What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Join the IRM

Author Archives: yaroshc

Author yaroshc Categories News

COVID-19 Research Featured in Penn Today, Philly TV

Andy Vaughan, one half of a 2020 IRM Collaborative Research Grant team, was recently featured in Penn Today as part of a round-up of  research devoted to unraveling the mysteries of COVID-19. Check out that story to hear how Twitter sparked his collaboration with Montserrat Anguera and how regenerative medicine tools can be applied to this pandemic.

Andy also hit the airwaves on 6 ABC to talk about the potential long term effects of COVID-19 on patient lungs.  His interview can be seen on YouTube.

The IRM's 2020 CRG awardees will be using regenerative medicine techniques to research COVID-19
Author yaroshc Categories News

IRM Funds Two COVID-19 Collaborations

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRM is funding two research projects that leverage stem cell, bioengineering, and organoid expertise to answer key questions about SARS-CoV-2 and its cellular effects. These one year projects are co-sponsored by Penn’s Departments of Bioengineering and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PSOM) and the School of Veterinary Medicine and make use of generous gifts from our donors. Keep reading to learn more about these exciting research projects and the scientists carrying them out.

Why are men more susceptible to COVID-19?

Penn Vet’s Andy Vaughan and Montserrat Anguera will explore a curious feature of COVID-19 disease: the fact that more men than women become severely ill and die. The two labs are focusing on the possibility that ACE2—an X chromosome gene that codes for the cell receptor targeted by the novel coronavirus—is expressed at higher level in women. Higher ACE2 expression correlates with reduced lung injury, so the team will explore whether it escapes X-linked inactivation in women and how hormones influence ACE2 levels in lung cells.

Finding coronavirus fast—and following where it goes

Currently available tests for SARS-CoV-2 have serious drawbacks: they are often difficult to run point-of-care and yield results after hours or days. A cross-university team of Arjun Raj, Sydney Shaffer, Ophir Shalem, and Sarah Cherry will test the use of RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA FISH), a rapid detection method that scours samples for viral RNA, for diagnostic purposes. This team will also examine autopsy samples to see which cell types are attacked by the virus and use RNA FISH and CRISPR together to identify host factors the increase the likelihood of coronavirus infection.

Author yaroshc Categories Events, IRM@Home

Stay connected with IRM@Home

Dear PARS students, PASH students, and other friends:

We miss you!

Social distancing means we can’t meet in person right now, but we don’t have to lose touch! The IRM and our partner organizations will be hosting “IRM@Home” webinars for students during our time away. These session will help you grow your networks and learn even more about biomedical science and careers in STEM. Please mark your calendars for Tuesdays at 10 AM!

How to participate:

  • Visit https://bluejeans.com/687607787 during our scheduled session.
  • Connect to the audio via computer or phone line.
  • Ask questions using the chat function. Type your questions into the box and submit.
  • If you can’t make it, please check back here Tuesday afternoon for information about our recording.

***Please note that this session will be recorded and made publicly available. All participants will have audio and video muted upon entry to the meeting. If you do not consent to having your audio or video recorded, please stay muted. Participants will be able to ask questions using the Bluejeans chat function.

Upcoming IRM@Home recordings

03/31- Heather Butts

 

Join us on Tuesday, March 31 as we welcome back Heather Butts! Heather will be answering your questions about:

  • Essays
  • Applications
  • Interviews
  • and more!

04/07- David Garbe

 

Our April 7 speaker will be David Garbe, Ph.D., Director of Outreach and Education at the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research (PSBR). David develops in-class activities for students like you using the scientific know-how he’s developed over a wide-ranging STEM career. Listen in to hear about his path from Penn graduate student to the pharmaceutical industry and nonprofit sector and learn insights to help you on your own STEM journey!

Previous IRM@Home recordings

Recording link: https://bluejeans.com/s/9b8xh

On March 24, Heather Butts, JD, MPH, MA, Founder of L.E.A.R.N. for Life Consulting and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Public Health and St. John’s University School of Law, joined us. She spoke about how to scout colleges and prepare for applications and answered viewer questions. Click here to view a recording of this session.

Author yaroshc Categories Blog

Drawing Near While Staying Away: Science Communication & Social Distancing

The spread of COVID-19 has caused dramatic changes in a very short time. Days ago, we were going about our business while things unfolded elsewhere. Now, the pandemic has come to Philadelphia and “social distancing”—remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance from others—is shaping our near future.

It’s stressful!

On top of concerns about loved ones and everyday life, scientists are worried about how these changes will impact everything from ongoing experiments to professional milestones. How can I lab from home!?

There will of course be lots to do in the coming weeks, but let me make a suggestion. Now is a great time to think about why your work matters to others and how to share your story. Social distancing is not a reason to forget why this all of this is important. Quite the opposite!

We are all learning to “flatten the curve” regardless of any background in epidemiology or public health. This is science communication in action!

If you’re an IRM faculty member, postdoc, or student, email me at yaroshc@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. I’d love to chat in the coming weeks by phone or video conference about your research and ways it might appeal to different audiences.

Let’s use social distancing to find new ways to connect.

Chris Yarosh

Associate Director, Communications & Operations

Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM)

 

1 … 7 8 9 10 11 12