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An AI tool to speed antibiotic discovery
Jacob R. Gardner, César de la Fuente and Marcelo Torres, holding a 3D-printed example of the kind of antibiotic peptide they generated

(From left) Co-authors Jacob R. Gardner, César de la Fuente and Marcelo Torres, holding a 3D-printed example of the kind of antibiotic peptide they generated using AI.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

An AI tool to speed antibiotic discovery

APEX is an AI model that predicts whether or not a given peptide is likely to have antimicrobial properties. Now, APEXGo can identify antibiotic candidates with laboratory activity against disease-causing bacteria, simply by searching large datasets.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Inside NSF AIRFoundry, Senator McCormick gets a look at the future of RNA discovery
Senator Dave McCormick (second from left) and Andrew Hanna (left) in the lab at AirFoundry.

Senator Dave McCormick (second from left) and Andrew Hanna (left) observing Hanna’s robotic system for rapidly formulating large numbers of lipid nanoparticles.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Inside NSF AIRFoundry, Senator McCormick gets a look at the future of RNA discovery

A visit to Penn’s Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA BioFoundry gave U.S. Senator Dave McCormick a firsthand look at how federal investment in science translates into shared research infrastructure, student training, and regional economic development.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Penn fourth-year and graduate student named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Naseebullah Andar and Brianna Leung

Fourth-year Naseebullah Andar and graduate student Brianna Leung are 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

(Image: Courtesy Stanford University)

Penn fourth-year and graduate student named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

The scholarship provides financial support for as long as three years to pursue a graduate degree and global leadership training at Stanford University.

2 min. read

The science of winemaking
Students listen to explanation at winery.

Students listened to an information session in a vineyard at Cobos winery prior to a sit-down tasting.

(Image: Kelly Williamson)

The science of winemaking

The Biochemical Engineering of Wine course provides a real-world application of engineering principles, teaching students about the science behind the processes involved with making wine.

3 min. read

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research
from left: Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(From left) Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering; Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the facility’s director; Susan Marqusee, head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate; David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Bioengineering and Penn’s Vice Provost for Research; and Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Farry.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering)

A new hub for AI-driven RNA research

Penn’s newest collaborative institution is the U.S. National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA BioFoundry (NSF AIRFoundry) which uses AI to improve, accelerate, and scale the design, manufacture, and delivery of RNA.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Building better delivery vehicles for medicine
A machine in Michael Mitchell’s lab.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering

Building better delivery vehicles for medicine

Penn researchers in the Mitchell Lab are modifying lipid nanoparticles, the delivery vehicles for mRNA therapies, to make them more potent, precise, and better tolerated.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Four third-years receive Goldwater Scholarships
(Top row) Shreya Nair and Ian Peng. (Bottom row) Pranav Sompalle and Emily Valerio.

(Top row) Shreya Nair and Ian Peng. (Bottom row) Pranav Sompalle and Emily Valerio.

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Four third-years receive Goldwater Scholarships

Goldwater Scholarships are awarded to students planning research careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

3 min. read

A stiff defense: Rethinking gum disease
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).

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.

3 min. read

When bone behaves like a sponge
Three members of the Tertuliano lab looking at a computer in the lab.

To visualize the nanoscale structures, the Tertuliano lab often uses large-scale models like the one pictured.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

When bone behaves like a sponge

Penn Engineers in the Tertuliano Lab have developed a nanoengineered 3D-printed scaffold for observing how cells feel force.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read