News

Genes or environment? A new model for understanding disease risk factors

A new model more accurately predicts how genetics and air pollution levels causally influence disease development; may help better assess disease risk and intervention strategies.

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.

Craig Praul named director of Huck Core Facilities

Joining Praul on the new leadership team are Rajeswaran Mani, director of the Flow Cytometry Facility, and financial specialist Kelly Foster.

HGSAC Co-Chairs Awarded for Service

Outgoing graduate advisers Avery Sicher and Jessica Walnut recognized by Huck Institutes for their leadership efforts during the 2023-2024 academic year

$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.

Alternative understanding of brain leads to new treatments for stroke patients

Since the early 20th century, researchers believed that movements on the right and left sides of the body were controlled by the opposite hemisphere of the brain. However, Penn State researcher Robert Sainburg proposed the complimentary dominance hypothesis, which states that both sides of the brain have a role to play in control of both sides of the body.

J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Credit: Photo provided. All Rights Reserved.

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.

Q&A: Will H5N1 avian influenza evolve to become more dangerous to humans?

Penn State News spoke with Ruth Nissly, assistant research professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, to learn more about how scientists are monitoring the H5N1 virus.

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.

Penn State professor named to advisory board of National Smell and Taste Center

Penn State sensory expert John Hayes has been appointed to the external scientific advisory board of the newly established National Smell and Taste Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).