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Bioengineering
Inspiring young women in STEM
Over two days, nearly two dozen female STEM role models at Penn welcomed more than 100 high school students and teachers to campus as part of the Girls Advancing in STEM (GAINS) Initiative Conference on campus.
An easier way of sneaking antibodies into cells
An easier way of sneaking antibodies into cells
Penn Engineers have found a plug-and-play solution that makes antibodies compatible with the delivery vehicles commonly used to ferry nucleic acids through the membrane of a cell without damaging either.
Researchers explore spinal discs’ early response to injury
Researchers explore spinal discs’ early response to injury
Researchers may have found a way to press pause on spinal disc injuries, giving doctors more time to treat them before worse issues develop.
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed
Tissue gets stiffer when it’s compressed. That stiffening response is a long-standing biomedical paradox, as common sense dictates that when you push the ends of a string together, it loosens tension, rather than increasing it. New research explains the mechanical interplay between that fiber network and the cells it contains.
A model for brain activity during brain stimulation therapy
A model for brain activity during brain stimulation therapy
Combined with data from other stimulation experiments , these models could help researchers determine the specific patterns of brain activity to target for improving memory.
Brain-machine interfaces: Villainous gadgets or tools for next-gen superheroes?
Brain-machine interfaces: Villainous gadgets or tools for next-gen superheroes?
A Q&A with neuroscientist Konrad Kording on how connections between minds and machines are portrayed in popular culture, and what the future holds for this reality-defying technology.
Dragon boating, on the world stage
Dragon boating, on the world stage
Computer and information science doctoral student Barry Slaff trains six days a week for dragon boating on the Schuylkill River, and is headed to Thailand to compete in the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships.
Training the next generation of globally minded researchers
Training the next generation of globally minded researchers
As part of the Research and Education in Active Coatings Technologies for the Human Habitat program, students conduct fundamental research on materials that can improve lives while engaging in international collaborations and educational activities.
How to make a better water filter? Turn it inside out
How to make a better water filter? Turn it inside out
Penn engineers describe a novel approach for making antimicrobial nanoscale water filters while demonstrating new approaches that can be used to develop a broad range of materials.
Sun, sand, and medical rehab robots
Sun, sand, and medical rehab robots
As part of a new interdisciplinary Penn Global Seminar, 16 undergraduates traveled to Jamaica to test and refine robotic rehabilitation devices for patients in need.
In the News
The New York Times
Can your personal medical devices be recycled?
A lab at the School of Engineering and Applied Science led the development of a COVID test made from bacterial cellulose, an organic compound.
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Science Alert
Scientists think they’re on the verge of breaching the blood-brain barrier
Michael Mitchell of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues have constructed a model that could potentially allow drug transporters to bypass the blood-brain barrier.
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Popular Mechanics
How severed cockroach legs could help us ‘fully rebuild’ human bodies
David Meaney of the School of Engineering and Applied Science oversees an undergraduate bioengineering lab that uses cockroach legs to teach students to work with human prostheses.
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United Press International
Herniated discs could be repaired with biologic patch one day, researchers say
Preclinical research by Robert Mauck of the Perelman School of Medicine, Thomas Schaer of the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Ana Peredo, a Ph.D. graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, reveals how a biologic patch activated by natural motion could become a key tool for repairing herniated discs in the back and relieving pain.
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NPR
Thanks, Neanderthals: How our ancient relatives could help find new antibiotics
A study by César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues used AI to recreate molecules from ancient humans that could be potential candidates for antimicrobial treatments.
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New York Post
Why CAR T cell therapy is the cancer killer the world needs now
Research from Michael Mitchell of the School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a new method to stop cytokine release during CAR T cell therapy, preventing some of its more dangerous side effects.
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