University of Pennsylvania

Researchers have developed a highly efficient new gene-editing method that uses virus-based protein fragments. The method could be used to level up existing cell and gene therapies used to treat cancer and other diseases.

Scientists have identified the role an enzyme, crucial to the body’s metabolism, plays in the development of kidney disease, opening the door to new methods of prevention and treatment of this increasingly prevalent condition.

If you needed more motivation to brush your teeth, this could do the trick. Scientists have discovered that cavity-causing bacteria and fungi in saliva can team up to form “superorganisms” that can sprout limbs to crawl and even leap across teeth.

Like many menial tasks, there may soon be a way to outsource brushing your teeth to robots. A new system of microrobots can change shape to form bristles or floss, and don’t just brush plaque away but release antimicrobials to kill bad bacteria.

A powerful new optical chip can process almost two billion images per second. The device is made up of a neural network that processes information as light without needing components that slow down traditional computer chips, like memory.

Researchers have discovered a new type of cell in the human lung. Named respiratory airway secretory cells (RASCs), they seem to play a role in regenerating other cells and could be a target for new treatments for lung diseases like COPD.

Drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers, or two glasses of wine – causes structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging, reports a large UPenn study analyzing more than 36,000 high-quality MRI brain scans.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are poised to become a major health threat in the coming decades – but new antibiotics may have been inside us all along. A search algorithm has discovered dozens of potential antimicrobial peptides in the human body.

For people with particularly cavity-prone teeth, daily brushing and flossing aren't always enough. A new treatment could help, as it uses tiny particles known as nanozymes to break down plaque and kill cavity-causing bacteria.

We've seen how "structural batteries" could be applied to electric vehicles and gear for soldiers as a way of saving weight, and now scientists have applied this type of thinking to microbatteries light enough to be carried by insects.

Scientists have stumbled across a mechanism by which the immune system triggers the secretion of fat cells through the skin. The mechanism may translate from mice into humans, but turning it into a safe obesity therapy could be challenging.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an electronic nose that may be able to sniff out signs of cancer from blood plasma samples. In tests, the device was able to detect a range of cancer types with over 90 percent accuracy.