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Center for Cellular Dynamics

Supporting research in cytoskeleton and intracellular transport, cellular changes during development and disease, cell-cell communication and interactions, and live imaging

The Center for Cellular Dynamics is a group of Penn State labs whose research is focused on the following: 

  • The cytoskeleton and intracellular transport
  • Cellular changes during development and disease
  • Cell-cell communication and interactions
  • Live imaging

The Center is a place where researchers and students share ideas and expertise, organize events that stimulate creative thinking, and strive to create a more collaborative and exciting research community.

Our members participate in departmental graduate programs, as well as interdisciplinary graduate programs organized through the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.


News

Penn State biochemist Melanie McReynolds awarded Hypothesis Fund seed grant

Melanie McReynolds, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been selected to receive a seed grant from the Hypothesis Fund. The Hypothesis Fund aims to advance scientific knowledge by supporting early stage, innovative research — led by scientists at broad swath of universities — that increases adaptability against systemic risks to the health of people and the planet.

Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s

Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them — signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces — in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep. New research by Penn State scientists has revealed this vital process may be governed by a previously unknown molecular gatekeeper: a lattice‑like structure just beneath the surface of neurons called the membrane‑associated periodic skeleton.

Oct. 24 kicks off 'Plants for the People and the Planet' innovation series

This free seminar series, open to the community at-large, will showcase cutting-edge research and diverse perspectives on how plants can shape a healthier, more sustainable future.

News

Penn State biochemist Melanie McReynolds awarded Hypothesis Fund seed grant

Melanie McReynolds, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been selected to receive a seed grant from the Hypothesis Fund. The Hypothesis Fund aims to advance scientific knowledge by supporting early stage, innovative research — led by scientists at broad swath of universities — that increases adaptability against systemic risks to the health of people and the planet.

Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s

Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them — signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces — in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep. New research by Penn State scientists has revealed this vital process may be governed by a previously unknown molecular gatekeeper: a lattice‑like structure just beneath the surface of neurons called the membrane‑associated periodic skeleton.

Oct. 24 kicks off 'Plants for the People and the Planet' innovation series

This free seminar series, open to the community at-large, will showcase cutting-edge research and diverse perspectives on how plants can shape a healthier, more sustainable future.

Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences names 2025-26 seed grant recipients

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has selected eight research teams that span 12 departments across six colleges to receive 2025-26 seed grant funding.