New statistical method exponentially increases ability to discover genetic insights
Individual genes have the ability to influence more than one trait or characteristic. But this feature is often discovered through a type of analysis called pleiotropy, which requires merging a patient’s data from electronic health records at many different places—a challenge given privacy stipulations. A team at the Perelman School of Medicine created a new method that could make pleiotropy easier to perform and more widely used, called Sum-Share. The statistical model pulls summary-level information from many different sites to generate significant insights.
In a test of the method, published in Nature Communications, Sum-Share’s developers detected more than 1,700 DNA-level variations that could be associated with five different cardiovascular conditions. Using patient-specific information from just one site, which is the current norm, would have found just one variation.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
