Molecular Cellular And Integrative Biosciences News | Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences

Curtis Huttenhower is a professor of computational biology and bioinformatics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Credit: Provided by Curtis Huttenhower. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 13, 2025

Human microbiome pioneer to deliver World Microbiome Day lecture

The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) in the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Penn State will host Curtis Huttenhower, professor of computational biology and bioinformatics, for a special virtual lecture at 10 a.m. on June 27 in honor of World Microbiome Day.

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The arc of health frameworks grew over time from one that siloed human, agricultural and environmental ecosystems from each other to a One Health structure that focused on pathogen spillovers shaping the risk of disease across ecosystems. An expanded vision of One Health microbiome sciences from Penn State incorporates the ecology of all microbes. It emphasizes that the flow of both disease-causing and health-promoting microbes links humans, environment and agriculture together to shape the sustainability of ecosystem wellness and resilience. This One Health framework intentionally unifies the microbiome sciences to advance core disciplinary theories and principles with cross-system validation and comparative studies, according to the researchers. Credit: Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 11, 2025

Q&A: Unifying the microbiome sciences for global health and sustainability

Recently, members of Penn State's One Health Microbiome Center published an article in the American Society for Microbiology’s flagship journal, mBio. In this Q&A, a few of the paper’s authors discussed how the center is leading the charge to breakdown traditional disciplinary silos and expand the One Health focus to include more than just pathogenic microbial threats.

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Jun 09, 2025

Two Penn State doctoral students selected for industry internship in Germany

The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State is sending two doctoral students to Hilden, Germany, for a seven-week industry internship at the headquarters of QIAGEN, a global leader in biotechnology for life sciences diagnostics, equipment and research.

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Nikki Crowley, left, principal investigator and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, and collaborator, Nanyin Zhang, right, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Brain Imaging and professor of biomedical engineering, along with other team members, will use a new five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the long-term effects of excess alcohol drinking during adolescence. Credit: Keith Hickey/Huck Institutes. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 04, 2025

$2.9M grant funds study on long-term effects adolescent binge drinking

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will use a new five-year, $2,900,000 grant to investigate the long-term effects of excess alcohol drinking during adolescence.

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Jun 02, 2025

Huck opens search for Associate Director for Graduate Education

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is seeking an innovative Penn State faculty member with a strong background in interdisciplinary life sciences research and a passion for teaching and mentoring graduate students to join our Huck leadership team as an Associate Director for Graduate Education.

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Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently welcomed a delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to the University Park campus. One of the tours included the PlantVillage Lab, where researchers are using artificial intelligence to help smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia and the Americas adapt to climate change. It is led by David Hughes, Huck Chair in Global Food Security and professor of entomology and biology at Penn State. From left are Celeste Macilwaine, Ed Bogart, David Hughes, Derek Morr, Rimnoma Serge Ouedraogo, Bipana Paudel Timilsen and Huanhuan Wang. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 03, 2025

Penn State’s Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was represented on the global stage as faculty and students participated in the United Nations’ 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City earlier this month.

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The activation of Protein Kinase A (PKA) is a critical part in how the body responds to stress and starvation. Using a variety of imaging and biochemical techniques, a team of researchers from Penn State has revealed how the metabolic cycle that activates PKA resets itself between stressful events. Credit: Varun Venkatakrishnan/Anand Lab / Penn State. Creative Commons

May 29, 2025

Resetting the fight-or-flight response

New study reveals mechanism responsible for resetting key molecular cycle involved in response to stress and starvation.

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By extending egg production in broiler breeder hens, farmers may be able to reduce flock turnover, improve animal welfare and increase efficiency, according to researchers at Penn State. Credit: Hispanolistic/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

May 07, 2025

Common diabetes drug helps chickens lay more eggs

Metformin, a drug commonly prescribed to humans, could be a game-changer for farms and food production, researchers said.

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Apr 29, 2025

HGSAC prepares for largest Life Sciences Symposium yet

The Life Sciences Symposium, organized by the Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee (HGSAC), is set to showcase student research on May 23.

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Apr 29, 2025

Heather Hines named interim director of the Center for Pollinator Research and the Insect Biodiversity Center

Heather Hines, Associate Professor of Biology and Entomology, has been named Interim Director of the Center for Pollinator Research (CPR) and the Insect Biodiversity Center (IBC). Hines is succeeding Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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