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3/27/2024
A team of Penn State researchers has developed a new synthetic material that could enable scientists to more easily study how microorganisms interact with the gastrointestinal (GI) system. The material might eventually provide a cheaper, more accessible way for researchers to screen drugs that impact gut infections, metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disorders.
3/26/2024
Penn State News spoke to Professor Pak Kin Wong about his recently published paper that discusses the methods available for incorporating microbiota analysis into clinical decision-making, the challenges of doing so and the need for new technologies to capitalize on the potential of microbiota’s role in medicine.
3/26/2024
Two engineering faculty members were among the six recipients of the 2024 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement. Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and by courtesy materials science and engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Tak-Sing Wong, professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, were both recognized with the award.
3/21/2024
Blood vessels engineered from stem cells could help solve several research and clinical problems, from potentially providing a more comprehensive platform to screen if drug candidates can cross from the blood stream into the brain to developing lab-grown vascular tissue to support heart transplants, according to Penn State researchers. Led by Xiaojun “Lance” Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and of biology, the team discovered the specific molecular signals that can efficiently mature nascent stem cells into the endothelial cells that comprise the vessels and regulate exchanges to and from the blood stream.
3/18/2024
Twelve Penn State engineering graduates have been selected to receive the Penn State College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award.
3/11/2024
Five Penn State College of Engineering graduate students have been selected for the final round of the inaugural Penn State Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
3/11/2024
A newly developed “GPS nanoparticle” injected intravenously can home in on cancer cells to deliver a genetic punch to the protein implicated in tumor growth and spread, according to researchers from Penn State. They tested their approach in human cell lines and in mice to effectively knock down a cancer-causing gene, reporting that the technique may potentially offer a more precise and effective treatment for notoriously hard-to-treat basal-like breast cancers.
3/11/2024
A team of researchers led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) at Penn State, created a highly-sensitive and cost-effective sensor to better monitor the concentration of dopamine and tyrosine — a neurotransmitter and an amino acid, respectively, that are present in the brain — in sweat or urine.
3/5/2024
For soft tissue to recover and regrow, it needs blood vessels to grow to deliver oxygen and nutrients. Sluggish vascularization, however, can slow or even prevent recovery and regrowth of lost or damaged soft tissue after a severe injury or serious illness such as cancer. To speed up the formation and patterning of new blood vessels, Penn State researchers have combined a novel biomaterial with a microsurgical approach used in reconstructive surgery, enabling improved recovery of soft tissue.
3/1/2024
Fat tissue holds the key to 3D printing layered living skin and potentially hair follicles, according to researchers who recently harnessed fat cells and supporting structures from clinically procured human tissue to precisely correct injuries in rats. The advancement could have implications for reconstructive facial surgery and even hair growth treatments for humans.
1/29/2024
An article in the journal Science discusses a recently published study led by Penn State researchers that investigated the optomotor response in flies. The article focuses on the work of Jean-Michel Mongeau, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering doctoral student Benjamin Cellini.
1/29/2024
The Penn State Summer Translational Cardiovascular Science Institute (STCSI) program is accepting applications from now until March 1. The program is open to any undergraduate student with a demonstrated interest in cardiovascular science.
1/12/2024
To improve the success rate of drug repurposing and determine effective treatment doses, the Penn State researchers developed a model that predicts effective doses for repurposed drugs.
1/2/2024
Pak Kin Wong, professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, was elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in class VI – Technical and Environmental Sciences.
12/13/2023
Sonika Kohli, a biomedical engineering undergraduate student and Schreyer Honors Scholar at Penn State, received an Outstanding Presentation Award at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists.
12/8/2023
Self-propelled nanoparticles could potentially advance drug delivery and lab-on-a-chip systems — but they are prone to go rogue with random, directionless movements. Now, researchers have developed an approach to rein in the synthetic particles.
12/5/2023
Sniffles, snorts and blows of runny noses are the hallmarks of cold and flu season — and that increase in mucus is exactly what bacteria use to mount a coordinated attack on the immune system, according to a new study from researchers at Penn State. The team found that the thicker the mucus, the better the bacteria are able to swarm.
11/17/2023
Penn State biomedical engineering doctoral candidate Josh Reynolds, along with his research lab mates, are striving to overcome drug resistance and accelerate drug discovery efforts in the fight against cancer with their startup, Atlas Biotech.
11/2/2023
The National Science Foundation published a version of a Penn State article featuring the work of Scott Medina, William and Wendy Korb Early Career Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Penn State. The article discusses Penn State research that investigates a novel bubble-based technique to observe immune cells at work.
10/25/2023
Dipanjan Pan, Penn State Dorothy Foehr Huck & J. Lloyd Huck Chair Professor in Nanomedicine and a professor of nuclear engineering and of materials science and engineering and of biomedical engineering, led a team that reported the first rapid tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia, built on a platform that could be adjusted to detect a variety of infections.
10/13/2023
A new study led by Spencer Szczesny, associate professor of biomedical engineering and of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at Penn State, details why females are less likely to heal from injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.
10/11/2023
Nine newly tenured or promoted faculty members in the College of Engineering were asked to select a book title for the University Libraries’ permanent collection and to submit a personal statement explaining why they chose that book.
10/6/2023
Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has been named a Women to Watch: Class of 2023 as part of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts’ Women in STEAM Awards.
10/6/2023
A new method for selecting aptamers, or "chemical antibodies," created by Penn State engineers takes only days to complete, instead of the months needed for traditional methods.
10/5/2023
The Graduate School at Penn State recognized 114 students as recipients of the 2023-24 University Graduate Fellowships and Distinguished Graduate Fellowships, including 22 students from the College of Engineering.
9/20/2023
Macrophages are little cells vital to the immune system and could possibly inform cell-based therapies for a variety of medical conditions. However, realizing the full potential of macrophage therapies relies on being able to see what these cellular allies are doing inside our bodies, and a team of Penn State researchers may have developed a way to watch them do their thing.
9/18/2023
Lance Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and of biology at Penn State, led a team in developing a more efficient approach in engineering gas vesicles, tiny molecular structures that may be able to significantly improve medical imaging.
8/11/2023
Five student teams from Penn State’s Engineering Leadership Development program in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation earned recognition in the 17th-annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs, sponsored by the Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program.
7/27/2023
Penn State researchers published a paper in Communications Biology finding that sleep-related changes to blood flow in the brains of neonatal mice far outweigh any caused by sensory stirrings.
7/23/2023
An international team led by Penn State reserachers developed an approach to improve the mechanical stretchability of n-type semiconductors, which could lead to the advent of truly elastic electronic systems.
7/20/2023
The National Institute of Health awarded over $2 million to a team led by Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, professor of engineering science and mechanics, of biomedical engineering and of neurosurgery at Penn State, to quickly and efficiently bioprint human tissues at scale.
7/6/2023
The ability to regenerate and pattern blood vessels, the literal lifelines extending deep into soft tissues, remains an elusive milestone in regenerative medicine. Known as tissue revascularization, stimulating blood vessel growth and pattern formation in damaged or diseased tissues could accelerate the field of regenerative medicine, according to Penn State researchers.
6/26/2023
A Penn State-led research team identified a molecular marker to predict the invasiveness of a cancerous tumor and how the cells may invade elsewhere in the body.
6/20/2023
A Penn State research team has developed a time and cost-efficient digital assay that can directly measure the presence of HIV in single drop of blood. It's the first step in producing a clinical diagnostic tool that can help physicians understand how patients are responding to anti-viral medications and monitor potential progression.
6/15/2023
Using ultrasound technology and a nozzle, Penn State researchers have separated, controlled and ejected different particles based on their shape and various properties.
6/12/2023
The Penn State College of Engineering will recognize 10 alumni with the Early Career Award for their achievements and demonstrated commitment to their professions, communities and Penn State at a ceremony on June 16 at University Park.
6/12/2023
Tenured and tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2023, include more than 25 engineering faculty members.
5/31/2023
Penn State researchers have developed a low-cost, RNA-based technology to detect and measure biomarkers, which can help decode the body’s physiology. The presence of protein biomarkers can indicate chronic or acute conditions, from arthritis to cancer to bacterial infections, for which conventional tests can cost anywhere from $100 to upwards of $1,000. The new technology can perform the same measurement for about a dollar.
4/27/2023
Howard Salis, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, of chemical engineering, and of biomedical engineering, offered perspective on a University of California study focused on cellular aging.
4/26/2023
The winners of the 15th annual Materials Visualization Competition, a scientific visual and artistic competition sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Materials Research Institute at Penn State, have been announced.
4/25/2023
The Penn State College of Engineering has named its student marshals for the spring 2023 commencement ceremony. One student is selected to represent each of the 14 majors associated with the college and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
