Penn Vet | News Stories

Bats and COVID

COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease. For the 200+ bats currently in wildlife rehabilitation facilities across Pennsylvania, this presents a threat. Eman Anis, a microbiologist with Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center, is leading a study to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in North American bats, work being done with associate professors Lisa Murphy and Julie Ellis and Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Greg Turner.

Navigating cytokine storms

It’s a trajectory followed by many who experience a severe case of COVID-19: They feel poorly for a few days, improve over a day or two and then, a week or 10 days into their infection, have respiratory difficulties, a stroke, organ damage, or another dangerous complication and wind up in the intensive care unit.

Glowing dye may aid in eliminating cancer

"Clean margins” are a goal of cancer excision surgery. If even a small piece of cancerous tissue is left behind, it increases the likelihood of a local recurrence and spread of the disease, possibly reducing overall survival time.

Helping pets cope with quarantine, and reopening

Stay-at-home orders and social distancing mean many of people have been cut off from friends and family. But certain relationships have become more intimate amid the pandemic: those between people and their pets.

Seven Penn Vet Researchers Receive COVID-19 Pilot Awards

Seven researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) have been selected to receive distinctive COVID-19 Pilot Awards from the Penn Vet COVID Research Innovation Fund. The Fund, provided with critical start-up support through a generous gift from Vernon and Shirley Hill, will bolster Penn Vet’s rapidly expanding research and response program to fight the novel coronavirus.

New Penn survey points to food insecurity - not the ‘Quarantine 15’ – as real pandemic concern

As many Americans are spending more time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a newly minted phrase – ‘the Quarantine 15’ – has crept into collective thought. But results from a recent nationwide survey conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) indicate that claims about the trending pandemic-weight-gain concern may not be credible after all.

Blocking tumor signals can hinder cancer’s spread

For most people who die of cancer, the spread of the initial tumor is to blame. “Metastasis is what kills most cancer patients,” says Serge Fuchs, a professor in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine. “Yet there are not many, if any, drugs that specifically target metastatic processes.”

Penn Vet's David T. Galligan Earns Prestigious Lindback Award for Teaching Excellence

Dr. David T. Galligan of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has earned the prestigious Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Coming together to solve the many scientific mysteries of COVID-19

As the rumblings of a pandemic began to be felt at the beginning of the year, scientists at Penn started work to develop a vaccine and assess possible treatments. But the scope of COVID-19 studies at the University goes much broader. Scientists whose typical work finds them investigating autoimmune disease, influenza, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, cancer, hemophilia, and more, are now applying their deep understanding of biology to confront a novel threat.

Penn Vet Launches New Telehealth Platform, Expands Access to Leading Pet Behavior Expertise

With less than 100 veterinary behavior experts practicing in the United States, having direct access to reliable, scientifically-sound advice on managing unsavory pet behavior can prove challenging. But thanks to a newly launched, web-based application from the Penn Vet, Intellivets, and Connect for Education (C4E), pet owners and primary care veterinarians alike can now enjoy expert insight from the comfort of their home or clinic.

Health care education in a virtual world

Back in January, fourth-year students in the School of Dental Medicine had begun working to complete a variety of graduation requirements that require demonstrating their clinical skills. Part of their licensing requires them to demonstrate their ability to perform two types of fillings and a deep cleaning. Now, barred from working with patients, that process has been put on hold for some students.

Penn Vet Launches COVID-19 Canine Scent Detection Study

A pilot training program utilizing scent detection dogs to discriminate between samples from COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 negative patients is the focus of a new research initiative at Penn Vet.

Household Food Insecurity and the COVID-19 Pandemic

How does a Pandemic impact our relationship with food? A new Penn survey seeks insights

A newly launched internet survey led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looks to explore the multidimensional impact that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on our collective relationship with food.

Tailoring treatment for triple-negative breast cancer

Immunotherapies have revolutionized treatment for people with a variety of cancers. But when given to those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a particularly aggressive form of the disease, less than 20% respond.

Gary Althouse (shown pre-pandemic) notes that the animal origins of the current Covid-19 crisis underscore the importance of veterinary expertise in sustaining both animal and human health.

Supporting agriculture and a safe food supply

Caring for a cow with uterine prolapse is not a task that a veterinarian can accomplish alone. The physicality and teamwork it demands makes it nearly impossible to sustain the social distancing prescribed to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Yet for Billy Smith and his fellow veterinarians that make up the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Field Service team, these kinds of encounters must continue, even amid a pandemic.

Partnering through a Pandemic: Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center Launches Innovative Telehealth Service Amid COVID-19

In an effort to provide the highest level of veterinary care amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) at New Bolton Center today announced the launch of a new, innovative telehealth service for large animals.

A critical enzyme for sperm formation could be a target for treating male infertility

While some of our body’s cells divide in a matter of hours, the process of making sperm, meiosis, alone takes about 14 days from start to finish. And fully six of those days are spent in the stage known as the pachytene, when pairs of chromosomes from an individual’s mother and father align and connect.

Gene doping in equines can now be tested for, thanks to Penn Vet researchers.

A Tipping Point for Catastrophic Injuries in Racehorses? Penn Vet Researchers Seek Answers in Novel Interaction Study

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) today announced the launch of a novel study exploring possible effects resulting from the combined use of furosemide, commonly known as Lasix, and bisphosphonates in equine athletes.

For Improved Profit Margins, the Dairy Doctor is in

For Dr. Joe Bender, what goes on in the environment surrounding an animal is just as important as what’s going on inside of it. As a veterinarian and assistant professor of clinical dairy production medicine within the Center for Animal Health and Productivity (CAHP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), Bender knows how an integrated approach to herd health can pay off in the bulk tank.

Demystifying feline behavior

They know their names. We can read their facial expressions, sort of. And some of them really like having us around. These are among the purported findings of recent scientific studies aimed at deciphering the behavior of some of our most mysterious yet ubiquitous companions: pet cats.

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