News
Nov 10, 2020
Could SARS-CoV-2 evolve resistance to COVID-19 vaccines?
Similar to bacteria evolving resistance to antibiotics, viruses can evolve resistance to vaccines, and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines that are currently under development, according to a paper published Nov. 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by David Kennedy and Andrew Read from Penn State.
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Oct 22, 2020
Novel bioresorbable, tissue-healing surgical device approved by FDA
A new surgical tendon fixation system that not only re-attaches damaged tissues but also facilitates healing as it is absorbed by the body has been granted 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, indicating that the device is “as safe and effective” as other legally marketed devices and is ready to go to market.
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Oct 14, 2020
Makova selected as holder of the Verne M. Willaman Chair in the Life Sciences
Kateryna Makova, Pentz Professor of Biology at Penn State, has been appointed as holder of the Verne M. Willaman Chair in the Life Sciences. The appointment, effective on Sept. 1, was made by the Office of the President of the University, based on the recommendation of the dean, in recognition of Makova’s national and international reputation for excellence in research and teaching.
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Oct 07, 2020
Penn State researcher part of project to develop novel COVID-19 vaccine
A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is part of a team of scientists working to develop a unique COVID-19 vaccine that uses a bovine adenovirus as a safe and effective delivery vehicle.
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Oct 07, 2020
Evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes deciphered
New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved.
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Oct 02, 2020
Scientists take a step toward understanding 'jumping genes' effect on the genome
Using state-of-the-art statistical methods, a team of researchers said they may have taken a leap closer to understanding a class of jumping genes, sequences that move to different locations in the human genome, which is the body’s complete set of DNA.
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Sep 23, 2020
Huck Institutes Seeks Director of Graduate Training Initiatives
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is searching for a Penn State faculty member interested in overseeing a number of training programs for master's and doctoral students.
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Sep 14, 2020
Penn State researchers to study novel coronavirus potential to infect livestock
A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will enable Penn State researchers to study the potential for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, to infect and spread among livestock.
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Aug 12, 2020
Determining how a coronavirus protein takes over human protein-making machinery
Jean-Paul Armache, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been awarded seed funding from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State to use cryo-electron microscopy to study how an important SARS-CoV-2 protein binds to and takes over the human ribosome — a protein factory in the cell that the virus uses to copy itself.
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Aug 21, 2020
Flavonoids' presence in sorghum roots may lead to frost-resistant crop
Flavonoid compounds — produced by the roots of some sorghum plants — positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.
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