Two University faculty performing research in genetics were among 48 scientists in the nation named Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators last month, an honor that will give them long-term funding for their research and pay their salaries while allowing them to remain on the faculty.
Nancy Bonini, Ph.D., whose research has the potential of leading to cures for Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, is looking for suppressor genes in fruit flies that slow or stop the advance of these kinds of diseases.
The money, said Bonini, an asssistant professor of biology, will speed the work. “We can’t be fast enough,” she said.
Gregory D. Van Duyne, Ph.D., is exploring how the enzyme Cre recombinase allows viruses to integrate their genomes into their hosts, information that would be helpful in creating transgenic animals used, for example, in exploring the role of genes in diseases. “It’s a tool in arranging DNA molecules,” said Van Duyne, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics.
The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.
From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents.
Centering joy in AI development and implementation
PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton—of Annenberg and SP2—and collaborators introduce a joy-informed framework designed to initiate conversations among engineers, designers, and researchers.
Reflecting on Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth
English professors Michael Gamer and Barri Joyce Gold have been teaching courses specifically dedicated to Jane Austen for years. They spoke with Penn Today about their approach to teaching her novels, how they challenge common readings and myths, and what makes Austen’s work so enduring—and adaptable to the screen—more than two centuries later.
Electronic medical records help save lives of HIV patients
Wharton’s Leandro “Leo” Pongeluppe and colleagues found that HIV clinics in Malawi that switched from paper to electronic medical records saw an estimated 28% reduction in deaths in five years.
Nancy Bonini, Ph.D., whose research has the potential of leading to cures for Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, is looking for suppressor genes in fruit flies that slow or stop the advance of these kinds of diseases.
