Nicole Hume, a senior majoring in veterinary and biomedical sciences, is investigating the gut microbiome, which involves all of the microorganisms that populate the gastrointestinal tract, with a goal of teasing apart the processes that lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Zoetis is a global animal health company with summer internships available for undergraduates. Applications open up January 23, 2017.
Gary H. Perdew, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor in Agricultural Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is the recipient of the 2017 Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award. The award honors and recognizes outstanding achievement by a faculty member with at least five years of service who effectively guides junior faculty. Howard Palmer was the senior associate dean of The Graduate School from 1984 to 1991.
Penn State Cancer Institute has appointed Jeffrey M. Peters, distinguished professor of molecular toxicology and carcinogenesis in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, as its new deputy director, following a national search.
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has selected the winner of the 2017 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. Stephanie Bora is a Ph.D. candidate in immunology and infectious disease at Pennsylvania State University.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Forty-one graduate students received awards for their research and creative scholarship in the 32nd annual Graduate Exhibition, held March 24 and 26 on Penn State's University Park campus. Adwitia Dey, Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs/PHYSIOLOGY.
Dr. Springer is from Indiana County, PA and attended Penn State as an undergrad. After earning a Master’s Degree and DVM from Iowa State University, Dr. Springer worked in mixed animal practice, and then as a staff veterinarian for a large Pennsylvania dairy farm. After a time working in the animal pharmaceutical industry, she returned to Penn State in the summer of 2016 to work towards a PhD in Pathobiology. As part of the Veterinary Extension and Applied Research Team in the department, Dr. Springer will be involved in extension and outreach activities, applied research projects, and field investigations in the areas of livestock health, biosecurity, and public health. She will continue to pursue her PhD studies on a part-time basis.
The Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department welcomes Dr. Adrian A. Barragan to the faculty as an Extension Veterinarian and Research Associate.
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences showcased their research by presenting posters in the annual competition sponsored by Gamma Sigma Delta, the Honor Society of Agriculture.
George H. Scott, a Procter & Gamble scientist, who gained worldwide respect for his tireless efforts and contributions in the fields of human and environmental toxicology is remembered through an annual award established by The Toxicology Forum in 1983. His unfailing support of The Forum in its early days played a major role in its success. The award is given to those who have demonstrated an outstanding role in developing and applying the science of toxicology, and honors the memory of George H. Scott. Dr. Peters with over 20 years as an academic researcher has numerous contributions to the science of toxicology, along with the selfless service, education, and mentoring that continues to advance not only the science, but the people that help increase the impact and utilization of toxicology. Best known for his studies in the field of PPAR-medicated mechanisms and carcinogenesis, Dr. Peters’ studies have demonstrated that PPAR is required to mediate the physiological and hepatocarcinogenic effects of PPAR agonists in rodents. Dr. Peters’ leadership, teaching, and mentorship at Penn State University, along with his high-impact publication record and volunteer service in the toxicology community, made him a deserving recipient of the George H. Scott Memorial Award.
Cantorna, Patterson, Tian
Cantorna, Bora
Tony and Phuong Schmitt started a virology lab at Penn State in 2005. Their work focuses on the medical capabilities of the virus, and how to use infectious mechanisms to distribute useful ...
Congratulations goes out to Dr. Jeffrey M. Peters! He was recently named Editor-in Chief of Toxicological Sciences, the official journal of The Society of Toxicology.
Tackling an area that causes millions of dollars in losses to the dairy industry Dr.’s Adrian Barragan, and Earnest Hovingh's recent publication on clinical metritis suggest there may be additional diagnostic methods to assess local inflammation of the uterus.
Fenghua Qian, a graduate student in the Pathobiology Graduate Program, presented his award winning poster on in-vivo mechanisms related to the selective targeting of leukemia stem cells by endogenous bioactive metabolites of prostaglandin D2 at the Annual Retreat of the Penn State Cancer Institute in Hershey, PA, on August 6, 2019. Qian’s doctoral thesis work involves a collaboration between bench scientists (Prabhu and Paulson Labs), biomedical informaticians (Molly Hall Lab), and clinicians at the Penn State Cancer Institute.
Laura Bennett's investigation into the effects of inflammation, done with advisor Robert Paulson, was featured on the cover of Science Signaling last month.
Molly Hall, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical studies at Penn State, was recently named recipient of the Dr. Frances Keesler Graham Early Career Professorship.
The new Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building will replace the 52-year-old Henning Building and co-locate the departments of Animal Science and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. The 105,000 square foot new construction will feature an array of unique spaces and facilities for students, faculty, and staff.
Most of the life science labs at Penn State look a lot like, well, labs. There are beakers and pipettes and samples, with grad students and postdocs scurrying past cutting-edge instruments and their attendant warning signs in lab coats and gloves. That’s not the case with Molly Hall’s lab. Nested in an alcove of cubicles in a far corner of the top floor of Wartik, Hall’s cadre could pass for an app startup team, or maybe the staff of a small-town newspaper. The whiteboard that dominates one wall is covered in doodles, not diagrams. But don’t be fooled by first impressions: the members of the Hall Lab are serious bioinformaticians, and they’re knee-deep in exciting, big-picture life sciences inquiries.
Most of the life science labs at Penn State look a lot like, well, labs. There are beakers and pipettes and samples, with grad students and postdocs scurrying past cutting-edge instruments and their attendant warning signs in lab coats and gloves. That’s not the case with Molly Hall’s lab.
VBSC students awarded with CAS grants.
Muskrat populations have declined sharply across North America over the last 50 years or so, and wildlife scientists have struggled to understand why. A new study by a Pennsylvania research team is investigating whether pathogens, parasites, environmental contaminants and disease may be contributing to this decline.
Bill Bahnfleth, co-principal investigator (PI) and professor of architectural engineering, is joining co-PI Suresh Kuchipudi, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, to study the ability of optical radiation to disinfect surfaces and reduce transmission of viruses.
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Engineering, College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Medicine say direct LTP treatment and plasma-activated media are effective treatments against bacteria found in liquid cultures and have devised a way to create plasma directly in liquids.
Farmers and pet owners who may be concerned that they can contract COVID-19 from domestic animals — such as livestock, dogs and cats — have little to worry about, according to a virologist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
With an eye on her future, Marissa Moran, a junior majoring in Immunology and Infectious Disease in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, plans to become an optometrist.
The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning today (Sept. 12) recommended approval of the final plans and authorization to expend funds for the Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building at the University Park campus at a cost of $98.5 million. The project will be presented to the full board for a vote on Friday, Sept. 13.
Talia Seymore, a rising senior majoring in toxicology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has discovered her passion for research through the Penn State Millennium Scholars Program.
Penn State’s Deer Research Center, commonly referred to as “the deer pens,” has been an endearing part of many students’ college experiences since the 1970s, providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity for hands-on learning about one of the state’s most recognizable mammals.
Two faculty members in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have been named the recipients of the 2018 Roy C. Buck Faculty Award, which recognizes exceptional articles accepted or published by refereed scholarly journals in the social and human sciences within the past two years.
A cellular protein that interacts with invading viruses appears to help enable the infection process of the Zika virus, according to an international team of researchers who suggest this protein could be a key target in developing new therapies to prevent or treat Zika virus infection.
Schreyer Scholar alumna and Penn State MD/PhD student Kristin Lambert aspires to practice bench-to-bedside medicine and to mentor current honors students.
The looming threat posed by the invasive spotted lanternfly will take center stage in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building and Theatre during Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16. Displays and presentations in the building also will highlight programs related to pond management and bait-fish production, hemp research, animal health, and agricultural policy.
Development of wound dressings made of semi-synthetic biomaterials will be the focus of a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Once developed, this new kind of wound dressing would promote faster and more complete healing for the millions of people who suffer from skin wounds.
The Penn State Pre-Vet Club is a preprofessional club that helps students interested in veterinary medicine get involved in various aspects of the field.
Five Penn State faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Researchers in Penn State’s Colleges of Engineering, Agricultural Sciences, and Medicine have been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to investigate how low-temperature plasma can treat infectious bacterial growth on human tissue and prosthetic implants in the cardiovascular system.
A new summer internship, which will be available to undergraduate students with a veterinary research interest, is the most recent in a series of collaborations spanning a century-old partnership between Penn State and South China Agricultural University.
Student Mannaa I. Mannaa he has had more than his share of challenges during his academic journey at Penn State. Instead of giving up, the alumnus of the College of Agricultural Sciences continued on and hopes to attend medical school.
Five new faculty members have joined the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
A faculty member in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $7.3 million grant for innovative research on a cellular protein that could be a target for enhancing immune function in response to a variety of diseases and environmental toxins. Gary Perdew, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor in Agricultural Sciences, received the award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Alex Barna, a junior from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, has discovered an opportunity to distinguish himself from other pre-med students in the College of Agricultural Sciences' immunology and infectious disease major.
Poultry and animal disease experts in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are urging commercial poultry producers and small-flock owners in Pennsylvania to ramp up their vigilance and biosecurity in the wake of recent outbreaks of avian influenza in several states.
Dr. Margherita Cantorna
Dr. Margherita Cantorna
At the Pennsylvania Game Bird Breeders Conference and Short Course, held February 24, 2020 in State College, Dr. Eva Wallner-Pendleton received an award for 20 years of service to this industry. Pictured with Dr. Wallner-Pendleton are the directors of this industry association and Ms. Emily Lhamon, Extension educator and short course coordinator (far left).
The coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, is a frightening reminder of the imminent global threat posed by emerging infectious diseases. Although epidemics have arisen during all of human history, they now seem to be on the rise. In just the past 20 years, coronaviruses alone have caused three major outbreaks worldwide. Even more troubling, the duration between these three pandemics has gotten shorter.
Lester Griel retires after 54 years of teaching and mentoring in the college.
Question: How do environmental chemicals influence our gut microbiome? Impact: Environmental chemicals, including those obtained via the diet, are known to modulate the gut microbiome community as well as its metabolic function. Recent studies report that environmental chemicals can directly impact the gut microbiome, can be modified by the gut microbiome, or can have their metabolic fate altered. Research supports that similar to antibiotics, environmental chemical exposure may alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome, which can influence host health. Studies are underway to evaluate how low-level, chronic exposure to these chemicals may alter the interaction between the host and the gut microbiome
Students learn about career pathways and receive advice from alumni at open forum.
Biosecurity procedures, such as vaccinating animals and routinely monitoring their health, are of utmost importance in preventing the spread of disease. Through research dissemination, laboratory services, and extension courses, faculty and staff in the college support farmers to reduce their risks.
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences is on Twitter! Handle: VBSatPennState
To ensure continual access to bob veal buyers, it is critical for Pennsylvania dairy bull calf sellers to assure their calves have official ID before leaving the farm.
Look us up and like our page at "Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Penn State"
Our department is now on "LinkedIn" check us out.
Extension Veterinarian and Research Associate Hayley Springer receives scholarship award.
One week after launching a rapid-fire call for proposals, awards are granted to six projects that address the global pandemic, with more to follow. Faculty members from the department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences working on these projects are: *************************************************************** Suresh Kuchipudi, Clinical Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, is working to better understand the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the local region and to develop rapid therapeutic options. *************************************************************** Troy Sutton, Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, is evaluating a unique, alternative model of transmission and vaccine-mediated protection against SARS-Co-V-2.
Dr. Patricia A Dunn, Senior Research Associate and Avian Pathologist and Field Investigator in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences is the 2020 inductee into the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) Hall of Honor, is an international association whose mission is to promote scientific knowledge to enhance the health, well –being, and productivity of poultry to provide safe and abundant food for the world. https://www.aaap.info/home Dr. Dunn has been the Head of Avian Pathology/Avian Medicine section of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL) and is most deserving of both the nomination and the recognition! Congratulations Dr. Dunn, and thank you for your service!
Gary Perdew, Ph.D., studies how the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) pathway interacts with the microbiome, the immune system, and protective barriers in skin and the gut.
Graduate student Ian Bird, Research Technologist Ruth Nissly, & Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi all collaborated on a recent Frontiers in Microbiology publication on the Zika virus. Study strongly suggest that iminosugars are promising anti-ZIKV antiviral agents. Congrats to the members of the Kuchipudi Lab!
Suresh Kuchipudi, associate director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory and professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, and colleagues are using their seed grant to characterize the ability of optical radiation to disinfect and reduce transmission of corona viruses.
Senior Courtney Page won 3rd place in the recent Undergraduate Exhibition in Health & Life Science form "Investigation into the regulation of [1, 25(OH)2D3] by CPY24A1 and the impact on T cell proliferation". An Immunology and Infectious Disease major and only Ag Science student to win out of nearly 200 students, representing 11 Penn State Campuses. Courtney is under the supervision of Dr. Margherita Cantorna. and plans to continue her studies at Wake Forest University this Fall in the Molecular and Cellular Bio-sciences PhD program. Congratulations to Courtney and all the winners!
Dr. Adrian Barragan, specializes in cow management & dairy cattle reproduction/medicine. He is exceptional with on-the-farm training's, and can do so in both English and Español.
Thanks to the amazing work and generosity of Dr. Nuket Acar, VBSC Seniors will be receiving in the mail hand-made masks that they can wear during their graduation ceremony and beyond. Our seniors (and all undergraduate students) safety and their connectivity to us as a department is vital. Thank you Dr. Acar for your creative thinking and making our seniors feel appreciated! Big shout out to Karen Brown in the Admin Office for pulling all the pieces of this project together as well!
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is staying connected to alumni during the COVID-19 pandemic by moving its monthly Alumni Society board meetings and other alumni activities online.
The new Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building will replace the 52-year-old Henning Building and co-locate the departments of Animal Science and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. The 105,000 square foot new construction will feature an array of unique spaces and facilities for students, faculty, and staff. - Ways to Give: Contact the College’s Development team , who is ready to connect your passions with a gift designed to meet your priorities and create a lasting legacy in this dynamic new space. Make a gift of any amount online today.
With thousands of people out of work due to the COVID-19 crisis — and food banks working tirelessly to feed an ever-growing number of hungry families — Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is doing its part to fill empty shelves and refrigerators.
“Dr.'s Suresh Kuchipudi and Bhushan Jayarao team up with others from the Animal Diagnostics Lab in the latest Frontiers paper to demonstrate how NLRC5 serves as a pro-viral factor for the Avian influenza viruses (AIVs), a disease that causes major economic losses to the global poultry industry.”
Santosh Panthi, a Pathobiology Grad Student in Dr. Schmitt's Lab, has been awarded the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Graduate Internship presented by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The internship is designed to foster technology development by providing a graduate student the opportunity to take their research project towards commercialization. Santosh is working on virus-like particles based protein delivery technology that the lab has been working on. Congratulations and good luck Santosh!
Congratulations to Dr. Margherita Cantorna, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Immunology as she has been named a 2020/2021 Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Academic Leadership Program (ALP) Fellow! The intensive experience develops the leadership and managerial skills of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional ability and academic promise.
Dr. Troy Sutton discusses in a new article what it is like to handle the SARS-CoV-2 virus, suiting up, feeling safer in the lab, and how his lab was built for this type of work!
Congratulations to Asst. Research Professor Dr. Sougat Misra for receiving the 2020/2021 Horace T. Woodward Faculty Development Fund from the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences! Dr. Misra invented a novel strategy to target cancer cells using specific combinations of nature-inspired small molecules that bring about catastrophic redox anomaly in cancer cells. He will use this funding to further pursue his research in an aggressive model of human leukemia.
Dr. Robert Nichols, postdoc alum from Patterson Lab, received a USDA grant to study "organophosphate (OP) chlorpyrifos" a commonly used pesticide for fruits and vegetables despite its potential to cause neurotoxicity in children and neonates.
Graduate student Shaneice Nettleford was first author on a recent publication based on the Prabhu Lab’s student that indicated a crucial role for dietary selenium and selenoproteins in the protection against inflammation following enteric infection via immune mechanisms involving epithelial barrier integrity and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Not only does preventative and/or adjuvant therapy with selenium efficiently resolves GI inflammation, such a dietary intervention method also aids in enhancing resolution of inflammation associated with an enteric bacterial infection.
A collaboration of Penn State researchers, including Dr. Adam Glick, developed a unique nanoparticle to deliver a localized cancer treatment. Once the nanoparticles built up in the cancerous area, they used a specific wavelength of light to separate the miRNA from the nanoparticles. The miRNA then pairs with a mRNA in the cancer cell, causing the mRNA to stop making proteins. Eventually, the cancer cell dies.
Dr. Josh Kellogg is offering a new course- VBSC 497 Principles of Metabolomics (3 credits) for Sp. 2021 semester. Undergrads and Graduate students will be introduced to the world of metabolomics. The course will cover metabolomics experiments, from sample prep, analytical chemistry, data acquisition and analysis, to statistical treatment of datasets. This will be somewhat hands-on, so students will get experience manipulating data and getting a ‘feel’ for what an experiment is like. Contact the Dept for more details!
Alum Dr. Yuanting Chen’s recent pub was a ft. article in This Week in Blood. Chen presents a novel paradigm of the role of erythropoietin (Epo) in stress hematopoiesis.
Dr. Todd A. Jackson, who holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine and is recognized as a Diplomat of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, has been named Director of the Animal Resource Program at Penn State, beginning Sept. 28 and reporting to the Senior Vice President for Research. Dr. Jackson will also hold a position as research professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. Welcome to Penn State Dr. Jackson!
Dr.'s Adrian Barragan and Ernest Hovingh’s recent experiment on 246 postpartum dairy cows in PA showed results that supports previous findings showing that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs after calving may increase milk production and affect the metabolic status of dairy cows.
Congratulations to Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi who has received a highly competitive three year grant from USDA-NIFA to study “The Susceptibility and Potential Adaption to SARS-Cov-2 in Livestock” Dr. Kuchipudi is a Clinical Professor and Head of the Microbiology Section at the Animal Diagnostic Lab.
A collaborative project between Penn State and Purdue University will develop a novel vaccine solution for COVID-19. Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi, clinical professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and Associate Director of Penn State Animal Diagnostic laboratory will collaborate with Dr. Suresh Mitral, distinguished professor of microbiology, Purdue University on this project. The team has been awarded $3.8 Million by the National Institutes of Health of which over $2Million will come to Penn State.
Dairy cows that received a short course of anti-inflammatory medication after calving had lower metabolic stress and produced more milk than untreated cows, according to researchers, who say the regimen they tested could be adopted more easily by producers than previously studied treatment strategies.
Jason W. Brooks, associate clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences at Penn State, has been named director of the Forensic Science program in the Eberly College of Science’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, effective Sept. 14.
Two students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Janelle Answer and Justin Kurtz, have received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
The technology “Virus-like Particles as Protein Delivery Vehicles” offers a new tool for delivering therapeutics such as CRISPR enzymes directly into patients’ cells, providing an alternative to AAV vectors and other DNA delivery approaches that can lead to unintended genome changes.
As part of the University’s testing and contact tracing plan shared during a July 30 community town hall, Penn State has launched the Testing and Surveillance Center (TASC), to be used for random asymptomatic surveillance testing at the University Park campus.
A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will enable Penn State researchers to study the potential for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, to infect and spread among livestock.
Leaders from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Office of Physical Plant, HOK architectural firm, and Turner Construction Co. on Sept. 11 held a "topping out" ceremony to mark the halfway point of construction of the Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building on the University Park campus.
Funded by @usdagov they applied filtering approaches to identify numerous genetic interactions related to cardiac-related outcomes as potential targets for therapy. The approaches described offer ways to detect epistasis in the complex traits and to improve precision medicine capability.
Retinoid signaling in intestinal epithelial cells is essential for early survival from gastrointestinal infection.
With COVID-19 continuing to spread around the world bringing sickness and death, a little-noticed development at Penn State’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory takes on added significance.
Former Blue drum major Jimmie Frisbee was featured on The Penn State Alumni Association’s Football letter Live Event on Thursday 10/01/2020. An immunology and infectious diseases graduate in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Frisbee's roots run deep in the band with his parents, grandfather and uncle all wearing the Blue Band blues.
A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is part of a team of scientists working to develop a unique COVID-19 vaccine that uses a bovine adenovirus as a safe and effective delivery vehicle.
Dr. Margherita Cantorna recently received a Competitive Revision Supplement to her NIH R01 award to “Vitamin D fluctuations and the mucosal immune response” to generate some preliminary data on the effects of vitamin D on host resistance to COVID-19 infection in mice and hamsters. Drs. Girish Kirimanjeswara and Troy Sutton are Co-Investigators.
Some of VBSC's graduate students had a blast at Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda on Friday 10/16/20. We were missing a few but a great time was had by all who attended shopping, apple picking and going on hayrides. We hope to have similar outings each month. Look for emails on future adventures!
Nina De Luna is an IID honors student in Dr. Girish Kirimanjeswara's lab. She has been accepted in the NIH STEP-UP program called Year Round Research Program. The STEP-UP Program is a federally funded program managed and supported by the Office of Minority Health Research Coordination (OMHRC) in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The overall goal of STEP-UP is to build and sustain a biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research pipeline focused on NIDDK’s core mission areas of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases.
Despite the state's first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a domestic cat, veterinary experts say residents should not be concerned about contracting the virus from pets and other domesticated animals. However, people with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 should take precautions to protect the health of their pets.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (MAFSU) have now a Memorandum of Understanding in place to develop an international program in areas related to One Health, Food Safety and Diagnostic Medicine. MAFSU was formed on December 3, 2000 with its operational center at Nagpur. The University comprises of five veterinary colleges, two colleges of fishery sciences, and one college of dairy technology. Since 2003, Penn State faculty including Dr. Bhushan Jayarao and Professor Emeritus Channa Reddy have worked with MAFSU faculty and students on several different occasions, including training MAFSU faculty at ADL, providing research and extension programming support in diagnostic medicine, and dairy production. This is a beneficial relationship for both the Department and the College of Ag, and we congratulate and thank everyone involved who made this endeavor official last week!
Dr. Troy Sutton, Assistant Professor, has received funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH) to determine how long immunity to COVID-19 lasts after an initial infection. Specifically, Dr. Sutton’s research group will use animal models to determine how antibody levels change over time, and the relationship between decreasing levels of antibodies and susceptibility to re-infection. Using a similar approach, he will also explore how long vaccine induced immunity is protective, and working with Emory University, the findings in animal models will be compared to antibody responses in humans.
Beloved to generations of students, Dr. Griel is a leader in teaching, advising, research, and large animal veterinary practice.
The Penn State Graduate School Alumni Society will be honoring Dr. Lester Griel, Professor and Program Coordinator of the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Undergraduate Program, with their 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award this spring.
Funding from the National Institutes of Health will enable Margherita Cantorna, distinguished professor of molecular immunology and nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences, to study whether vitamin D supplementation could help people ward off or reduce symptoms caused by COVID-19.
Penn State senior A’dryanna Jenkins earned a 2021 Marshall Scholarship, allowing her to pursue graduate studies in pathology at Cambridge University for one year. Jenkins, of Easton, Pennsylvania, is an immunology and infectious diseases major in the College of Agricultural Sciences and a Schreyer Scholar. After graduating, she plans to pursue a combined MD/PhD degree and work as a physician-scientist in academia and government. She will use the Marshall Scholarship to join the Roychoudhuri Laboratory in Cambridge University’s Department of Pathology.
Congratulations to McKayla Nicol who won first place for the 2020 CIDD Best Student Paper, McKayla is a Pathobiology Grad student in Dr. Girish Kirimanjeswara's lab in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Nicol, M.J., Brubaker, T.R., Honish, B.J., et al. Antibacterial effects of low-temperature plasma generated by atmospheric-pressure plasma jet are mediated by reactive oxygen species. Sci Rep 10, 3066 (2020).
A world leader in the field of metabolomics, Andrew D. Patterson, PhD, has been awarded the 2021 SOT Achievement Award for his leadership, vision, service, and dedication to the field of toxicology. Dr. Patterson has established himself as a prestigious investigator at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, where he holds multiple positions, including Professor of molecular toxicology and Professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. He is the Tombros Early Career Professor and Huck Endowed Chair, as well as the Penn State Cancer Institute Metabolomics Shared Resource Director. Dr. Patterson received his PhD in genetics in 2006 through a graduate partnership program between George Washington University and the National Cancer Institute. He then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Metabolism at the National Cancer Institute, during which he focused on the development and refinement of metabolomics approaches to determine how toxicants and other environmental exposures influence the metabolome. At a time when this field was just emerging, Dr. Patterson’s work furthered metabolomics as an invaluable tool for understanding drug metabolism and promoted the development and identification of translational biomarkers for ionizing radiation exposure, toxicity, diabetes, and cancer. Dr. Patterson’s research illustrates the connection between toxicology and medicine in ways that have clear implications for the development of therapeutics and for public health measures to address risk factors associated with nongenetic metabolic diseases and their associated chronic disease manifestations. His laboratory has become a world leader in metabolomics research and is a major resource for numerous laboratories within and outside the United States that are trying to incorporate this approach into their science. Dr. Patterson’s current research interests are focused on understanding the host-metabolite-microbiota axis—specifically how the manipulation of gut bacteria affects host metabolites and how these host/bacterial co-metabolites interact with host nuclear receptors and modulate toxicity and cancer. In addition to his research, Dr. Patterson’s service in the field of toxicology is exemplified by his long list of advisees and mentees. Dr. Patterson has mentored nearly 50 young researchers, from undergraduate students to junior faculty. Many postdoctoral fellows under his mentorship have progressed to academic and industry careers, and he has trained graduate students who have earned PhDs with an emphasis on metabolomics and toxicology. Since Dr. Patterson joined SOT in 2012, his laboratory has presented research findings every year at the SOT Annual Meeting, including poster presentations and a Platform Session. He also has served on the Editorial Board of Toxicological Sciences (ToxSci) and currently serves as an Associate Editor of ToxSci and Environmental Health Perspectives. In addition to participation within SOT, Dr. Patterson also is a member of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry and the American Chemical Society and is an Editorial Board member of several high-impact journals. Congratulations Andrew!
Kristin Passero (Hall Lab PhD student) and Dr. Molly Hall organized the session "What about the environment? Leveraging multi-omic datasets to characterize the environment’s role in human health" for the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) with environmental health research experts Dr. Chirag Patel (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Arjun Manrai (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Kimberly McAllister (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), and Dr. Shefali Setia Verma (University of Pennsylvania). Kristin and organizers published an introduction to the session and gave an introductory talk as well: https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789811232701_0029. Hall Lab MD/PhD student, Morris Aguilar, also gave a talk on his metabolomics research which is published here: https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789811232701_0030
Hailey Reiss, an immunology and infectious disease major from Quakertown. A graduate of Quakertown Community High School, Reiss was the summer scholar at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, where she performed statistical analysis and reviewed and presented data. Hailey is advised by VBS faculty member Dr. Pamela Hankey-Giblin.
Congratulations to two of our Pathobiology Graduate students, Juhi Arora and Fenghua Qian, for being chosen to receive the Grier Scholarship for 2020! In order to be considered for the award, students must be a Ph. D. candidate in Pathobiology, and must have passed the qualifying examination for the Ph.D. no later than July 1 and the award does come with a monetary prize. Congrats to you both again!
CLIA certification is underway to support University Park campus testing, ability to send results directly to individuals
The Society of Toxicology has named Tombros Early Career Professor Andrew Patterson of Penn State as the recipient of its 2021 Achievement Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field of toxicology within 15 years of obtaining the highest earned degree.
Researchers found that that the optimal timeframe for donating convalescent plasma for use in COVID-19 immunotherapy is within 60 days of the onset of symptoms.
Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are using immersive technology to enhance learning.
Brooke Migdal, a senior majoring in veterinary and biomedical sciences, plans to attend veterinary school and work with marine animals.
A team led by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has developed a diagnostic test that can identify virulent forms of the swine bacterial pathogen Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus — often referred to as "Strep zoo" — which can cause severe illness and death in pigs, other animals and rarely people.
Through short content lectures and interaction with embedded online tools, students and other users can develop a better understanding of how pandemics are studied, modeled, prepared for and mitigated.
Faculty in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences continue to develop novel courses designed to increase cultural awareness and knowledge of food systems here in central Pennsylvania and throughout the world. Two of these courses will be offered in the fall 2021 semester.
The impending vaccination of heretofore unvaccinated Pennsylvania food and agricultural workers against COVID-19 can go a long way toward ensuring business continuity and stable supply chains in one of Pennsylvania's top economic sectors, according to experts in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Tony Schmitt, VBS Professor of Molecular Virology, has been named the 2021 recipient of Penn State’s Research Innovator Award. The award recognizes faculty and staff in the College of Agricultural Sciences who have commercialized technologies generated through Penn State research. Tony’s research group is developing a technology that allows delivery of therapeutic proteins into cells. The technology is based on the discovery that for certain viruses, the particle formation process can be manipulated in a way that allows proteins of interest to package into the particles in the same way that virus genomes would normally be packaged. The end result is virus-like particles that are loaded with the desired protein, and capable of depositing the cargo into the cytoplasms of target cells. Applications include CRISPR-based genome editing, which is severely constrained at present by the lack of safe and effective delivery strategies.
“COVID-19 Vaccines: Asked & Answered” video series- Troy Sutton, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, explains that because variants continue to emerge, we anticipate that SARS-CoV-2 will continue to circulate in humans for several years, causing regular outbreaks.
Tyler Fuller, IID Major, was recently accepted into the Primary Care Scholars' Program at the PSU Hershey College of Medicine. Although the program is virtual this year, He will be virtually shadowing various physicians, growing his understanding of diverse practice environments, & gaining insight into the life of a medical student. The 3 week program also includes guidance on applying to medical school as well as information about residency training from the admissions committee for Hershey. Overall, the point of the program is to grow leaders that will understand & promote the importance of Primary Care in addition to serving in underserved areas. Congratulations Tyler!
We are thrilled to announce that our own Dr. Adrian Barragan has been chosen as the recipient of Dr. William Henson Diversity Achievement Award by the Diversity Coordinating Council within the College of @agsciences. This award recognizes Dr. Barragan for his distinctive and outstanding teaching, research, extension or creative work that advances diversity in the College. Dr. Barragan gives back to our students and our community in a number of ways, from translating all papers, reports, workshops and webinars from English to Spanish, to being an advisor to the @pennstateprevetclub. Congratulations Dr. Barragan!
From almost the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the world waited anxiously for a vaccine, the safeguard that would enable a return to normal life. Researchers around the world eagerly picked up the challenge. Penn State scientists have been active among them from the earliest days. Drawing on the knowledge, skills, and technologies they have developed over their careers, and taking advantage of infrastructure built for the purpose, teams of experts around the university moved rapidly to face the crisis.
Anthony Schmitt, professor of virology, is the 2021 recipient of the Research Innovators Award, given by the Office for Research and Graduate Education and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Three students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have been recognized for their commitment to diversity as winners of the second annual Undergraduate Diversity Essay Contest, which is sponsored by the college’s Diversity Coordinating Council.
Congratulations to Dr. Acar for being nominated and selected as the recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Academic Advising Award. This award is presented by the College of Ag’s Alumni Society annually to recognize excellence in advising undergraduate students in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Acar’s nomination was supported by current students, alumni, and Penn State faculty, and is a true tribute to the important impact she has on the lives of our students.
Researcher from VBS receives the College of Ag Sciences RAIN grant for the second consecutive year! Congrats to Dr. Sougat Misra, Asst. Research Professor, for his successful application for the Research Applications for Innovation (RAIN) grant from the College of Agricultural Sciences. The grant is awarded to one innovative research project annually with the intent to commercialize technologies developed by the researchers in the College. It is one of the most prestigious College-level funding opportunities for pursuing innovative and translational research. Dr. Misra will use the funding to pursue his studies to assess the efficacies of two novel combinatorial therapeutic regimens for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. His work involves pharmacological targeting of an amino acid transporter, essential for the proliferation and survival of leukemic cells, to enhance the delivery of small molecule candidate therapeutics. Preclinical studies involving highly relevant murine models of leukemia will ascertain the effectiveness of the proposed therapeutic interventions in this aggressive form of blood cancer. Congrats to him! Dr. Anthony Schmitt won the award last year in the Department.
Nüket Acar, coordinator of undergraduate advising for veterinary and biomedical sciences, has received the 2021 Excellence in Academic Advising Award from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
The motivation to make a philanthropic gift to an organization is different for every donor, but in many cases, it boils down to the desire to make a positive impact. This rings true for Dr. Fred Metzger Jr. and his wife, Megan, who have made the first major gift to support the new Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building. The seven-figure gift to name the general purpose classroom in the facility will provide funding for the departments of animal science and veterinary and biomedical sciences to support the state-of-the-art facility expected to open in the fall of 2021.
On June 8, 2021, ADL hosted the annual Practitioners’ Meeting, a one-day continuing education event primarily for veterinarians who utilized the diagnostics services offered by ADL. This year, like last, the event was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, but the event will hopefully be held in-person in 2022. 52 veterinarians were in attendance. The focus of this year’s meeting was on diagnosing causes of abortion and reproductive losses in ruminants, and also included updates from the PA Department of Agriculture. Other topics included a timely update from Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi on emerging coronaviruses in livestock, an update on the application of whole-genome sequencing technology in routine diagnostic submissions, and an overview of clostridial diseases in domestic animals. Dr. Fred Williams III, a veterinary pathologist from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine with an interest in reproductive pathology, was the keynote speaker. He gave an engaging and well-illustrated overview of the common causes of abortion in ruminants. The meeting was well-received by attendees, with 97% of attendees rating it above average to excellent. A common response from attendees was the desire for face-to-face interactions, which will hopefully happen next year. In the words of one participant, “Overall, I think this was one of the best ADL practitioners' meeting ever. It was focused, high quality, useful information.” For additional information, please contact Erin Luley at ehl5008@psu.edu
On June 8, 2021, ADL hosted the annual Practitioners’ Meeting, a one-day continuing education event primarily for veterinarians who utilized the diagnostics services offered by ADL.
Three research projects that are demonstrating commercial promise — and have potential to improve lives — have received grants through a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences program designed to spur innovation.
Molly Hall, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, was awarded the NIH ECHO Opportunities and Infrastructure Fund (OIF) Award with Dean Craig Newschaffer, College of Health and Human Development, titled “Integrative genome-exposome method to identify interactions between early life exposures and the genome”.
Researchers at Penn State have created a novel framework that can predict with reasonable accuracy the amino-acid changes in the virus’ spike protein that may improve its binding to human cells and confer increased infectivity to the virus. The tool could enable the computational surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and provide advance warning of potentially dangerous variants with an even higher binding affinity potential. This can aid in the early implementation of public health measures to prevent the virus’ spread and perhaps even may inform vaccine booster formulations.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Parisa Kalantari, Assistant Professor of Immunology, to the department. We are very excited to be welcoming back one of our own! From Dr. Kalantari: I am very excited to join the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences faculty. Penn State has always felt like home to me and coming back as a faculty member is a dream come true. As a PhD student, I got to work with incredible Professors and I am now delighted to see them become my colleagues and collaborators. As a faculty member, my goal is to create the same supportive environment for my own students. My research interests focus on innate immunity and infectious parasitic diseases. My work seeks to identify new targets and reveal novel immunological strategies for prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis and other Th17 cell-mediated diseases. I am currently studying the mechanisms of action of two pathways that protect the host from developing severe immunopathology. The first project focuses on the cGAS/STING pathway by defining the molecular basis underlying the anti-inflammatory bias imposed by STING, an adaptor molecule important in DNA sensing and type I Interferon production. The second project is to investigate the role of autophagy in suppressing immunopathology. Interested and motivated graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply.
From chemistry to metabolomics to ethnobotany, Dr. Joshua Kellogg’s research is a conglomerate of various topics that celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of modern science. His lab is a natural products lab that focuses on health promotion derived from nature including plants, fungi, and bacteria. Currently, some of the lab’s projects include seeking out drugs for both infectious diseases and chronic GI diseases.
Inside each of us there exists a place of bountiful bacteria that contribute to our immune health and overall health on a daily basis. While this is not a part of the body’s innate or adaptive immune system, it still contributes to bodily functions each day. It is the gut microbiome.
Pathobiology graduate student McKayla Nicol was awarded the College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Dissertation Award in recognition for her outstanding nomination for the "Alumni Association Dissertation Award" which showcases McKayla's achievements in scholarship and professional accomplishments. The Alumni Association Dissertation Award is among the most prestigious awards available to Graduate Students at Penn State. The Office for Research and Graduate Education in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has recently submitted her nomination to the Graduate School as one of the top four nominations in the College. Congratulations McKayla!!
Hello! We are excited to have you join us for the 2021 College of Agricultural Sciences Scholarships and Awards Virtual Celebration. While we wish we could be together in person, we hope you will enjoy this virtual presentation to recognize and thank all of the generous donors who make such a positive impact on our college.
On behalf of the VBSC Scholarship Committee we want to congratulate Shaneice Nettleford and McKayla Nicol on being awarded the Grier Scholarship for this academic year. This award recognizes the tremendous academic efforts they have put into their graduate program. We had a very competitive group of applicants this year and are happy to be able to award these two deserving students. Congratulations to you both!
More than 80% of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of Iowa between December 2020 and January 2021 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The findings suggest that white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the virus to continually circulate and raise concerns of emergence of new strains that may prove a threat to wildlife and, possibly, to humans.
Suresh Kuchipudi, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
The Pathobiology graduate program is designed for students wishing to conduct PhD-level research in the areas of toxicology, cancer biology, immunology, or infectious disease.
Maurice is a graduate of the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Pathobiology Program (2019). Maurice plans to join the department at ADL in January/February of 2022 as Assistant Clinical Professor of Genomics and One Health. Maurice was mentored by Suresh Kuchipudi for his microbiology board exams.
(Credit to: Hailey Reiss) Dr. Jeffrey Peters is an accomplished researcher who manages to serve the university and his students well through his research and involvement while also spending much-needed time with his family.
Faculty, staff and students joined University leaders, HOK architectural firm and Turner Construction Co. executives, donors, and guests on Dec. 1 for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:55 AM, 2 credits - Instructors: Anthony Schmitt, Troy Sutton, Girish Kirimanjeswara, Ed Dudley This course provides students with opportunities to read, present, and discuss current papers from the scientific literature. The papers will reflect new and innovative methods of studying the molecular mechanisms by which viral and bacterial pathogens infect hosts, evade immune defenses, and cause disease. Students will learn and evaluate new experimental approaches and techniques, and think critically about data interpretation. The course also provides opportunities for students to develop and refine both scientific writing and oral presentation skills in preparation for graduate-level qualifying and comprehensive exams.
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:55 AM, 2 credits - Instructors: Anthony Schmitt, Troy Sutton, Girish Kirimanjeswara, Ed Dudley This course provides students with opportunities to read, present, and discuss current papers from the scientific literature. The papers will reflect new and innovative methods of studying the molecular mechanisms by which viral and bacterial pathogens infect hosts, evade immune defenses, and cause disease. Students will learn and evaluate new experimental approaches and techniques, and think critically about data interpretation. The course also provides opportunities for students to develop and refine both scientific writing and oral presentation skills in preparation for graduate-level qualifying and comprehensive exams.
During her senior capstone class in international agriculture, Penn State alumna Abigail Seeley worked on a grant proposal that has proved valuable as she works to become a veterinarian.
VBSC"s Hayley Springer was nominated for, and recently notified that she was accepted to the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program, a leadership development program through the National Institutes of Animal Agriculture (NIAA). This program focuses on critical thinking, leadership development, and communication skills to engage a range of audiences, as well as improving participants understanding of the variety of approaches to food production across the value chain. NIAA has been a major player in discussions surrounding antimicrobial use and resistance within animal agriculture, hosting an annual meeting on the topic.
Cheng is a vibrant individual with an excellent sense of humor. He is a current pathobiology graduate student here at Penn State and is inching closer the conclusion of his program. His research centers around leukemia and discovering novel treatment for the disease.
Seven students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received predoctoral fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The students received a combined total of nearly $1.1 million — the most received for this year's fellowships among U.S. universities.
Some white-tailed deer living in Staten Island, New York, are actively infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. The team also found neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in one of the Omicron-infected deer, suggesting that, like humans, deer can be reinfected with the virus.
The detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds and domestic flocks in several Eastern and Midwestern states is prompting urgent calls from Penn State poultry experts for flock owners — and others who may come into proximity to flocks — to step up their biosecurity practices. At risk is Pennsylvania's large poultry industry, the state's second largest agricultural sector.
A transdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers is exploring how One Health, an approach that recognizes the interconnectedness among human health, ecosystem health and animal health, may be able to tackle complex health problems facing Pennsylvania.
With a dream of working in virology and infectious disease, with a taste of parasitology through schistosomiasis, Darnella Cole found herself entering a Ph.D. program at Penn State. She has a warm, vibrant personality and a way of speaking that makes it clear that she is passionate about this program and her future in science. Originally from a small university in Alabama, Cole recalled being shocked by all the options that she had here at Penn State University. Despite all these options, she noted the importance of having a general sense of what you want to achieve with the pathobiology program. This is due to the specialization of the program. As a first-year grad student, Cole remarked upon the welcoming and helpful nature of the entire department, especially the older grad students. “Kudos to the grad students. They are extremely helpful to incoming students—I mean, we know nothing!” Cole gushed. She spoke of her own initial concerns in the program, including registering for classes, and how older students had been incredibly helpful in her journey thus far. Even with their help, Cole recalled the initial challenges she faced in the program. Most importantly, the move from Alabama to Pennsylvania was a huge adjustment. From demographics, to culture, to weather, Cole found it difficult to adjust at first. Coupled with the fact that she had been out of school for a little, she found herself needing to find ways to adjust to her new environments. Fortunately, she managed to do exactly that. What she learned from this experience and hopes to express to other new grad students is that patience is key. It is okay that things are not easy right away, but so long as you have patience, they will work out okay in the end. In the end, Cole noted how the first year of grad school is filled with excitement and change. Students can expect to take courses in their first and second semesters as they consider which lab they may be interested in joining. Typically, first-year grad students have the opportunity to complete three lab rotations of five weeks each during the fall semester. After this is complete, they then select the lab they intend to spend the rest of their program in.
The Community of Teaching Excellence Award is a reflection of commitment to the students and teaching programs within the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, as well as throughout the College of Agricultural Sciences! Faculty are awarded for their belief and support of excellence in teaching and the College’s educational efforts. These faculty are appreciated and recognized by their peers with this award. Congratulations Dr. Van Saun for a job well done!!
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has recognized five faculty members for outstanding teaching in 2021.
An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of nearly $637,000 will enable a team of Penn State and University of Pennsylvania researchers to study whether treating prepartum cows with an anti-inflammatory medication will reduce discomfort and inflammation and lead to improved health and higher milk production after calving.
An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.
The Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, recognized Penn State faculty and students during its annual meeting, which was held March 31.
Exploring the emergence, spread and control of animal infectious diseases such as avian influenza was the focus of the inaugural Emerging Animal Infectious Disease Conference held Nov. 29-Dec.1, 2021, at Penn State. It was hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education.
Richard Roush shares perspective on fishing and curiosity in video series
The Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School provides recognition for academic excellence to students who have been admitted to the Penn State Graduate School to pursue a graduate degree and who received their undergraduate degree from the University. This scholarship is funded through an endowment created by the Penn State Alumni Association. McKayla is a doctoral student in Pathobiology with a dual title in Clinical and Translational Sciences.
An innovative community service-learning course, “Community Engaged Learning with Pennsylvania Farmworkers,” offered by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, brings students of all disciplines together to teach and engage with immigrant farmworkers living in Centre County.
Pennsylvania is the latest state to report a confirmed detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in a commercial poultry flock, leading state officials, industry leaders and Penn State poultry specialists to redouble efforts to contain the virus and educate producers, backyard flock owners and the public about the disease.
Contagious Bird Flu Presents Low Risk to People After Colorado Case: Avian influenza has killed millions of birds in U.S. and infected one known person
Suresh Kuchipudi, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Emerging Infectious Diseases, is the 2022 recipient of the Research Innovator of the Year Award, given by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to recognize faculty and staff who have made notable efforts to commercialize their Penn State research.
Jasmine Morgan, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in veterinary and biomedical sciences, was selected as the 2022 Outstanding Senior in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
This award was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Hiram Lasher in honor of Dr. C. A. Bottorff. Dr. Bottorff had an illustrious career as a poultry industry veterinarian with Lederle Laboratories and was actively involved in the early development of the AAAP. He served as vice president in 1965-66 and president in 1966-67. The first award was given in 1988. The C.A. Bottorff Award is given to recognize an avian diagnostician/technical service veterinarian who has contributed significantly to the poultry health program in North America in the past 10 years.
Emory served in World War II with the Army Air Corps. He is pictured at his birthday party with daughters Barb Kush, left, and Nancy Delricco.
Hayley Springer selected as one of three recipients of this year's Ruth and Robert O’Connor scholarship.
Project Title: Targeting drug-tolerant persister cells of acute myeloid leukemia origins Resistance to chemotherapy is one of the major challenges in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Unparalleled genetic diversity even within a single subtype of AML further adds to the complexity in targeted therapeutic interventions. In addition, very limited therapeutic choices exist for relapsed patients who are refractory to the conventional chemotherapy. Evolving evidence suggest ‘drug-tolerant persister’ (DTP) cells are key contributors to the emergence of drug resistance. These cells survive therapy, develop resistance, and exhibit stem cell-like properties with low proliferative indices. DTP cells remain dormant during therapy and start to proliferate upon withdrawal of the treatment. It remains particularly challenging to eliminate the persister cells that employ a multitude of genetic and non-genetic adaptive mechanisms to evade therapy. Some notable examples of non-genetic adaptive pathways are altered mitochondrial metabolism and redox-regulatory pathways. Dr. Sougat Misra, a recipient of Applied Evolution Grant from the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and the PI of this proposal, will investigate whether the survival-promoting altered state of redox homeostasis in AML-originated DTP cells is an amenable drug target. The research team will utilize redox-reactive small molecules to investigate this in details.
More than 10,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States since May, triggering the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare the outbreak a public-health emergency. As the fall semester begins, many are wondering if they should be concerned about monkeypox. Suresh Kuchipudi, the Huck Chair in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Penn State and an expert on emerging and zoonotic viruses, explains what is known about monkeypox and how to protect yourself.
Penn State researchers will study the monkeypox virus to understand the potential for it to spill over from humans to animals, as its pathogenesis — or disease development — in animal and human cells in vitro. In addition, they will study potential targets for therapeutics to treat the monkeypox disease.
The first-ever round of Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowships will support the work of Microbiome Center members and allow them to acquire knowledge and techniques to then share with other University colleagues.
The primary goal of Penn State’s Metabolomics Core Facility, established a decade ago and housed in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, is to identify and quantify the small molecules (or metabolites) in plant and animal biofluids, cells and tissues.
Scientists have long known that no-till farming reduces erosion and lessens water and nutrient runoff from crop fields, but now a new study by a team of Penn State researchers suggests that limiting soil disturbance may also diminish releases of nitrous oxide.
Nuclear receptors have long been a focus in cancer research. The role of dysregulated nuclear receptor mediated signaling pathways in tumorigenesis has been well documented in a variety of cancers. This makes nuclear receptors important therapeutic targets for identifying new therapies to combat cancer. In this webinar, learn about cutting edge research from distinguished professors from Penn State University as they talk about the role of specific nuclear receptors in cancer, including: Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARα, PPARδ and PPARγ)
Dr. Ashley Shay, Director, Metabolomics Core Facility at the Huck Institutes for Life Sciences has been appointed as an Affiliate Professor with The Pennsylvania State University in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences effective November 1, 2022. Congratulations Ashley!
For the first time, CRD poster awards were given, thanks to the involvement of PSCI Affiliate Members on the planning committee and faculty evaluators. Two of the winners are from the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. Fenghua Qian, PhD Pathobiology Graduate Student in Dr. Sandeep Prabhu's lab and Jingze Xu, an IID Undergraduate Student, Congratulations to both of these students!
Pathobiology Applications are now being accepted until December 15th, Applications received after December 15 will still be evaluated, provided that the positions have not all been filled. The final deadline for submissions is February 1st. Students who are admitted will begin the program at the start of the Fall semester. For additional information please visit the Pathobiology link on the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences website. https://vbs.psu.edu/graduate/pathobiology/admission
Dr. Linder will be joining us as part of the College of Ag Office of Multicultural Affairs Minority Alumni Visit. Upon graduating from Penn State, Dr. Linder graduated with a DVM from Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. Thereafter, she completed a small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at the University of Florida. She has now returned to Purdue where she has completed a neurology specialty internship and is currently completing a residency in neurology and neurosurgery
From success in class to success in life: What does it take to get there? We will have 5 successful minority alumni visiting the College on Thursday and Friday the 10th and 11th. All faculty, staff, administrators, and students are invited to Room 106 Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building on Thursday the 10th for a panel presentation and opportunity to engage with professionals who have successfully completed our college programs. Refreshments will be provided. Please see the attached flyer and mark your calendars. Patreese Ingram On Behalf of the Diversity Coordinating Council
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lauded outstanding accomplishments in research during the college’s inaugural Research Awards Ceremony, held Oct. 25 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.
Eight Penn State instructors from two campuses and six colleges worked in teams with Teaching and Learning with Technology over the past two years as part of the 2020-22 TLT Faculty Fellows program.
Four graduates of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently returned to campus to discuss success in class to success in life as guest speakers on a minority alumni panel, hosted by the college’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Congratulations and best wishes to all of our Fall 2022 Pathobiology Graduate students. We are so proud of ALL of you!!
Heparin has long been used as a blood thinner, or anticoagulant, for patients with blood clotting disorders or after surgery to prevent complications. However, the medication remains difficult to dose correctly, potentially leading to overdosing or underdosing. A team of Penn State researchers combined heparin with a protein fragment, peptide, to slow down the release of the drug and convey the medication directly to the site of a clot.
Andrew Patterson and Jonathan Lynch in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences were recognized recently as highly cited researchers by the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Group.
Congratulations to Agricultural Sciences faculty member Suresh Kuchipudi on his $1.4m Tobacco CURE project ‘Molecular Epidemiology of One Health Pathogens’ through Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
An interdisciplinary team of educators and faculty from Penn State Extension and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is investigating methods to improve skill sets and increase diversity in the livestock production workforce, with the goal of eliminating workforce barriers and enhancing secure food animal production. As part of this work, Penn State Extension is offering a free monthly workshop series, from March to May, focused on workforce development in animal agriculture.
In laboratory studies, Margherita Cantorna, distinguished professor of molecular immunology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Juhi Arora, former pathobiology doctoral student in the Cantorna lab, used flow cytometry, a lab test that analyzes characteristics of cells or particles, to perform highly sensitive assays or analyses to determine the composition of substances. These assays categorized particular immune cells based on whether or not they express the vitamin D receptor. Immune cells include cells such as monocytes, T cells and B cells — all of which perform critical roles in the immune system, protecting the body from infection.
Ernest Hovingh, Research Professor, and Veterinary Extension and Field Investigation Team Leader in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Penn State University has been named Resident Director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL) effective March 1, 2023. The ADL, part of the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is a member of the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS).
As the demand for medicinal plants and botanical dietary products increase, so do the incentives to adulterate products for economic gain, at the expense of product efficacy and consumer safety. However, plant-derived products are inherently complex, and also come in many different forms (dried herbs, extracts, tinctures, dried formulations, etc.); this complexity hinders traditional methods of authentication and quality control. Furthermore, identifying the molecules of interest that underpin the desired bioactivity is a long-known challenge of natural product discovery. Ellie’s project aims to employ advanced machine learning models and multi-omics approaches to better classify unknown samples, as well as improve the ability to detect bioactive molecules from botanicals. Using basil (Ocimum spp.) as a model organism, the study will employ molecular and genetic methods to characterize known samples, and then apply that model to unknown commercial samples to test its rigor and applicability in real-world situations. This will improve herbal product authentication, an important task considering misrepresentation of products can result in a loss of medicinal effect, consumer trust, and potentially jeopardize consumer safety. Furthermore, the ability to identify compounds quickly and reliably with multiple medicinal properties will contribute to the discovery of therapeutic compounds from a variety of natural product sources. To address these challenges, Ellie Abraham has been awarded the NIH’s Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31 predoctoral fellowship) from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Congratulations Ellie!!
Why vaccinate? As the 2022-2023 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak continues, there is growing concern that "stamping out" programs alone are expensive and labor intensive, and therefore not sustainable. This has led to growing interest in AI vaccines, perhaps allowing vaccines to become an additional "tool in the toolbox" to combat HPAI. The advantages and disadvantages of vaccinating are being closely evaluated by the USDA and other stakeholders here in the US and around the world.
Jada Spady an Agricultural Sciences Major was nominated for the 2023 "Celebrating Women in Toxicology Award" at the SOT 62nd Annual Meeting and Tox Expo in Nasville, Tennessee which was held March 19–23, 2023. Jada is a part of a large special interest group of women in the Toxicology field, and was nominated for her research experience and work at Johnson & Johnson as a Consumer Toxicology Co-op.
Broccoli is known to be beneficial to our health. For example, research has shown that increased consumption of the cruciferous vegetable decreases incidences of cancer and type 2 diabetes. In a recent study, researchers at Penn State found that broccoli contains certain molecules that bind to a receptor within mice and help to protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of disease. The findings lend support to the idea that broccoli truly is a "superfood."
The current COVID-19 vaccines are designed to trigger an antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is vulnerable to mutations that could make the vaccine less effective over time. Focusing on the T-cell instead, Penn State researchers partnered with Evaxion Biotech on a study that was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-generated vaccine in a live viral challenge model. Such a vaccine may provide long-lasting immunity against future emerging variants and could be used as a model for other seasonal viral diseases like the flu.
Type I interferon, a protein that is important for the body’s defense against viruses, plays a critical role in suppressing inflammation in mice infected with the schistosome parasite, Penn State immunology researchers have found. The discovery may lead to effective therapies for those suffering from schistosomiasis, second only to malaria as the most prevalent parasitic disease globally. Parisa Kalantari, assistant professor of immunology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, and co-authors recently published these findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Type I interferon plays a critical role in suppressing inflammation in mice infected with the schistosome parasite, Penn State immunology researchers have found. The discovery may lead to effective therapies for those suffering from schistosomiasis, second only to malaria as the most prevalent parasitic disease globally.
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently announced the recipients of the 2023 Dr. William Henson Diversity Achievement Award, which recognizes distinctive and outstanding teaching, research, extension or creative work that advances diversity in the college.
