News

Nov 24, 2021

New technique better assesses exposure of a population to a virus

Accurately assessing the exposure of a population to a particular virus is difficult because the tools for doing so do not account for the fact that many viruses comprise multiple circulating strains, or the fact that people can be vaccinated or naturally immune, among other factors. Using influenza as a model, a team of researchers led by Penn State has developed a new technique that overcomes many of these roadblocks.

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Nov 17, 2021

New tool weighs costs and benefits of managing evolution of pathogens and pests

Spend money now on antibiotic stewardship practices or save the money but run the risk of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria emerging later? A new economic tool can help physicians, farmers and other people whose activities may influence the evolution of biological organisms, such as pathogens and insects, decide when they should invest in evolution management strategies.

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Nov 17, 2021

Nanoscale ‘computer’ controls function of protein, influences cell behavior

The creation of nanoscale computers for use in precision health care has long been a dream of many scientists and health care providers. Now, for the first time, researchers at Penn State have produced a nanocomputing agent that can control the function of a particular protein that is involved in cell movement and cancer metastasis.

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Nov 03, 2021

Deer may be reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, study finds

The findings of a study by Penn State and Iowa researchers suggest that white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to continually circulate, and raises concerns of emergence of new strains that may prove a threat to wildlife and, possibly, to humans.

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Nov 02, 2021

More strategic COVID-19 testing could prevent distancing and shutdowns

Strategically increasing testing capacity, either by making diagnostic tests faster or more available, can reduce reliance on costly preventative interventions, such as distancing and shutdowns, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State.

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Oct 25, 2021

Traffic and mobile phone data predict COVID case counts in rural Pennsylvania

How much people moved around town predicted COVID-19 cases in a rural Pennsylvania county in 2020, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State.

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Oct 22, 2021

Preparing for potential pandemics is focus of new federal grant to Penn State

Researchers at Penn State have received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study H7N9 with a goal of developing new and fundamental knowledge of virus mutations that could indicate the potential for transmissibility in humans. 

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Oct 15, 2021

Huck Welcomes Sindura Ganapathi as Visiting Fellow in Global Heath

Ganapathi, a Penn State alum who now works for the Indian government, will give a pair of lectures next week while he visits University Park.

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Oct 14, 2021

Pioneering Penn State virologist Marilyn Roossinck retires

After a fascinating and productive scientific career, Penn State professor Marilyn Roossinck, a trailblazing researcher in virology, has announced her decision to retire.

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Sep 30, 2021

New tool predicts changes that may make COVID variants more infectious

The first key step in SARS-CoV-2 infection is when the virus’ spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor on human cells. Researchers at Penn State have created a novel framework that can predict with reasonable accuracy the amino-acid changes in the virus’ spike protein that may improve its binding to human cells and confer increased infectivity to the virus.

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