The "PARCCitect" team seeing the Betty supercomputer for the first time.
(Image: Ken Chaney)
Penn’s newest supercomputer is transforming research
Penn’s first campus-wide HPC and AI cluster, “Betty,” is expanding access to powerful computing, enabling groundbreaking projects, and fostering new collaborations across disciplines.
Michinori Mayama (left) and Kotaro Sasaki (right).
(Image: Courtesy of Kotaro Sasaki)
Stress tested, testing stress: Novel organoid models how the adrenal gland develops
Researchers led by Penn Vet’s Kotaro Sasaki and Michinori Mayama have developed an organoid system that faithfully mimics how the human adrenal gland develops and forms complex tissue structures, providing a powerful tool to study adrenal biology and laying the groundwork for regenerative therapies targeting adrenal diseases.
Image: Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Targeting tumor supporting cells: Advancing CAR T success in pancreatic cancer
Research led by Penn Vet’s Ellen Puré has used lipid nanoparticles to generate CAR T cells directed at a type of tumor support cells—cancer-associated fibroblasts—melting away the protective barrier around pancreatic tumor cells and paving the way for a potentially safer, more accessible, and cost-effective method to treat solid tumors.
A section of healthy human gum tissue captured using an imaging technique called Second Harmonic Generation microscopy. In this sample, collagen fibers (shown in yellow), which give healthy gums their firm, resilient stiffness, are dense and well-organized—acting as a supportive scaffold for the surrounding cells (shown in teal).
(Image: Hardik Makkar)
A stiff defense: Rethinking gum disease
Penn Dental Medicine’s Kyle H. Vining and Hardik Makkar take a biomaterials approach to understanding periodontal disease, using a hydrogel system to investigate how the physical properties of the gum tissue impact inflammation.
Penn Today spoke with David Meaney, vice provost for research, about research at Penn—its current focus and plans for its growth and evolution in the continued quest to help make lives better.
Researchers, including Rahul Singh (left), in the Daniell lab’s greenhouse where the production of clinical grade transgenic lettuce occurs.
(Image: Henry Daniell)
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.
Advancing veterinary medicine through interdisciplinary research
Amanda Watkins applies her clinical skills as a veterinarian to research new ways to fight biofilm infections as the first graduate of the Penn Veterinary Scientist Training Program.
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.
Penn researchers Shelley Berger and Esra Sahingur explain senescence, the process of cellular aging, and discuss the complexities of developing anti-aging therapies that target these cells.
