Penn Engineers Develop AI Tool to Design Peptides That Turn Signals On or Off News / July 9, 2026 A new Penn-led AI framework could help accelerate peptide drug discovery by generating candidates predicted to have specified effects, such as activating or blocking receptors involved in metabolism, addiction and cancer. Read More
Unearthing New Cancer Treatments From Fungi News / July 8, 2026 Penn Engineers led by Xue ‘Sherry’ Gao have developed a gene-editing tool built specifically for fungi, unlocking a hidden library of molecules — including some with early anti-cancer promise — from one of biology’s most overlooked kingdoms. Researchers have spent decades — and billions of dollars — sequencing animal and... Read More
Opening AI’s Black Box News / July 7, 2026 Danaé Metaxa’s new book explains how tech companies, journalists and policymakers can prevent AI decision making from going wrong. Read More
How Sea Stars Build Materials That Can See News / July 6, 2026 When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment? That question emerged unexpectedly for Ling Li, Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, when his lab... Read More
Transforming Healthcare Logistics With Low-Cost AI News / June 25, 2026 By forecasting demand and correcting for missing data, researchers from Wharton and Penn Engineering developed a low-cost AI tool that helps get life-saving medicines to the communities in Sierra Leone that need them most. Read More
Penn Engineers Study Asthma on Human Lung-on-a-Chip Technology News / June 22, 2026 Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed an asthma-on-a-chip that recreates the physical forces of airway constriction during an asthma attack. The study reveals how mechanical stress can drive tissue stiffening and abnormal blood vessel growth, opening new pathways for understanding asthma and developing future treatments. Read More
Artificial Versus Real Grass: How the Difference Changes the Game News / June 15, 2026 In conversation with Penn Today, mechanical engineer, tennis player and soccer fan Paulo Arratia discusses the material differences between natural grass and synthetic turf. Read More
FireANTs Brings AI Speed and Geometric Precision to Medical Imaging News / June 9, 2026 Open-source algorithm combines AI optimization and geometry to speed medical image matching from days to minutes. Read More
Testing AI Against Public Health’s Existing Tools News / June 8, 2026 Penn-led study found that AI chatbots made vaccine-hesitant parents more likely to say they would vaccinate their children against HPV, but did not outperform materials from government health agencies, whose effects also lasted longer. Read More
Dancing Through Life: From Origami Robotics to Sculptural Art News / June 2, 2026 The first line of the song “Dancing Through Life” from the musical turned movie series “Wicked” claims that the trouble with schools is that they always try to teach the wrong lesson. If this lyric was viewed through the lens of academic research, one might argue that the “wrong lesson”... Read More
