News Releases

In the first study of its kind, researchers led by The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Ross Koppel, Ph.D. studied how hospital nurses actually use bar-coded technology that matches the right patient with the right dose of the right medication. The surprising result is that the design and implementation of the technology, which is often relied upon as a "cure-all" for medication administration errors, is flawed, and can increase the probabilities of certain errors.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and collaborators are using minute, naturally occurring proteins called zinc fingers to engineer T cells to one day treat AIDS in humans.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that the unfolded protein response, which is an adaptive response to stress induced by sleep deprivation, is impaired in the brains of old mice.

Penn researchers are calling for a new, more standardized way for patients in need of organ transplants to be informed of the risks they face. If adopted, their policy recommendations could promote greater equity in how organs are allocated while restricting patients' abilities to "cherry-pick" the best organs.

The activation of a molecular pathway important in stem cell and developmental biology (Wnt) leads to an increase in lung stem cells. Harnessing this knowledge could help develop therapies for lung-tissue repair after injury or disease.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that misfolded proteins called TDP-43 accumulate throughout the brain of patients with amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, not just in the motor neurons. This finding suggests ALS has broader neurological effects than previously appreciated and treatments need to take into account more than motor neuron areas.

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center has announced that Kenric Michael Murayama, MD, FACS will become the new Chief of Surgery, effective September 15, 2008. He joins Penn Presbyterian from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu, where he was Professor of Surgery and Chief of General Surgery.

Sara Aton, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was awarded a grant from the L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Program. This prestigious fellowship provides support to postdoctoral women scientists who are undertaking cutting-edge research with practical applications.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will be presenting at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISCCR) as well as participating in a Workshop and an Evening Public Symposium on Stem Cell Biology. The meeting will be held from June 11-14, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the School of Medicine Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, and the ISSCR are hosting the free Workshop and Evening Public Symposium on June 10, just prior to the scientific meeting.