Coronavirus Research

two young people wearing lie under a blanket on a couch, looking sick

Five things to know about this year’s ‘tripledemic’

The Perelman School of Medicine’s E. John Wherry and Scott Hensley discuss the season’s confluence of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV and how our bodies are responding.

Lung cells with RNA labeled in pink in each cell

How sex differences may influence lung injury

Comparing lung cells from male and female mice, School of Veterinary Medicine scientists found gene expression differences that may explain why older males are at a higher risk than females for worse outcomes from COVID-19 and similar diseases.

Penn scientists are honored for mRNA research used in COVID vaccines

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine have been named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame for their research on mRNA vaccines.

Our 15 favorite stories from 2022

From interdisciplinary research and life-changing discoveries to a new University president and everything in between, this year at Penn has been one for the books.

Microscopic image of lung with cells labeled in blue, red, and green

A target for improving recovery from lung injury

After a bout of severe respiratory disease, some patients never fully recover. New research from the School of Veterinary Medicine identifies a factor responsible for inappropriate tissue regrowth after infection, pointing to a possible therapeutic target.

Penn faculty Vijay Kumar, Katalin Kariko, and Drew Weissman

For ‘spirit of innovation,’ three from Penn named National Academy of Inventors Fellows

Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine were honored with the recognition.

Graphic illustration of essential worker delivering groceries to an older couple

The pandemic’s impact on individual generosity

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect people’s volunteering, donating, and helping behaviors? A report by SP2 faculty and students summarizes a nationally representative study aiming to answer this question.

A person holds a sign during a protest that reads WELL INFORMED NOT CONSENTING.

Pre-pandemic conspiratorial mindset predicted hesitance to accept COVID-19 vaccine

A new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that people who evinced a conspiracy mentality in 2019, prior to the pandemic, were subsequently more likely to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

healthcare professional with syringe and vaccine

What U.S. adults know and believe about polio and the bivalent COVID booster

A new survey finds that while Americans say they do not have concerns about the safety or effectiveness of the bivalent COVID booster, they show much less acceptance of it than the vaccines against polio or monkeypox.

A gloved hand holds a COVID-19 Vaccination Record card. Blurred in the background are a closed needle, a vial of medication, and a sheet of paper that reads "COVID-19 Testing/Vaccination."

Unpacking barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in Latino communities

A study from Penn Nursing and others finds that for Latino or Hispanic populations in the U.S. four main barriers come into play: access to health care services, money, immigration concerns, and misinformation.

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