News

Oct 03, 2022

Disease outcomes differ by new host species in virus spillover experiments

Why has the SARS-CoV-2 virus ravaged the global human population, but many other animal viruses haven't? Using nematode worms as a model, researchers at Penn State conducted a set of experiments to investigate the factors influencing the disease outcomes of virus spillover events.

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Aug 29, 2022

Partner-drug resistance accelerates resistance of first-line malaria drug

A new research collaboration between Penn State, Oxford, and Imperial College London demonstrates that resistance to partner drugs facilitates resistance evolution to artemisinin, the world’s most important first-line drug for the treatment of malaria.

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Dec 10, 2021

Mathematics professor receives Humboldt Research Award

Leonid Berlyand, professor of mathematics at Penn State, a member the Penn State Materials Research Institute, and co-director of the Center for Mathematics of Living and Mimetic Matter at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has been awarded a Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.

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May 06, 2021

Models project COVID-19 cases may spike in May, before sharply declining by July

With lower use of public health measures, such as mask wearing, COVID-19 cases are projected to increase and peak during May 2021, but high vaccination uptake and moderate compliance with public health recommendations could mitigate surges in hospitalizations and deaths in the coming months, according to new model projections.

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Mar 18, 2021

Ottar Bjørnstad elected to Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters

Ottar N. Bjørnstad, distinguished professor of entomology and biology and J. Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair of Epidemiology at Penn State, has been elected to the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. Bjørnstad was recommended as a result of his significant contributions to the fields of population ecology and quantitative epidemiology.

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Feb 12, 2021

Researchers awarded $1.5M to create stem cell predictive model

Stem cells are the building blocks of the body, according to Penn State researchers. Though similar to one another at their origins, stem cells take on unique characteristics as they mature, becoming specialized cells throughout the body — such as bone, muscle, ligament, tissue or other organ cells.

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Dec 01, 2020

Biomedical engineers find active particles swim against the current

Researchers are beginning to understand the behavior of so-called “active” particles, which, if it can be controlled, has potential implications for engineered drug delivery systems and smart 3D printing, according to an interdisciplinary Penn State research team.

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Oct 16, 2020

Researchers deconstruct the 'biological clock' that regulates birdsong

The precise timing of a bird's complex song is driven in part by the often-ignored “wires” connecting neurons in the bird's brain, according to a new study. A team of researchers from Penn State and NYU Langone Health has deconstructed an important “biological clock” that regulates birdsong and other behaviors, leading to new ways of thinking about the function of neuronal networks.

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Mar 26, 2020

Engineers model mutations causing drug resistance

Whether it is a drug-resistant strain of bacteria, or cancer cells that no longer react to the drugs intended to kill them, diverse mutations make cells resistant to chemicals, and "second generation" approaches are needed. Now, a team of Penn State engineers may have a way to predict which mutations will occur in people, creating an easier path to create effective pharmaceuticals.

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Jun 27, 2019

Game theory shows why stigmatization may not make sense in modern society

Although stigmatizing people suffering from an infectious disease may have been adapted for pre-historic humans, now it could cause more harm than good, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

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