University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

One shot of gene therapy and children with congenital blindness can now see

Born with a retinal disease that made him legally blind, and would eventually leave him totally sightless, the nine-year-old boy used to sit in the back of the classroom, relying on the large print on an electronic ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Oct 25, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (23) | comments 1

Researchers discover genetic risk factor for testicular cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created May 31, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Genetic variation in human gut viruses could be raw material for inner evolution

(PhysOrg.com) -- A growing body of evidence underscores the importance of human gut bacteria in modulating human health, metabolism, and disease. Yet bacteria are only part of the story. Viruses that infect ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 19, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Molecular path from internal clock to cells controlling rest and activity revealed in new study

(PhysOrg.com) -- The molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says Amita Sehgal, PhD, the John Herr Musser Professor ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Tracing an elusive killer parasite in Peru

Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, not all epidemics involve people suffering from zombie-like symptoms--some can only be uncovered through door-to-door epidemiology and advanced mathematics.

Biology / Other

created Sep 27, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Predicting the fate of personalized cells next step toward new therapies

Discovering the step-by-step details of the path embryonic cells take to develop into their final tissue type is the clinical goal of many stem cell biologists. To that end, Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, professor ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 19, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Ends of chromosomes protected by stacked, coiled DNA caps, study finds

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are delving into the details of the complex structure at the ends of chromosomes. Recent work, e-published in Nature Structural & ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Apr 20, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

A new way to make reprogrammed stem cells

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have devised a totally new and far more efficient way of generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), immature cells that are able to ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Apr 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Study suggests another avenue for detecting Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined that a well-known chemical process called acetylation has a previously unrecognized association with one of the biological processes ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Apr 01, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers uncover novel immune therapy for pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center have discovered a novel way of treating pancreatic cancer by activating the immune system to destroy the cancer's scaffolding. The strategy was tested ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Mar 24, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mouse nose nerve cells mature after birth, allowing bonding, recognition with mother

For rodent pups, bonding with mom isn't hard-wired in the womb. It develops over the first few weeks of life, which is achieved by their maturing sense of smell, possibly allowing these mammals a survival advantage by learning ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Mar 12, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Molecules work the day shift to protect the liver from accumulating fat (w/ Video)

The liver normally makes and stores fat, which is required in moderation for normal body function. However, if the process goes awry, excess fat in the liver can cause major liver damage. In fact, fatty liver ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 10, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'GPS system' for protein synthesis in nerve cells gives clues for understanding brain disorders

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania explain how a class of RNA molecules is able to target the genetic building blocks that guide the functioning of a specific part of the nerve cell. Abnormalities at this site are ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Mar 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers find new role for cancer protein p53

The gene for the protein p53 is the most frequently mutated in human cancer. It encodes a tumor suppressor, and traditionally researchers have assumed that it acts primarily as a regulator of how genes are ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 02, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Male pattern balding may be due to stem cell inactivation: study

Given the amount of angst over male pattern balding, surprisingly little is known about its cause at the cellular level. In a new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team led by Geo ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Jan 04, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 4 | with audio podcast