Penn Microbiology

Virology Seminar 💉 5/13/25 12-1 PM 209 Johnson Pavilion Helena Winstone, PhD, Weiss Lab “Mapping Spike determinants of MERS-CoV spillover” Amber Abbott, Weitzman Lab “High-throughput identification of RNA-binding protein localization patterns altered during adenovirus infection”

Save the Date! The PennCHOP Microbiome Program 2025 Annual Symposium December 3rd and 4th Join for a dynamic educational workshop and an exciting and esteemed group of speakers headlined by the symposium’s plenary speaker, Astronaut Kate Rubins. Registration link to follow.

Check out new art at The SPACE gallery, featuring photographs of layered weathering graffiti. All proceeds to the artist are donated to Philabundance, to address food insecurity in our area. thespacephiladelphia.com/online-store-f…

BREAKING: A federal judge on Monday dismissed a December 2023 lawsuit against Penn that alleged the University had not sufficiently responded to campus antisemitism. l8r.it/Ks30

Congrats @StephenBagleyMD @DrORourke2 and colleagues @PennCancer on their manuscript in @NatureMedicine showing safety and early efficacy of bivalent CAR T cells in 18 patients with recurrent #glioblastoma! nature.com/articles/s4159…

🚨NEW REVIEW- The Next Innovations in Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Immunotherapies for Cancer -Armored CAR T cells -Genetic Enhancement of CAR T cells -In Vivo CAR T Cell Therapy @isctglobal @Cytotherapy #immunotherapy sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Congrats to Lydia Mendoza and the team on their latest publication: detailed characterization of immune responses against recent influenza strains at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. PMID: 40452165.

In case you were wondering why research is important: check out the song from Mags McCarthy and Bruce Levine on saving lives with novel cancer therapy: youtube.com/watch?v=dkOrbj…

Contrats to Saira, Kushol and the team on an important publication on HIV integrase structure and inhbitor resistance. Escape from allosteric inhibitors is associated with notable conformational changes. PMID: 40409709

Microbiology Seminar 🔬 *Last Spring Seminar* Wednesday 5/14/25 12-1PM CRB Austrian Auditorium Tim Sheahan, PhD "Preparing for Tomorrow’s Pandemics Today: Broad spectrum antivirals for emerging coronavirus infections" sph.unc.edu/adv_profile/ti…

Please join for a Special Seminar 5/12/25 12pm 209 Johnson Pav Melissa Smith PhD, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville. “Decoding diversity: genomic technologies for characterizing the host-pathogen relationship” louisville.edu/medicine/cance…

Virology Seminar 💉 Tuesday 5/6/2025 12-1 PM 209 Johnson Pavilion Nikki Tanneti, PhD, Weiss Lab "Risk factors for MERS-CoV infection" Gabby Scher, PhD, Hensley Lab “Effects of prior immunization with a 20HA mRNA-LNP vaccine on subsequent heterologous HA mRNA-LNP vaccinations”

Prokaryotic Seminar 🦠 Monday 5/5/25 4-5PM 209 Johnson Pavilion Jacob Cote, Pohlschroder Lab “Mutants in Motion: Identification and Characterization of Novel Motility Regulation Genes in the Model Archaeon Haloferax volcanii”

Thanks so much to Bruce Walker for the moving talk on HIV immunology and mitigating AIDS in Africa. It is heartbreaking that federal cuts to PEPFAR over the next four years are projected to result in 4 million additional deaths and 6 million additional infections (UNAIDS).

Microbiology Seminar 🔬 Please join us for the annual -Neal Nathanson Lecture- TODAY! Wednesday 4/30/25 12-1PM CRB Austrian Auditorium Bruce Walker, MD "HIV as a model for immune control and immune failure: Insights from Africa" ragoninstitute.org/bruce-d-walker/

Microbiology Seminar 🔬 Please join us for the annual -Neal Nathanson Lecture- This Wednesday! Wednesday 4/30/25 12-1PM CRB Austrian Auditorium Bruce Walker, MD "HIV as a model for immune control and immune failure: Insights from Africa" ragoninstitute.org/bruce-d-walker/

Microbiology Seminar 🔬 Mark your calendars! Please join us for the annual -Neal Nathanson Lecture- Wednesday 4/30/25 12-1PM CRB Austrian Auditorium Bruce Walker, MD "HIV as a model for immune control and immune failure: Insights from Africa" ragoninstitute.org/bruce-d-walker/

Congrats to Marie Seleme, Aradhana Kasimsetty and the team on their report of effective methods for increasing expression from AAV vectors by blocking SUMOylation. Effective boosting by treatment with an inhibitor presently under investigation in humans! (PMID: 40263936)

📢There will be *NO* Microbiology Seminar on Wednesday April 23rd.

Virology Seminar 💉 Tuesday 4/22/2025 12-1 PM 209 Johnson Pavilion Join Nicole Bracci, Ph.D., Weiss Lab “The Cooperative Impact of Coronavirus Innate Immune Antagonists”