News

Aug 13, 2024

Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system

A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that the well-studied family of proteins — potassium ion channels in the Shaker family — were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals.

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Aug 09, 2024

Memory problems in old age linked to a key enzyme, study in mice finds

A team of researchers from Penn State has identified an enzyme that contributes to age-related impairments in memory updating. When blocked, older mice were better able to incorporate new information and performed similarly to their younger counterparts. The researchers said the findings may lead to the development of potential therapeutic targets for improving cognitive flexibility in old age.

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Aug 09, 2024

Biomedical engineer to use $2M NIH grant to improve human tissue repair

A team of Penn State researchers led by Wang was recently awarded a four-year, $2.02 million National Institutes of Health grant to explore how to safely add growth factors to collagen used by doctors for tissue repair.

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Aug 02, 2024

Penn State researchers receive USDA-NIFA grant to study male cattle genetics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a grant to a team of researchers in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences to study the genetic mechanisms underlying the development of the testis, the male organ that produces reproductive cells, in cattle and its role in sperm production.

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Jul 31, 2024

New high-resolution 3D maps show how the brain’s blood vessels changes with age

Healthy blood vessels matter for more than just heart health. Vascular well-being is critical for brain health and potentially in addressing age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease, according to new study led by Penn State researchers.

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Jul 29, 2024

$1.7M grant continues support for graduate students studying gene regulation

Renewed support for a training program established at Penn State in 2018 ensures five additional years of funding for graduate students conducting cross-disciplinary studies of the mechanisms controlling where and when genes are used in cells.

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Jul 25, 2024

Jeff and Ann Marie Fox name Graduate School with $20 million commitment

The Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the naming of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School in recognition of the couple and the endowment they have created to provide support, in perpetuity, for graduate students and faculty and for initiatives that enhance the academic caliber of graduate education at the University.

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Jul 19, 2024

Troy Sutton named Huck Early Career Chair in Virology

Troy Sutton, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, has been awarded a Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Virology.

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Jul 08, 2024

Re-engineering cancerous tumors to self-destruct and kill drug-resistant cells

A team led by Penn State researchers has created a modular genetic circuit that turns cancer cells into a “Trojan horse,” causing them to self-destruct and kill nearby drug-resistant cancer cells. Tested in human cell lines and in mice as proof of concept, the circuit outsmarted a wide range of resistance.

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Jun 14, 2024

Bisanz named Huck Early Career Chair in Host-Microbiome Interactions

Jordan Bisanz, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, has been awarded a Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Host-Microbiome Interactions.

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