shel silverstein on the LLM, 1981

In a landmark scientific feat published in NEJM, a CHOP & Penn Medicine team treated the first patient with personalized #genetherapy, designed uniquely for newborn KJ, who was diagnosed with a rare #ureacycledisorder at birth. Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/63327Sw92F

Today "a milestone in the evolution of personalized therapies for rare & ultra-rare inborn errors of metabolism" —the 1st human to undergo custom genome editing —from decades of NIH funded research www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... @nejm.org www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/h...

A major breakthrough from @pennmedicine.bsky.social: @davidfajgenbaum.bsky.social and team have identified a new subtype—Oligocentric Castleman Disease (OligoCD)—marking the first Castleman discovery in 45 years. This could transform diagnosis and care for thousands. Published in Blood Advances.

For the first time in 45 years, a new subtype of Castleman disease has been identified, allowing patients to receive the right treatment for their condition ft. @davidfajgenbaum.bsky.social (@pennmedicine.bsky.social) & @jbrandmdphd.bsky.social (@penncancer.bsky.social) tinyurl.com/52mjd9az

Congrats @davidfajgenbaum.bsky.social on being named to the TIME100 Health 2025 list! After being diagnosed with Castleman disease, he found an existing drug that saved his life. Now he’s using AI to repurpose FDA-approved drugs—offering hope to others with hard-to-treat conditions. bit.ly/4kdkgdX

Oligocentric CD is an intermediate phenotype distinctly characterized from unicentric and iMCD. buff.ly/zOHYxKF #hemesky #clinicaltrialsandobservations

At yesterday's opening ceremony, we asked the cancer community to stand together to make their voices heard in support of innovative cancer science and medicine. #CancerResearchSavesLives® #AACR25

There is an OLIGOcentric subtype of Castleman Disease.

CSF reversibly attenuates the efficacy of antifolate drugs, including methotrexate, against leukemia cells. buff.ly/oep9bdx #hemesky #lymphoidneoplasia

Just a few weeks ago, researchers and educators connected to immunology lost a wonderful friend and colleague: Michael Cancro, professor of pathology and lab medicine at the University of Pennsylvania www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social

Our current issue's special collection of Physician-Scientist Development articles includes an editorial by Editor in chief @eickelbergmd.bsky.social & is paired with a cover collage of children's drawings illustrating what a 'physician-scientist' means to them: buff.ly/kQ4fmrg

Thank you to Vince Young for this beautiful highlight of our early work developing an mRNA vaccine for C. difficile (Original paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...)

Great advice

Who thought this was a good idea?

An insightful and troubling investigative report by @anguschen.bsky.social on how gov't cuts are impacting cancer centers, researchers, and patients. As a cancer researcher, I can attest that these cuts are indeed devastating and will set back decades of progress. www.statnews.com/2025/03/24/t...

"The Clinical Center got a last-minute reprieve after the researchers panicked and protested. DOGE stopped the firing of the intensive care doctors and allowed the N.I.H. to rehire the fired laboratory technicians and blood bank workers."

ASH understands it's a tough time for #hematology research due to #NIH funding cuts. To support #researchers during this time, ASH's Bridge Grant now offers $150K funding, with waived critiques and no match needed. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4kBeGmR#hematology#NIH#researchers #ASHAwards #MedSky #Hemesky

Very nice review!

It’s Rare Disease Day! Rare diseases are those that affect <200k in the US. Altogether, they affect 30 million in the US & 300 million globally. All pediatric cancers are rare. And >90% of rare diseases have no FDA approved treatment. #MedSky

Today is the AACR Early-Career Hill Day, and we're calling on early-career scientists, trainees, students, and supporters to contact Congress and ask them to prioritize NIH funding. Now more than ever, it's important to take action: AACR.org/NIH #AACRontheHill #FundNIH

STAT story is up about study section restart. www.statnews.com/2025/02/24/s...

This! We need help to keep medical research going!! Anyone?

Yes! Is anyone able to help?

🚨This should be amplified!! Study sections and council meetings are still being cancelled despite the court order unblocking NIH freezes, effectively halting any new research grant from being funded: www.thetransmitter.org/funding/fede...

Feb 4 meeting of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council CANCELLED. On Feb 6 2024 they approved 8 billion dollars of medical research in those areas. An equivalent sum now missing in 2025. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/events/2024/...

The AACR is deeply concerned that the Administration’s recent actions are threatening NIH and its mission to accelerate progress for patients with cancer and other diseases that afflict millions of Americans. Read our statement: https://buff.ly/4gRXNB8

YES!

It's not unicentric or multicentric: It's OLIGOcentric Castleman!! @bloodjournal.bsky.social

Harold Varmus is an American hero. We should listen.

Statement at #Tandem25 thanking NIH contributors not able to join the meeting took me aback: #OncSky

This is outstanding. All academic scientists should be required to watch this.

I believe that most of our society values science and scientists. We need to continue to communicate our findings and value to the public and advocate for increased research funding, especially for young investigators->they are the future.

Apparently last week's NHLBI advisory council was cancelled. Worried for my K08 application and hoping for order to return to NIH.

The NIH Notice about the new indirect cost rate "plan"

Asking hard questions and pushing the boundaries of medical science to develop new cures is hard. I worry that Friday night's new NIH rules will only further disincentivize universities to support medical research.

“I think the American people need to understand how devastating it would be if this goes through,” Dr. Lefkowitz said. “A lot of research would just have to stop; I can’t imagine that the shortfall could be met from other sources.”

1. Today the NIH director issued a new directive slashing overhead rates to 15%. I want to provide some context on what that means and why it matters. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Exciting to have more treatments for rare disease patients!

Congratulations to the 7 @pennmedicine.bsky.social physician-scientists recently elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (@the-asci.bsky.social)! Please check back as we profile each new member tinyurl.com/2p9jdkdt

Congratulations Joe! #UpliftingAthletes #Raredisease #CureCastleman

Congratulations to all!!!

Kim Rathmell to step down as NCI Director January 20. Hope that we can benefit from her leadership at the NCI again in the future.

Large-scale changes in the genome inherited from parents are significant risk factors for pediatric solid tumors, a new Science study finds. The results provide new insights into the genetic underpinnings of pediatric cancers.

I thought Type 2 immunity was tolerogenic? Or wait, what year is it? Ah, I thought it was 1988...

Ccl19-Cre+ fibroblasts use Dll1 Notch ligands to control MZBs!! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Cancer-specific innate and adaptive immune rewiring drives resistance to PD-1 blockade in classic Hodgkin lymphoma www.nature.com/articles/s41...

What an incredibly moving story! Scientists and doctors should do all they can to help these patient leaders!

Let's make it easier to diagnose Castleman Disease! Read about my work presentes at ASH to try to make this happen!! ash.confex.com/ash/2024/web...

Let's make it easier to diagnose Castleman Disease! Here's some of what I've been doing on this front!! reachmd.com/programs/pro...