News and Events

• Dr. Roberto Dominguez and coworkers have discovered that a protein called leiomodin (Lmod) promotes the assembly of an important heart muscle protein called actin. What’s more, Lmod directs the assembly of actin to form the pumping unit of the heart.
  • The findings appear the journal Science
  • See Penn press release
• Dr. Sandy Levine leads investigation of causes of muscle atrophy in patients on mechanical ventilators.  Please see article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
  
  Dr. Levine’s study shows that the combination of mechanical ventilation and diaphragm inactivity elicits marked atrophy of diaphragm muscle fibers.  These prominent decreases in diaphragm muscle fiber size would be expected to decrease the pressure generating capacity of the diaphragm by approximately 50%.  Therefore, it may explain the difficulty in breathing experienced by patients who have undergone prolonged mechanical ventilation and have difficulty breathing following removal from the ventilator.
   
• Dr. Erika Holzbaur and Dr. Yale Goldman discover that proteins carrying chemical cargo in nerve cells react differently when exposed to the tau protein, which plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease.
  • See original article in the journal Science. 
  • See Penn Press Release
• Dr. Tejvir Khurana leads expedition to Mount Everest to study hypoxia.
  • See pictures and detailed blog.
• Congratulations to Dr. Paul Janmey on receiving a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.  Nomination for this award was by 3 prominent German scientists and it is conferred in recognition of lifetime achievements in research.
• Congratulations to Dr. Ram Dixit on his new assistant professor position in the Department of Biology at Washington University, St. Louis
• Congratulations to Dr. Jenny Ross on her new assistant professor position in the Department of Physics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
• Congratulations to Dr. Jenn Levy and Dr. David Hokanson for receiving their Ph.D.’s.
• KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia - Penn Scientists Get $2M ...
  Cooperman is working with fellow Penn professor Yale Goldman and Anima Cell Metrology Incorporated. He says you could compare current technology to looking...
  • Penn Scientists Share $2 Million to Develop Tool to Study Proteins at Work in Living Cells, is located online at Penn:
    
• YALE E. GOLDMAN, MD, PhD
  2006 Fellow of the Biophysical Society
  This award is designed to honor the Society's distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science and to the expansion of the field of biophysics.
  
• TEJVIR S. KHURANA, MD, PhD
  2007 ASCI Elected Member
  The ASCI comprises more than 2,800 physician-scientists from all medical specialties elected to the Society for their outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research.
  
• JOSEPH W. SANGER, PhD
  2007 American Association of Anatomists (AAA) Elected Fellow
  The rank of Fellow of the American Association of Anatomists honors distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in Science and in their overall contributions to the Anatomical Sciences.