Brain tumor organoids accurately model patient response to CAR T cell therapy
Lab-grown tumors respond to cell therapy the same as tumors in the patients’ brains, according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Research at Penn
Each day, in every school at Penn, from labs to libraries, field sites to clinics, researchers are making strides to cure diseases, improve lives, and better understand our world.
“U.S. higher education is a key driver of American competitiveness in the world. Educating, innovating, and providing outstanding clinical care: Penn’s transformative discoveries grow the economy, improve lives, and increase opportunity for people far beyond our campus.”
Penn President J. Larry Jameson
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Brain circuits drive social behaviors in fruit flies
Researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences discovered "wing spreading" in Drosophila santomea, which offers insights into an underrepresented area in sexual reproduction research: female-initiated behaviors.
Efforts to surveil and stop bird flu in its tracks
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine are working on a new vaccine for the H5N1 virus, studying its transmission, and helping Pennsylvania test samples from birds and mammals.
An excavation to understand ancient communities
Mantha Zarmakoupi from the School of Arts & Sciences has spent the past four summers excavating the ruins of a city council building at the center of Teos in western Türkiye.
The science behind baseball’s ‘Magic Mud’
A duo from the School of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Science led research that could crack the code of the mud smeared on baseballs for nearly a century that pitchers profess provides a perfect grip.
Fixing damaged blood vessels in the lungs
Penn Vet and Penn Medicine researchers found that endothelial cells lining the veins in lungs contribute to repair of blood vessels after lung injury.
The impact of driverless cars on an urban landscape
Weitzman School of Design’s Xiaoxia "Summer" Dong focuses on the travel behavior and mode choice impacts of driverless cars.
Studying Wikipedia browsing habits to learn how people learn
Researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science analyzed peoples’ information-seeking styles and found that gender and education inequality track different types of knowledge exploration.
Saliva kits for gum disease
A new study from Penn Dental Medicine demonstrates the potential usefulness of saliva tests for tracking periodontitis.
Why the most successful companies are scalable
Giant companies stay on top because they’re both more productive and scalable than their competitors, according to research from Wharton and the School of Arts & Sciences.
Absent students lead to low teacher morale
Findings from the Graduate School for Education underscore the fact that the effects of absenteeism are cumulative, with each missed day contributing to classroom "chaos."
Violent language in film has increased
A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication finds that violent speech in movies is increasing over time, even in non-crime films.
A key brain circuit in the fight against cocaine use disorder
A Penn Nursing study has identified a critical brain circuit that plays a pivotal role in regulating cocaine-seeking behavior.
A tool that can lead to healthier lives
School of Social Policy & Practice’s Jennifer Prah has written a comprehensive framework that takes a worldwide approach to attaining global health goals.
Court no-shows are a systemic problem
Researchers in Penn Carey Law School and the School of Arts & Sciences have found that failure-to-appear plays a central role in criminal case processing in Philadelphia.
Research Digest
Research at Penn: in print
Research at Penn is also a print publication that highlights some of the groundbreaking and innovative research happening across the University’s 12 schools. Featuring original and repurposed stories from Penn Today, Research at Penn is brought to you by the Office of University Communications and is printed twice a year. For more information on Penn’s research ecosystem, visit the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. To request a print copy of Research at Penn, email upnews@upenn.edu.
RECENT EDITION
Spring 2025
