New Clue to How Sleep Deprivation Alleviates Depression
Losing a full night of sleep isn’t good for most people, yet, for those with depression, it can sometimes have a dramatic mood-lightening effect. But why? Imaging research by Hengyi Rao, PhD, research associate professor of Neurology, John Detre, MD, a professor of Neurology and Radiology, and their colleagues found that the effect was linked to increases in connectivity between two key emotion-processing brain regions, the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex.
Key Gene for Extending Ants’ Lives Discovered
New research findings from a team led by Shelley Berger, PhD, the Daniel S. Och University Professor in Cell & Developmental Biology and Genetics, and Karl Gladstad, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher, examine how certain ants extended their lives through an ant gene that closely resembles one in humans called HSF2. The human gene encodes a “heat shock factor” protein, which controls the stress response of cells aimed at keeping other proteins in cells folded properly when temperatures become excessive.
Pig Skin May Offer New Weapons Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria
The skin of pigs is closer to humans’ skin than most other animals, and new research by a team led by Elizabeth Grice, PhD, the Sandra J. Lazarus Associate Professor in Dermatology, may provide keys to the fight against drug-resistant MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). Like humans, pigs maintain a diverse population of bacteria on their skin, and when Grice and colleagues screened those found on pigs’ skin, they found 37 species with direct MRSA-inhibiting abilities — including three that, together, provide protection in a MRSA mouse model.
Penn Professor Named to Team Creating Code of Conduct for AI in Health
Kevin B. Johnson, MD, a professor of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics and Pediatrics, among other Penn appointments, has been named to the steering committee of the National Academy of Medicine’s Artificial Intellgience (AI) Code of Conduct Initiative. A three-year project, the goal is to establish guidelines and best practices for those working in health care and research to follow, at every stage, when using artificial intelligence that ensures safety, equity, and responsibility.
The Challenges in Gene Therapy Today
James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, director of the Gene Therapy Program and the Rose H. Weiss Professor and Director of the Orphan Disease Center, was a keynote speaker at the @Philly Cell and Gene Therapy Annual Conference in June. The Philadelphia Inquirer covered Wilson’s suggestions for ways to reduce the costs of gene therapy, and what he described as the challenges in securing capital in the field today.
What the Parkinson’s Disease Biomarker Breakthrough Means
The work of Andrew Siderowf, MD, a professor of Neurology and director of Penn’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, to identify a biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease was covered by experts in a Medscape video who discussed how it can help diagnose patients earlier, and what it means for managing the progression of the disease.
More Than Skin-Deep: The Reach of Dermatology Research
Named the president-elect of the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID), the nation’s leading organization for skin research and “the group that raised me,” Aimee Payne, MD, PhD, a professor of Dermatology, explained that dermatology research has broad-reaching applications across health science. “If you’re looking to study a particular cell type from the human body, there is a good chance you can find it in the skin,” Payne said, calling it a “gold mine for basic scientists.”
New Technique Uncovers Potential Targets for Genome-Folding Drugs
Through the development of an imaging technique called “HiDRO,” a team of researchers found an enzyme that could be a target to potentially change the interactions between folded DNA and solve some genetic conditions associated with genome misfolding. Led by Eric Joyce, PhD, an assistant professor of Genetics, HiDRO holds promise as a driver of new medication discovery, as well as a new tool for studying genome folding.
