Research relevant to the Abramson Cancer Center catchment area
The Abramson Cancer Center supports nine research programs, uniting over 390 investigators from 34 departments and nine schools at the University of Pennsylvania. These programs fall into three categories: Basic Research, Translational/Clinical Research, and Population Science—all working toward a common goal: reducing the cancer burden in our catchment area.
The impact of this research is profound. Abramson Cancer Center investigators have played a pivotal role in advancing cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, contributing to multiple FDA approvals for groundbreaking therapies. Since 2017, the center has achieved 21 FDA approvals (and counting), including eight first-in-class therapies—providing new treatment options where none previously existed.
This work is bringing hope to cancer patients in our communities and across the nation.
Below are selected research highlights addressing the unique needs of our catchment area.
Addressing disparities in CAR-T therapy access
Marco Ruella, PhD (Immunobiology Program), in collaboration with other Abramson Cancer Center investigators and the Community Outreach and Engagement team, found that minority health populations had lower access to commercial CAR-T therapy for large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs), despite living near treatment centers. This study highlights disparities in access to anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART19) immunotherapy, a key treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
NEJM Evidence, 2024 – “Outcomes of minority health populations receiving commercial anti-CD19 CART therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma”
Personalized glioblastoma treatment with brain organoids
Donald M. O’Rourke, MD (Tumor Biology Program) and colleagues developed patient-derived brain organoids to accurately replicate individual responses to CAR T-cell therapy for glioblastoma (GBM)—the most aggressive and common form of brain cancer. Their study found that the organoids’ response to therapy mirrored the actual tumor’s response in the patient’s brain, allowing for real-time treatment assessment.
Cell Stem Cell, 2024 – “Patient-derived glioblastoma organoids as real-time avatars for assessing responses to clinical CAR-T cell therapy”
AI-powered cancer detection with MISO
Mingyao Li, PhD (Tumor Biology Program) and collaborators developed MISO (Multi-modal Spatial Omics)—a new AI-powered tool that detects cell-level cancer characteristics using data from extremely small tissue samples, some as tiny as 400 square micrometers (about the width of five human hairs). This innovation could help match patients with the most effective individualized therapies across various cancer types.
Nature, 2025 – “Resolving tissue complexity by multimodal spatial omics modeling with MISO”
Breast cancer
About 1 in 400 people (0.25%) carry a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Susan Domchek, MD (Breast Cancer Program) is leading a clinical trial aimed at preventing or “intercepting” breast cancer with vaccines. The study is evaluating DNA vaccines to prevent breast cancer in BRCA mutation carriers, who face a significantly higher risk of developing the disease.
Cancer therapeutics
Xiaowei “George” Xu, MD, PhD (Cancer Therapeutics Program) and colleagues have developed an experimental approach using small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)—tiny capsules derived from human cells—to target DR5 (death receptor 5), a receptor present on many cancer cells. In preclinical studies, these sEVs demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects across multiple cancer types, offering a potential new type of immunotherapy treatment. A patent application for this technology has been filed on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania.
Science Advances, 2025 – “Engineered extracellular vesicles with DR5 agonistic scFvs simultaneously target tumor and immunosuppressive stromal cells”
Pediatric oncology
An interdisciplinary, global research team led by Yael Mossé, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, CHOP), alongside John Maris, MD, and Adam Wolpaw, MD, PhD, was selected in 2024 as one of only five teams worldwide to receive funding from Cancer Grand Challenges, a global initiative co-founded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Cancer Research UK. The team, known as KOODAC3, will receive up to $25 million to develop new therapies for previously undruggable childhood cancers.
Radiobiology and imaging
In 2018, the FDA approved AZEDRA (iobenguane I131)—the first-ever non-surgical treatment for the rare neuroendocrine cancers pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. The approval was based on a multi-center trial led by researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center. AZEDRA is a targeted radiotherapeutic for patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma who require systemic cancer therapy.
Cancer control
In 2025, an estimated 13,600 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., with 4,320 deaths projected (American Cancer Society). Despite effective Pap testing, cervical cancer mortality has plateaued, and among women ages 30-44, mortality rates increased by 1.7% per year from 2012-2019. Carmen Guerra, MD (Cancer Control Program) is the site principal investigator for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) “Self-collection for HPV testing to improve cervical cancer prevention” (SHIP) Trial at the Abramson Cancer Center. This study will evaluate the accuracy and patient perspectives on self-collected vs. clinician-collected HPV samples, generating data to support FDA approval of at-home HPV self-collection as a new option for cervical cancer prevention and early detection.
Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and Oluwadamilola “Lola” Fayanju, MD, MA, MPHS (Cancer Control Program) were awarded the CDC Prevention Research Center grant. Through this initiative, Penn researchers will collaborate with Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) to study how improved doctor-patient communication can help older adults with early-stage breast, rectal, or lung cancer make informed decisions about their care.
Tobacco and environmental carcinogenesis
Andrew Strasser PhD, and Joseph Cappella, PhD (Tobacco and Environmental Carcinogenesis Program) found that repeated exposure to messages correcting misperceptions about nicotine’s health risks was necessary to reduce false beliefs about nicotine and tobacco products.
Tobacco Control, 2023 – “Effect of nicotine corrective messaging on nicotine-related beliefs in US adults: A randomized controlled trial”