symposium November 3
The Pennsylvania Muscle Institute and the Department of Cell and Development Biology are co-sponsors of a symposium on November 3, 2008 that covers technological and methodological developments in advanced light microscopy, structural spectroscopy, nanotechnology, biochemical kinetics, image processing, molecular biology and viral gene targeting aimed at solving basic science questions about muscle diseases. - Better Instructions Reduce Complications Among Patients Using Common Blood Thinner
Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The study, published in the October issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, also shows that patients who see only one physician and fill their prescription at a single pharmacy are less apt to experience serious bleeding events. - IOM Names Six New Members from Penn
Four School of Medicine professors, a School of Nursing professor, and the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, have been elected as members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the nation’s highest honors in biomedicine. The new members bring Penn’s total to 68, out of over 1600 worldwide. Overall, the IOM named 65 new members this year. - Penn Takes Part in NIH Initiative to Find Treatments for Menopause
Women troubled by hot flashes and night sweats during the years around menopause want safe, effective treatment options. The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is part of a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative to conduct clinical trials of promising treatments for the most common symptoms of the menopausal transition. - Penn Study Shows Immune System Can Hurt As Well As Help Fight Cancer
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that some proteins of the immune system can promote tumor growth. Investigators found that instead of fighting tumors, the protein C5a, which is produced during an immune response to a developing tumor, helps tumors build molecular shields against T-cell attack. These findings appeared online this week in Nature Immunology. - Penn Researcher Receives $1 Million Grant for Cancer Gene Therapy Research
Carl June, MD, Director of Translational Research at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in Penn’s School of Medicine, has received $1 million over the next three years from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, Inc. (ACGT) to harness the immune system to fight the worst cases of ovarian cancer. - The Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine Helps Heal Patients Through Innovative Building Design
The dedication of Penn Medicine’s Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine on October 2 will mark the latest example in a national trend toward caring for patients in an environment designed to speed diagnosis and treatment and enhance patient comfort and convenience. The Perelman Center links Penn’s expert physicians and clinical researchers in new ways, by putting them just an idea’s reach away from one another, always prepared to collaborate and create groundbreaking, individualized treatment plans. - Penn Scientists Test Novel Medication to Block Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are conducting studies on an experimental medication to block nerve damage and inflammation in the brain that can lead to progressive memory loss and behavioral changes in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Current Alzheimer’s disease therapies focus on improving symptoms rather than attacking the root of the disease progression. - Penn Researchers Receive Prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator Awards
James Eberwine, PhD, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Professor of Pharmacology and co-director of the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute, has been awarded the National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award, which provides $2.5 million over the next five years. Aaron Gitler, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, has been awarded the NIH New Innovator Award, which provides $1.5 million over the same timeframe. Eberwine investigates how single neurons work in the context of surrounding cells and how this relates to the emerging field of RNA-based therapeutics and Gitler studies yeast cells to define mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and screen for new treatment targets. - Penn Researchers Show that Inhibiting Cholesterol-Associated Protein Reduces High-Risk Blockages in