In The News

Monell sensory biologist provides scientific explanation for why food pairings work

The New York Times Monday, October 22, 2012

The New York Times writes about Paul Breslin, a sensory biologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and an author on a study that finds science at the root of our most savory food pairings.

Dr. Breslin and his colleagues asked testers to sample salami and then rinse their mouths with either tea or water. They were asked whether the rinses reduced the sensation of fattiness from the salami. Water did not work well, but the tea seemed to to neutralize the feeling.

They also found that even weak astringents like tea can have a strong countering effect to greasy food when sipped over time.

Original source: The New York Times

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UPenn inks research and licensing deal with drugmaker Novartis for new cancer treatment

The New York Times Monday, August 06, 2012

The University of Pennsylvania and drug company Novartis have joined forces to commercialize a new cancer-fighting approach that has proven promising in preliminary trials.

The alliance seeks to build on the recent results of an experimental treatment that trains a person’s immune system to kill cancer cells. Scientists at the university announced last year significant results in several patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were treated using the new technique, including two who went into complete remission.

Original source: The New York Times

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Penn School of Medicine research isolates important gut bacteria

New Scientist Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A David Artis-led team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine finds the immune system may be more sophisticated than originally thought in controlling important gut bacteria, reports New Scientist.

The discovery opens up new ways to treat diseases aggravated by bugs that escape from the gut, says Lora Hooper of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

"This work has uncovered some truly exciting new insights into the role of innate lymphoid cells in the gut, showing that they function like border collies that keep intestinal bacteria from escaping to other parts of the body," she says.

Original source: New Scientist

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Center City-based eResearchTechnology purchased for $400M

Wall Street Journal Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Center City, Philadelphia-based eResearch Technology, a large provider of medical devices and services to biopharmaceutical and health-care organizations, was purchased by San Francisco-based private equity giant Genstar Capital for $400 million, reports the Wall Street Journal.

ERT Chief Executive Jeffrey Litwin said the deal, expected to close during the third quarter, will provide the company with acquisition capital to expand its offering and better serve its clinical research clients.

Original source: Wall Street Journal

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Introducing the Academy of Natural Sciences' museum exhibition and book

The New York Times Tuesday, April 03, 2012

The exhibition, which opened last weekend, takes visitors along with academy scientists as they search for new species and study humanity’s collective impact on the environment. The book embraces a larger agenda.

To wander through "A Glorious Enterprise: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Making of American Science" is to absorb the 19th century's passion for botany and zoology; the 20th century's mania for exploration of distant, difficult or desolate places; and present-day preoccupations, particularly environmental issues like water quality.

Original source: Academy of Natural Sciences

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New show at Art Museum explores Van Gogh's mental state

The Daily Beast Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Van Gogh Up Close has opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and art lovers can get a better sense for the mind behind the artist's great works.

Cornelia Homburg, one of the curators of Van Gogh Up Close, a new show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, says she finds it "very difficult when an artist’s acts as an artist are exclusively viewed through the fact that he was a disturbed person." So the show ignores that person and instead takes a close look at how van Gogh, the systematic artist, liked to look closely at things, and how that made a crucial contribution to the history of modern art. One wall shows him paring his still lifes down to essentials.

Others have him zooming ever further -- onto a lone moth, a flowering branch -- or trying his hand at the classic undergrowth scenes called sous bois. His innovations are set into the context of the era’s photography and Japanese prints. Revisionist art history has revised the madman from sight. The works of art "are sufficient in themselves," says Joseph Rishel, Homburg’s co-curator.

Original source: The Daily Beast
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Philly based search engine for health in NYC startup accelerator

TechCrunch Tuesday, January 10, 2012

TechCrunch reports on the inaugural class of Blueprint Health's startup accelerator in New York City, which includes Philadelphia-based Meddik.

Led by Tim Soo and Ben Shyong, Meddik is a search engine for health that ranks results based on a user’s symptom set, clinical attributes, and demographics. Tim is a Penn medical student and programmer who built Invisible Instrument, a Wiimote & iPhone gestural-based instrument that won an MTV Award. Ben is a Web-developer and programmer, having built a real-time transit tool for the Philadelphia transit system and started a bubble-tea restaurant.

Original source: TechCrunch
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USciences students take aim on rifle teams

Wall Street Journal Monday, December 12, 2011

The Wall Street Journal spotlights the rifle teams at USciences, a college known more for its pharmacy program than marksmanship training.

For the past 35 years, the USciences shooting program was led by coach Paul Klimitas, who is widely credited with spurring the team, known as the Devils, on to numerous victories. It ended last season ranked 15th out of the 38 NCAA teams in the country -- tied with one of the top military academies, Virginia Military Institute.

"They're competing against people who are training to be soldiers and spending hours every day doing military exercises," says Marling "Newt" Engle, a member of the NCAA Rifle Committee, of the UCSciences team.

Original source: Wall Street Journal
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Entrepreneur, Philly native has plan for more STEM opportunities in city schools

Technically Philly Monday, December 12, 2011

Technically Philly sits down with Dr. Chad Womack, a nanobiomolecular entrepreneur who is trying to increase opportunities in science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) for city children.

Womack’s America21 Project is focused on empowering urban centers and communities through STEM education and workforce development, high-growth entrepreneurship and access to capital. With his new venture, he’s still actively engaging the District around STEM priorities.

Original source: Technically Philly
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CHOP study links gene variations to ADHD

USA Today Tuesday, December 06, 2011

A study at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and published in this month's Nature Genetics has proved significant, identifying gene variants associated with 10 percent of all ADHD cases, reports USA Today.

"Members of the GMR gene family, along with genes they interact with, affect nerve transmission, the formation of neurons, and interconnections in the brain, so the fact that children with ADHD are more likely to have alterations in these genes reinforces previous evidence that the GMR pathway is important in ADHD," study leader Dr. Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at Children's Hospital, said in the news release.

"Our findings get to the cause of the ADHD symptoms in a subset of children with the disease," he added.

Original source: USA Today
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Moss Rehab, Penn lead large-scale study of sleeping aid's impact on consciousness disorders

The New York Times Tuesday, December 06, 2011

The New York Times follows a young man's journey from coma to consciousness as aided by Ambien, and how two Philadelphia institutions are uncovering why.

This year, scientists at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and at the University of Pennsylvania, both in the Philadelphia area, began the first large-scale clinical study of zolpidem as a treatment for disorders of consciousness. (Amantadine, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and the anti-anxiety medication Ativan also show promise in increasing awareness in minimally conscious patients.) So far, the evidence suggests that less than 10 percent of brain-injured patients will experience the drug’s paradoxical effects, and that among those, only a few will respond as profoundly as Viljoen did. For families like the Coxes, such odds provide a tortured kind of hope. For doctors, they bring questions. Why does a sleeping pill induce awareness in some patients but not others? And what can these bizarre awakenings tell us about the brain’s ability to heal?

Original source: The New York Times
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$1B in federal funds announced for healthcare innovation; Mt. Airy doc to play role

American Medical News Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Philadelphia's Dr. Richard Baron and his Greenhouse Internists practice in Mt. Airy are cited as pioneers of adopting electronic medical records and advocating for the kinds of innovations sought through $1 billion in federal funding, reports American Medical News.

The Health Care Innovation Challenge program was announced on Nov. 14 by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The center will provide grants of $1 million to $30 million to physicians and other health professionals, payers, local governments, community-based organizations. Priority will be given to public-private partnerships and multi-payer groups, as well as for proposals targeting patients with complex health care needs.

It is not yet clear whether the best way to achieve CMMI's goals is to change health care payment or to change the delivery system, said Dr. Baron, speaking at a Nov. 16 event on clinician leadership in health reform at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Dr. Baron, who joined the center in March, is overseeing efforts to implement Medicare accountable care organizations, among other duties.

Original source: American Medical News
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Malvern pharma startup among stars of BioTech 2011's innovation corridor

MedCity News Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Recro Pharma of Malvern was one of several companies from the region who were showcased at BioTech 2011 last week at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and MedCity News has a write-up and video on its new drug that targets postoperative and diabetes pain.

This year’s innovation corridor included about 24 scientists and early stage startups from universities and incubators who exhibited posters that highlighted their work and demonstrated the commercial applications, something that regional associations are trying to do more. Now in its sixth year, a decision was made to put the younger scientists alongside the more mature startups so potential investors could see them at the same time and encourage mentoring and partnership opportunities.

Recro Pharma, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based company, is seeking $20 million for a new drug application for a drug that targets postoperative and diabetes pain relief.

Original source: MedCity News
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Stink bug management among two local specialty crop research projects funded by USDA

American Agriculturist Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Wyndmoor-based project raked in more than $5.7 million from the USDA to research stink bug management, reports American Agriculturist.

Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa., $322,202: Improve long-term viability of the fresh U.S.-grown mushroom industry by marketing mushrooms as an excellent source of Vitamin D.

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Wyndmoor, Pa., $5,739,966: Develop economically and environmentally sustainable pest management practices for the brown marmorated stink bug.

In making the announcement, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said "Specialty crops producers in the United States – as with all of American agriculture – are seeing sales surge both domestically and abroad as consumers search for high quality, 'Grown in America' fruits, vegetables and tree nuts."

Original source: American Agriculturist
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Franklin Institute's largest gift, $10M, pulls it within striking distance of expansion goal

Philanthropy Today Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Franklin Institute has received the largest gift in its 187 year history, according to Philanthropy Today.

Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute has received the largest pledge in its history, $10-million from the businessman Nicholas Karabots, The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

The donation puts the science center within $6-million of its $64.7-million campaign goal to fund an addition and other upgrades.

The new wing will be named for Mr. Karabots and his wife, Athena, and house exhibits on the brain and neuroscience as well as conference and classroom facilities.

Mr. Karabots, a South Bronx native who made a fortune in printing supplies and property development, said he was inspired to make the gift when he visited the institute "and saw what they were doing with all these kids. I went up to the observatory and there were four inner-city kids who were spending a year learning astronomy. I was impressed."

Source: Philanthropy Today
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