Health & Medicine

The ability of a stem cell originating in skeletal muscle to turn into bone could hold the key to bone healing after catastrophic fractures, according to research at Penn’s Perleman School of Medicine. The researchers find that Prg4+—a type of stem cell that originates in the muscles that support the skeleton—is crucial to bone repairs because the cells could actually transform from muscle cells to bone cells.

Penn Medicine and Wharton researchers have partnered to create CellSpectra and SISKA, offering clues to better treatments for kidney disease and beyond.

The efficient delivery of synthetic mRNA to the retina has been a barrier to mRNA-based treatments for vision loss. A new study from Penn Vet has found that coating mRNA-lipid complexes (lipoplexes) with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-lipid derivatives can enhance their stability and penetration into retinal tissue.

Penn researchers and their colleagues have investigated how unmet social needs impact the health and well-being of U.S. cancer survivors. Their findings are relevant for other serious chronic illnesses.

A new study by Penn Medicine’s Sony Tuteja finds that preemptive genetic testing for those with two specific genes cut chemotherapy side effects in half, as compared to similar patients given standard doses without testing.

Daniell, a faculty fellow of the Environmental Innovations Initiativ and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, explains his research and its connections to sustainability and the environment.

Online reviews can provide insight into what influences whether patients have a “good” or “bad” health care experience, a Penn Medicine analysis shows.

A new Penn Nursing Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research study reveals a significant underrepresentation of Black nurses compared to the Black patient populations they serve, particularly in hospitals that care for a higher proportion of Black patients. The study, led Eileen T. Lake, the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, and CHOPR associate cirector, is set to be published in Nursing Research.

Zhang, a professor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences and Director of Restorative Research at Penn Dental Medicine, has been recognized for his leadership in advancing the field of dental materials as the 2025 recipient of the International Association for Dental Research Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award.

A new study from Penn’s School of Nursing reveals a critical link between neighborhood firearm violence exposure, involvement in fighting, and adolescents’ perceived ability to obtain a firearm outside the home.