I defended my PhD 10 years ago today. That was the least remarkable thing that happened that day. Sharing something I wrote about it last year. Since then "the horrors persist but so do we." And with dignity.
Thanks to @elife.bsky.social for publishing this really nice insight article about my grad school paper! Absolutely thrilled that folks are excited about the work and the promise of microglia replacement. And yes I do still use these cells daily in my postdoc lab!
elifesciences.org/articles/110...
27-10 Seattle!
Had a great time at the @keystonesymposia.bsky.social meeting for Emerging Cell Therapies this past week in Banff! It’s a tough time out there, but hearing about all these advances in science and medicine from such smart and devoted people is what keeps me going. The scenery didn’t hurt either 🤩
My second Vitanza Lab Secret Santa! So grateful to have always managed to find the very best labs with the very best people. See y’all in 2026! 🎅 🎄 ❄️
📄🚨: Building off a stellar 2023 pub that engineered an hCSF1R variant, Sonia et al. now show how an mCSF1R variant not only confers inhibitor resistance and allows for efficient & non-toxic microglia replacement, but does so after vascular delivery into immunocompetent mice! 👏🧠
tinyurl.com/3wvmm8v3
Let's be clear: no one should be taking medical advice from the man who told Americans to inject bleach.
To moms worried about the Tylenol they took while pregnant: you deserve better than being RFK Jr's scapegoat.
And to the autism community: you are loved exactly as you are.
Had the best time at the 17th annual @seattlechildrens.org Run of Hope benefiting pediatric cancer research! Over half a million dollars raised, and a lovely morning spent with friends, colleagues, and families who give meaning to everything we do. A very bright day in these not so bright times 🏃♀️ ☀️
My favorite training question.
What a wild study! Congrats Maureen et al! I haven't read the paper yet but curious. What would happen in adults? Is the neuro:astrogenesis thing purely bc it's during development? I'm fascinated by the idea of something increasing neurogenesis & being able to use that knowledge for other purposes.
Had a great time at my first #SeattleStorm game today with fellow @seattlechildrens.org Ben Towne Center scientists and friends! #EveryoneWatchesWomensSports
Congrats to the first graduating class of Invent at Seattle Children’s Postdoctoral Scholars! We’re so proud of what you’ve accomplished as Invent Scholars and can’t wait to see how you continue to advance pediatric biomedical research.
#MedSky #BioTech
Given the recent and devastating cuts to the NIH, my colleagues and I from @seattlechildrens.org are running a 5k on 9/21 to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Please consider donating, joining our team, or simply sharing this post to help raise awareness! #EndDIPG
runsignup.com/nemec
Congratulations!!
I thought this was a Magic Eye and spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to see the hidden figure before actually reading the caption of the post.
How does the human brain coordinate hierarchical cortical development? Our work in Nature Neuroscience identifies a role for thalamocortical structural connectivity in the expression of hierarchical periods of cortical plasticity & environmental receptivity in youth 🧵 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Honeymooning in New Zealand when I got the notice that the final version of my thesis paper is out! Huge thank you to the @elife.bsky.social editors and reviewers for making this the smoothest review process I’ve ever had. Give it a read! #microglia #AGS 🤓🧠
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
I am looking for a postdoc with an immunology background interested in joining a Yale neuroscience lab to study how the brain controls immunity. At Yale, we have a wonderful interdisciplinary & collaborative #neuroimmune community. Please reach out or share with anyone who might be interested!
We've launched the Armamentarium, a new toolkit for targeted gene delivery to the brain and spinal cord.
This #OpenScience resource was made possible thanks to support from the NIH BRAIN Initiative and teamwork with our collaborators.
🧠📈 www.nih.gov/news-events/...
This is so cool. I’ve always been flabbergasted at how people are so creative with cover submissions. How do you even think of something like this?!
Happy to share that our work "Amyloid-β induces lipid droplet-mediated microglial dysfunction via the enzyme DGAT2 in Alzheimer’s disease" is out now @cp-immunity.bsky.social! ➡️ www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Had a great time at #SNOPeds2025 this weekend! Thanks to @neuroonc.bsky.social for putting on such a fun and informative conference, and for having it in a city that provided some much needed spring warmth ☀️ 🌴 ☺️
A baby surrounded by medical devices is being held up by someone with gloved hands. A headline reads: "Baby Is Healed With World's First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment." Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania.
Breaking News: A baby with a rare disorder made medical history by receiving the first custom gene-editing treatment. The technique used has the potential to help people with thousands of other uncommon genetic diseases. nyti.ms/4j49xBy
Dr. Ana Cristancho
Our May featured #FacultySpotlight is Dr. Ana Cristancho, CHOP neurologist. In her Q&A, Dr. Cristancho discusses her work investigating the mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of early-life brain injuries. http://ms.spr.ly/63325SZSdd
The #RunofHope is an annual fundraiser for the Seattle Children's #pediatriccancer & blood disorders research. Please consider joining us and/or making a donation. No amount is too small! All donations to our team will go to the Brain Tumor Research Program
runsignup.com/cartforkids
The first photo was what I posted on my Instagram story last night. 18 hours later and I’ve signed up to run a 5k. Y’all I *hate* running. But I’m doing it to raise money for our center to fund pediatric cancer research. Plz considering supporting us! 🏃♀️🫣⬇️
www.runofhopeseattle.org/Race/93971/D...
Thrilled that @chopresearch.bsky.social highlighted our latest work published today in @cp-immunity.bsky.social
www.chop.edu/news/preclin...
Very happy for having contributed to this amazing study led by Jonathan Bastos and Kia Movahedi. Super cool findings! @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social @cp-immunity.bsky.social @liambc.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
LOL our attempt at “learning” bulk seq from google. At least we got Hawaiian pizza out of it 🍍