Jefferson Team Designs Program that Helps Elderly Perform Daily Living Tasks and Live Longer
(Published 7-6-2006) A Thomas Jefferson University team has found that a personalized program of occupational and physical therapy – plus modifications in the home – can go a long way to help elderly individuals continue to live independently and also live longer.

Jefferson Researchers Awarded Portion of Pennsylvania Tobacco Settlement
(Published 7-7-2006) The Commonwealth grants focused on a specific priority--to develop centers of excellence (COE) to research the prevention and treatment of obesity and its complications, placing emphasis on populations that are at high risk for and/or disproportionately affected by obesity. At Thomas Jefferson University, the grant will fund the creation of the Center of Excellence for Research on Obesity at Thomas Jefferson University.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Ranked Best Hospital in Philadelphia for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Medicine by U.S.News & World Report
(Published 7-10-2006) U.S.News & World Report this year also ranked Jefferson University Hospital as among the best in the nation in six other specialties – cancer; digestive disorders; ear, nose and throat; endocrinology; kidney disease; and urology.

Jefferson Scientists Engineer Tobacco-Made Antibodies Targeting Cancer Cells
(Published 7-14-2006) When virologist Hilary Koprowski, M.D., reported last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences how he and colleagues used tobacco plants to produce cancer-fighting monoclonal antibodies that recognize and hunt down breast and colorectal cancer cells, the work represented another step toward a goal he has been pursuing for the last decade.

Jefferson Completes Deal to Acquire Wills Eye Inpatient and Residency Programs
(Published 7-14-2006) Wills Eye Hospital of Philadelphia will transfer responsibility for its inpatient and ophthalmology residency programs to its longstanding partners, Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, effective July 1, 2006.

Jefferson Scientists Show Protein Key to Bladder Cancer Spread, Potential Drug Target
(Published 7-15-2006) By demonstrating that a protein – a growth factor called proepithelin – plays a crucial role in the spread of bladder cancer, scientists at Jefferson Medical College and Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center may have identified a potential target for drugs.

Enzyme Inhibitor May Provide New Strategy for Treating Certain Gastrointestinal Disorders, Jefferson Researchers Find
(Published 7-17-2006) Drugs that block the activity of an enzyme might hold a key to treating chronic and severe disorders such as certain forms of constipation, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, Hirschsprung’s disease and other similar gastrointestinal problems.

Jefferson Master of Science Program in Public Health Receives National Accreditation
(Published 7-18-2006) The Master of Science Program in Public Health (MSPH) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia has received accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health, the nation’s accrediting body for public health programs. To help meet the growing demand for such programs, the Jefferson College of Graduate Studies will hold an open house on July 26, 2006 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Eakins Lounge in Jefferson Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust Street.

Jefferson Scientists Show “Miracle” Cancer Drug Gleevec Can be Toxic to the Heart
(Published 7-23-2006) Gleevec, the wildly successful poster-child of a new generation of cancer drugs aimed at specific targets in the cancer cell, can be dangerous to the heart. Not only that, but other similarly based drugs - called tyrosine kinase inhibitors - could lead to heart problems as well, say researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Center Opens at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center
(Published 7-28-2006) At the new Jefferson Multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Center, patients can meet with a radiation oncologist, a neurosurgeon and a medical oncologist—all at one location and during one visit.

Jefferson Researchers Find New Potential Drug Targets for Metastatic Breast Cancer
(Published 7-31-2006) Cyclin D1, a gene that promotes the development of breast cancer, is providing clues to how breast cancer spreads, or metastasizes, in the body. By getting a better understanding of the complicated routes by which cancer cells move about, researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia are finding new potential targets for drugs.