What is BIG? BIG, “Business and Innovation Group” is a newly inaugurated group at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine. Previously known as the “Hershey Medical Consulting Group”, the organization was rebranded toward the end of 2019 to more accurately represent the mission of the group. We are currently represented by Dr. Kevin Harter, Director … Continue reading Something BIG is Happening at Penn State!
The Life of Aducanumab: A Potential Novel Alzheimer’s Disease Drug
On October 22nd, 2019, headlines read “Biogen plans regulatory filing for Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease based on new analysis of larger dataset from phase 3 studies”. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. It is the 6th leading cause of adult deaths in the United States. Biogen … Continue reading The Life of Aducanumab: A Potential Novel Alzheimer’s Disease Drug
The Little Brain with Big Potential
Credit: Raman Oza from Pixabay Until recently, the cerebellum, often referred to as “the little brain,” was thought to regulate motor movements, balance, and coordination. However, according to an article published in 2009, the cerebellum has 70 billion neurons (compared to the 25 billion in the cerebral cortex) giving it 2.5 times more neurons than … Continue reading The Little Brain with Big Potential
A Cure by Prevention: Eradication of Viruses by Vaccination
Credit: Arek Socha from Pixabay May 8, 2020 will mark the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking declaration by the World Health Assembly that smallpox—a disease that had plagued humanity for over two millennia—had been completely eradicated following the vaccination efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year also marks the 1st anniversary of another … Continue reading A Cure by Prevention: Eradication of Viruses by Vaccination
And the Winner is…
The long-awaited for results of the LTS Best of 2019 Contest are in! With a total of 6 votes, the Best of 2019 blog post winner is: Newly identified gene variant may render hormonal birth control less effective by LTS' own Editor in Chief Sadie Dierschke With a total of 5 votes, 2nd place goes … Continue reading And the Winner is…
Best of 2019 Blog Contest
Greetings LTS readers! As we've settled into the new year, we'd like to take a look back on the news and views LTS brought to your attention in 2019. We had a great year creating, writing, and editing engaging posts for your enjoyment, and hopefully, to your scientific benefit. We hope you will cast your … Continue reading Best of 2019 Blog Contest
Recommendations to Prevent Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Pediatric Population
Credit: Thanks for your like from Pixabay An endocrine disruptor is an exogenous chemical or mixture of chemicals that can bind to the body's endocrine receptors to activate or block natural hormone synthesis, resulting in modification of hormonal signals and normal endocrine function. Alternately, these chemicals can mimic naturally occurring hormones in the body, including … Continue reading Recommendations to Prevent Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Pediatric Population
The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside
Credit: Pete Linforth from Pixabay Many young scientists imagine themselves curing a disease, dreaming that their thesis work will uncover a disease mechanism and lead to the development of novel therapeutics to help improve patient health. People with loved ones suffering from diseases hope for a cure, too. However, most people do not understand the … Continue reading The Journey of Pharmaceuticals: From Bench to Bedside
Burn Out
Burn out.It’s a common phrase heard in the hallways of many academic institutions. Burn out has become a major contributor to mental health issues among graduate schools across the country. Driving yourself intensely for an extended period of time can lead to graduate school burn out, and it can last for weeks, sometimes even months. … Continue reading Burn Out
Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!
Figure 1: Immunohistochemistry stain of astrocytes (Oksanen, 2017, Stem Cell Reports). In the late 19th century, Santiago Ramón y Cajal aided in the formation of the neuron doctrine, a theory which used evidence from neuronal staining techniques to confirm that neurons are each separate entities and not one continuous fusion of cells. These separations allow … Continue reading Don’t forget about the stars in your brain!
Lions Talk Science 