Research

As the world's science and technology have advanced, Penn State's mission in the life sciences has also advanced. The goal of the University is to become a premier center for research and education in the life sciences. Penn State established the Life Sciences Consortium (LSC) in 1995. This virtual organization serves more than 500 life scientists in seven colleges: the College of Health and Human Development; the Eberly College of Science; the College of Medicine; the College of Agricultural Sciences; the College of Engineering; the College of the Liberal Arts; and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The objective is simple: to move forward boldly in the life sciences by supporting the best and most innovative ideas and people, regardless of their academic home and discipline. Providing approximately 152,000 gross square feet with nearly 90,000 assignable square feet of new research and classroom space, the estimated total cost of this building is $42 million.

Areas of current research:

• Peroxisome proliferator-dependent gene regulation
• Biochemical characterization of PPAR
• Altered gene expression as a biological marker
• Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on immune cells
• Nutrition and cancer
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated changes in redox status
• Antioxidants and gene expression in neoplasia
• Mechanistic studies of ras and p53 pathways using cancer-prone, transgenic models
• Molecular targets of phytochemicals
• Toxicology of insect-plant interactions
• Mechanisms of insect taste chemoreception
• Biopesticide action and resistance
• Phytochemical ecology
• Molecular biology of mammalian biotransformation
• Characterization of the human epoxide hydrolases
• Chemical synthesis of non-natural compounds
• Molecular mechanism(s) of toxicity
• Dioxin-mediated signal transduction
• Regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-mediated gene expression
• Biochemistry of heat shock protein complexes
• Gene regulation, structure, and function of glutathione S-Transferase systems