Coronavirus Research

Pa. coronavirus update: North Philly to get vaccination site; Study finds variants spread in city

Frederic Bushman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about a recent study that found that more than one-third of Philadelphia COVID-19 infections were caused by variants of the virus. “The fear is that the virus is evolving to infect people more efficiently,” he said.

Hormone drugs may disarm COVID-19 spike protein and stop disease progression

Hormone drugs that reduce androgen levels may help disarm the coronavirus spike protein used to infect cells and stop the progression of severe COVID-19 disease, suggests a new preclinical study.

Researchers hunt for cause of rare, COVID-19–linked immune disease in children

Audrey Odom John and Laura Vella of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and E. John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine are studying multi system inflammatory in children (MIS-C) and its relationship to COVID-19.

Two Pa. prisons have vaccinated more than 70% of inmates. An incentive program may be making a difference

Jessica Fishman of the Annenberg School for Communication is researching how incentives compare to other vaccine promotion methods. “I think it’s worth testing since we don’t have evidence that speaks directly to the policy debate, where some are quite adamant that it would absolutely backfire and increase fears of vaccination,” she said.

The cover of Research at Penn shows floating microscopic images of the coronavirus.

‘Research at Penn’ showcases University breakthroughs and innovations

Produced by the Provost’s Office, the brochure highlights groundbreaking research from each of Penn’s 12 schools. This year it is online-only.

Immune response in some children may influence COVID treatments for adults

A joint study from researchers at Penn and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows that T cell activation in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome is more similar to adults with severe COVID-19.

Rapid COVID-19 test developed at Penn could give on-the-spot results quickly

César de la Fuente of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about his work, conducted in collaboration with the School of Engineering and Applied Science, developing a rapid, at-home COVID-19 test. “It all works through these chips that we’ve generated. They’re very small. You can make them out of different materials: paper, cardboard,” he said. “You can put your saliva sample onto the chip, and you can connect it to this little machine, and then you connect it to your phone.”

Close-up of a smiling person in a black V-neck shirt, standing outside near marble pillars.

When the message matters, use science to craft it

An interdisciplinary initiative called the Message Effects Lab aims to understand, tap into, and develop communication around what motivates specific behaviors for specific populations. Its first projects center around COVID-19 testing and vaccines.

Microscopic view of an antibody surrounding virus cells.

Antibodies to common cold coronaviruses do not protect against SARS-CoV-2

Antibodies that react to both ordinary coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 are common in the population but don’t neutralize the COVID-19-causing virus.

Childhood colds do not prevent coronavirus infection, study finds

Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine worked on a study that refuted the idea that antibodies to seasonal coronaviruses have an impact on COVID-19. “Going into this study, we thought we would learn that individuals that had pre-existing, pre-pandemic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 would be less susceptible to infection and have less severe COVID-19 disease,” he said. “That’s not what we found.”

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