Best of Philly

Best Scientists

2026 Best Visionaries

Jean Bennett, Katherine High, and Albert Maguire

We’re blessed in Philadelphia to be constantly surrounded by some of the smartest scientists on the planet. But, being constantly possessed of chips on our shoulders, we’re also always a little surprised when someone else recognizes that greatness. That was the case this year when the ($3 million!) Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences was awarded to Penn’s Jean Bennett, Katherine High, and Albert Maguire for their work in developing the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited condition. The therapy dramatically improves sight in people with a form of blindness, and the approval provided a road map for the approval of similar therapies. Read More »

2025 Best Baby Savers

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Kiran Musunuru

These two physicians led the CHOP and Penn Medicine team that, in May, made medical history by successfully using CRISPR gene-editing therapy to treat an infant born with a rare metabolic disease. Baby KJ was only months old when the team started administering the individually tailored therapy for his CPS1, or severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency. The landmark gene-correcting approach spares KJ the need for a liver transplant down the road and prevents neurological damage that could prove fatal. Doctors say he’s now growing well and thriving. Read More »

2024 Best Lab Wizards

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman

Ho-hum: another August, another honor for this pair of Penn researchers whose work in mRNA tech was key to the creation of the COVID vaccines. This time, it was the big one: the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Just days after the Nobel announcement came the publication of Hungarian émigré Karikó’s memoir, Breaking Through: My Life in Science. You could say it’s been a very good year. Read More »