By: Paige Bond Movement requires communication between both muscles and nerves. At the neuromuscular junction (Figure 1), nerves release a chemical messenger, acetylcholine, which binds to specific receptors on muscle cells to trigger muscle contraction. Disrupting the activity of the acetylcholine receptors can lead to muscle weakness or the inability to voluntarily contract muscles at … Continue reading Moving beyond COVID: mRNA Steps into CAR T cell therapy for Myasthenia Gravis
Health
Following the Pattern: How a Protein Interaction Keeps Your Hair (and Your Development) Aligned
By: Sarah G Latario, Ph.D. The following is a synopsis of my PhD dissertation titled Preserving the Pattern: The Role of Celsr1 Cis-Dimerization and the Septin Cytoskeleton in Maintaining Planar Cell Polarity in the Developing Epidermis. I defended this dissertation on June 17th, 2026, at Penn State College of Medicine. Thank you to Lions Talk … Continue reading Following the Pattern: How a Protein Interaction Keeps Your Hair (and Your Development) Aligned
Reprogramming your defenses— autoimmune disease and a “small” potential therapy
By Niesha Savory Think for a moment and see if you recognize any of the disorders listed here: type 1 diabetes, lupus (SLE), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Crohn’s Disease. Perhaps you heard of them through classes, readings, or a drug commercial as the jolliest people ever dance behind the catalog of brutal side … Continue reading Reprogramming your defenses— autoimmune disease and a “small” potential therapy
“Legally Blind”: What it Actually Means, and What Researchers Are Doing About It
By Allison Krebs “I’m legally blind without my glasses.” Although often used hyperbolically to describe poor eyesight, this phrase is usually inaccurate. Legal blindness is a specific clinical and legal classification with precise criteria defined not by inconvenience, dependency on glasses, or difficulty spotting road signs at night. Rather, it is based on standardized measurements … Continue reading “Legally Blind”: What it Actually Means, and What Researchers Are Doing About It
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): An Unexpected Consequence of Long COVID
By Emily Haar Six years have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the initial COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, and daily life came to a screeching halt across the globe. Despite the return to normalcy in more recent years, many individuals are still living with long-term consequences of this disease, especially those who have … Continue reading Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): An Unexpected Consequence of Long COVID
The Bittersweet Science of Missing Home
By Ceyda Yalcin Everyone has experienced that strange nostalgic feeling that shows up in small moments: hearing a familiar song, craving a hometown meal, or realizing no one around you recognizes the earlier version of you. Homesickness doesn’t hit all at once, but it lingers between excitement and uncertainty, often catching you off guard. What … Continue reading The Bittersweet Science of Missing Home
Not a Death Wish – An Immune Response: How Ants Fight Disease
By: Habiba Abdelhalim In many animal societies – including humans! – illness can affect more than just the individual that becomes sick. Diseases can spread rapidly amongst members of a group, especially when animals live closely together. Humans regularly implement strategies to mitigate this spread: we stay home when contagious, avoid sick people, and sometimes … Continue reading Not a Death Wish – An Immune Response: How Ants Fight Disease
Rotavirus vaccine is safe for infants exposed to Crohn’s disease medications in utero
By Christina McAninch Figure 1. The orally administered Rotavirus vaccine. Source: Rotarix Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is a leading cause of severe diarrhea and dehydration in infants and young children. Before there was a vaccine (Figure 1), almost all children would get … Continue reading Rotavirus vaccine is safe for infants exposed to Crohn’s disease medications in utero
The Search for a Universal Snake Antivenom
By Arrienne Butic In 2001, avid snake collector Tim Friede embarked on a mission that was equal parts bold and dangerous – in a bid to obtain immunological protection from his venomous reptilian charges, he began dosing himself with snake venom. Over a 17-year period, Friede injected himself with venom more than 850 times and … Continue reading The Search for a Universal Snake Antivenom
In the brain of the beholder: the neurocognitive basis of hallucinations
By: Zekiel Factor Humans, like all animals, instinctively rely on the assumption that the sensations we experience such as touch and sight reproduce reality. Touching a hot stove activates temperature sensors in the skin that convey pain and trigger reflexive hand withdrawal; an object moving quickly in our peripheral vision draws our gaze to enable … Continue reading In the brain of the beholder: the neurocognitive basis of hallucinations
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