News

Dec 11, 2025

Mentorship and communication take center stage at training summit

Huck Institutes’ annual T32 summit underscores benefits of professional development alongside scientific training.

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Nov 19, 2025

Postdoctoral Fellow Laurel Seemiller named a Rising Star in Neuroscience

Laurel Seemiller, a postdoctoral fellow in biology, has been named one of The Transmitter’s 25 Rising Stars in Neuroscience. Seemiller is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Nikki Crowley, director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, Huck Chair in Neural Engineering and associate professor of biology and of biomedical engineering.

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Yangbo Yuan, a graduate student in engineering science and mechanics, and lead Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics in the College of Engineering, pose with their proof-of-concept test device — a wearable ring with an embedded, miniaturized accelerometer. Credit: Courtney Robinson / Penn State. Creative Commons

Nov 20, 2025

Shrinking materials hold big potential for smart devices, researchers say

Wearable electronics could be more wearable, according to a research team at Penn State. The researchers developed a scalable, versatile approach to designing and fabricating wireless, internet-enabled electronic systems that can better adapt to 3D surfaces, like the human body or common household items, paving the path for more precise health monitoring or household automation, such as a smart recliner that can monitor and co

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Patrick Drew is leading a research team in investigating a rare neuron that appears to play a significant role in regulating blood flow in the brain of mice. Credit: Kelby Hochreither/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 13, 2025

It’s not just in your head: Stress may lead to altered blood flow in the brain

Researchers at Penn State find a rare, stress-sensitive neuron appears to help regulate blood flow in the brain of mice.

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Zhaoyang Jiang, Biology Ph.D. candidate, records ion channel activity in a living cell with Timothy Jegla, associate professor of biology, overlooking.

Nov 06, 2025

Penn State Eberly College of Science launches new neurobiology major

The Penn State Eberly College of Science is launching a new major in neurobiology, a degree that will prepare students to tackle the cross-disciplinary questions and problems related to the brain, the nervous system and its interactions with the body and environment, and brain health. The Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology will provide a comprehensive framework of training to fill an increasing student interest and need for wide-ranging skillsets in neuroscience research, preparation for medical and healthcare careers, and beyond.

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An illustration of neurons. Credit: Benedict Campbell, Wellcome Images/CC. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 20, 2025

Penn State launching two neuroscience undergraduate degrees

Penn State has launched two new majors in neuroscience, degrees that will prepare students to tackle cross-disciplinary questions and problems related to the brain; the nervous system and its interactions with the body and environment; behavior; and health. The programs launched this fall, and students can begin enrolling immediately.

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A new study involving about 850,000 adults across six continental ancestries, has identified 13 genes associated with obesity across ancestries. While eight of these genes had been found in previous studies, five were identified for the first time, having no previous links to obesity. The colors of the DNA helix in the image represent ancestral difference in genetic background around the world. The black figures represent people who do not carry gene mutations found to be associated with obesity while the red figures carry them. The fraction of red and black figures highlights the differences in genetic mutations across the world. Credit: Deepro Banerjee, Girirajan Laboratory / Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 30, 2025

Genes associated with obesity shared across ancestries, researchers find

A new study from Penn State involving nearly 850,000 adults across six continental ancestries has identified 13 genes linked to obesity, including five never before connected to the condition. The findings provide new insight into how genetics influence obesity and related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart failure.

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A team of researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and the Allen Institute for Brain Science has produced new detailed brain growth atlas in mice offers insights into brain development. Credit: Courtesy of the Kim Lab / Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 30, 2025

New detailed brain growth atlas in mice offers insights into brain development

A team of researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and the Allen Institute for Brain Science has produced new detailed brain growth atlas in mice offers insights into brain development.

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A team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Illinois Chicago has been awarded a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to employ biomedical research, clinical data, advanced artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling methods to ultimately support personalized medicine for people with Alzheimer’s disease. The team at Penn State includes Wenrui Hao, professor of mathematics and director of the Center for Mathematical Biology; Rui Zhang, assistant professor of computer science and engineering; and Wenpeng Yin, assistant professor of computer science and engineering. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 24, 2025

Can digital replicas of patients help personalize Alzheimer’s treatment?

New NSF grant supports project to build 'digital twin' replicas of patients using clinical data to study disease progression and treatment options.

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New research helps explain why disease-associated genetic variants can lead to variable clinical outcomes, influenced both by the patterns of secondary variants, or genetic background, and by how cohorts of individuals in a study are ascertained. In a family, shown on left, secondary variants can influence the severity of clinical outcomes, which is indicated by intensity of blue shading, or which features are present between a parent and a child that both carry the primary variant. However, this relationship between secondary and primary variants is different if the primary variant was discovered in a biobank that includes mostly healthy individuals, in the middle, or people identified for a shared clinical feature, on right. Credit: Corrine Smolen/Girirajan Laboratory / Penn State. Creative Commons

Oct 09, 2025

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

New study reveals how the complex interplay of genetic background can lead to different clinical presentations in individuals that share a primary genetic variant.

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