Bioinformatics And Genomics News | Bioinformatics and Genomics

Penn State’s Roar supercomputer, housed within the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), enables researchers across the University to conduct complex simulations, calculations and analyses on a large scale, something a personal computer is not capable of. Ed O'Brien and Romit Maulik, ICDS co-hires, recently spoke to Penn State News about the need for and benefit of using high-performance computing resources to complete challenging inter- and multi-disciplinary research projects. Credit: ICDS/Ryan Antion / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Aug 18, 2025

Q&A: Boosting research with supercomputing

In this Q&A, ICDS co-hires like Ed O’Brien, professor of chemistry in the Eberly College of Science, and Romit Maulik, assistant professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, spoke about how they use Roar’s HPC services.

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The findings provide a better understanding of the viruses that could help lead to better disease control in the future, according to the researchers. Credit: meriç tuna on Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Aug 14, 2025

Study offers new insight into mixed virus interactions in plants

New research led by researchers at Penn State examined what happens when two common viruses — tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot orthotospovirus (INSV) — infect the same plant.

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Recently identified and long-lasting type of protein misfolding — non-native entanglements — observed in all-atom protein folding simulations. Representative misfolded conformations of the small proteins, Ubiquitin and λ-repressor, exhibit gains-of-entanglement in all-atom folding simulations and are shown alongside their native structures. In the misfolded states, non-native entangled loops are highlighted in red, with yellow spheres marking loop closures and blue segments indicating threading through the loop. Credit: O’Brien Laboratory / Penn State. Creative Commons

Aug 11, 2025

New class of protein misfolding simulated in high definition

New computer simulations that model every atom of a protein as it folds into its final three-dimensional form support the existence of a recently identified type of protein misfolding.

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Aug 05, 2025

Huck names new associate director for graduate education

Penn State Professor of Anthropology David Puts has been named the associate director for graduate education at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Denise Okafor, Huck Early Career Chair in Biophysics and assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry at Penn State, teaches a course-based research experience for undergraduates (CURE), where students learn how to create molecular models of biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, to study their function. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Aug 04, 2025

Research need inspires student opportunity

Unprecedented demand for molecular modeling skills, coupled with a funding award for innovative teaching, leads to the creation of a new course-based research experience for undergraduates.

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Aug 01, 2025

HGSAC co-chairs recognized for symposium success

The outgoing co-chairs of the Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee, the body representing graduate students in the six Huck-run degree programs, were recognized for their service at a recent meeting of the Huck Executive Committee.

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Jasna Kovac, left, and Seth Bordenstein, right, are the co-program directors and authors of the BIOMS grant. Credit: Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences and Eberly College of Science / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 22, 2025

$2.6M NIH grant to fund new microbiome sciences training program at Penn State

The internationally recognized One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State is the recipient of a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to train doctoral students in biotechnological innovation, industry advancements and interdisciplinary microbiome research.

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Credit: Keith Hickey / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 16, 2025

Optical tweezers help elevate single-molecule research at Penn State

The instrument, supported by a new NIH infrastructure grant, uses laser light to ‘tweeze’ tiny objects like DNA molecules and proteins.

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Graduate student Chad Smies and postdoctoral scholar Jiyeon “Joan” Baek manipulate a solution that will be used to visualize protein expression in the mouse brain. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 14, 2025

The breadth of the brain

Researchers in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute study the brain’s many aspects in a variety of ways, with implications from mental health to aging and disease.

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ARISE students in the genetics and microbiome module learn how to extract, amplify and assess DNA quality in the the Department of Anthropology's new laboratory in the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building. Credit: Penn State Department of Anthropology. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 01, 2025

ARISE program provides hands-on training to aspiring anthropologists

A talented group of aspiring anthropologists recently traveled to Penn State to take part in the Department of Anthropology’s annual ARISE program.

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