Monoclonal antibody inhibition of PAR2 reduces phenotype... : PAIN Reports mising therapeutic target for visceral pain management in IBD. Objectives: We set out to determine signaling mechanisms deployed by PAR2 in the lumbar splanchnic nerve and whether inhibiting PAR2 with the mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb), PAR650097 (mPAR650097) provided therapeutic benefit in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods: We first used ex vivo electrophysiological recordings of mouse lumbar splanchnic nerve to determine how stimulation of PAR2 alters afferent activity and the intracellular signaling mechanisms involved. Second, we used the DSS model of colitis in mice and determined how mPAR650097 altered disease activity, behavior, colon histology, and the activity of nociceptive circuitry. Results: Protease-activated receptor 2 stimulation in the colon activated visceral afferent fibers and sensitized them to mechanical and chemical stimuli. We found that endosomal internalization and protein kinase A/C signaling mediate both activating and sensitizing effects of PAR2 in visceral pain. We further show that inhibiting PAR2 with the mAb mPAR650097 reduces DSS-induced colitis severity and pain. mPAR650097 also reduced several colitis-induced pain correlates at key points along the pain-signaling axis, including peripheral nociceptive neuron signaling and sensitivity, expression of proinflammatory mediators, spinal cord signaling, and, fundamentally, behavior. Conclusion: These findings illustrate that mAb inhibition of PAR2 represents a promising approach to provide relief from abdominal pain in those living with IBD....

Excited to have this #PainResearch paper out from our @phar.cam.ac.uk lab:

"Monoclonal antibody inhibition of PAR2 reduces phenotype severity and pain in murine inflammatory bowel disease"

journals.lww.com/painrpts/ful...

Great!😂 @cellpress.bsky.social

Garlic inhibits mating and egg laying in Aedes vector mosquitoes

And another great paper in Cell from the best ever behavioralist, Dr. Shimaa Ebrahim!!!

Wow!! Amazing; Congratulations!!

nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

I’m thrilled to share my journey from the kitchen to the lab, which has ultimately led me to publish in Cell Journals. I hope you enjoy reading my latest paper:

We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist to work on challenging and exciting neuroproteomics problems. Close collaboration with @coscialab.bsky.social Apply: jobs.helmholtz-hzi.de/job/Braunsch...

This's wild! Congrats for the whole team!!

a cartoon illustration of a rat holding a sign that says keep it weird ALT: a cartoon illustration of a rat holding a sign that says keep it weird

A naked mole-rat please!

@mdc-berlin.bsky.social

Excited to see our paper with Sam @amapruns.bsky.social and Fabian Coscia now published.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🎉New paper out from the lab, led by @baptistepiqueret.bsky.social: ant larvae chemically suppress the reproduction of their caregivers. bit.ly/4t8uZLG
An example of how social interactions are regulated at the molecular level. The work was made possible by the unique environment @mpi-ce.bsky.social

The molecular evolution of vertebrate organs - Nature Ecology & Evolution This Review discusses recent advances in the molecular evolution of vertebrate organs, including rates of evolution of organs and cell types, molecular mechanisms of organ evolution and how complex tr...

New Review 👇

The molecular evolution of vertebrate organs: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Margarida Cardoso-Moreira discusses rates of evolution of organs and cell types, molecular mechanisms of organ evolution and how complex traits contributed to the diversification of vertebrates.

A person stands outdoors in front of a giraffe, looking up at it.

A newborn giraffe and an adult giraffe in an enclosure.

Two people examine a sample of giraffe placenta on a metal bench.

A person in a white lab coat loads samples into a machine in a lab.

Crick evolutionary biologist @margaridamcm.bsky.social is working with conservation charity ZSL to investigate an enduring mystery: how the placenta has evolved with incredible variation across species.

Read the full story: www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-03...

🗞️Our March issue is live, with killifish artwork by
Dario Valenzano on the cover!🎨Read work on senescence in mammary gland remodelling, structural protein changes as readouts of Alzheimer’s disease, the 201 Parkinson’s disease trial & more ✨https://nature.com/nataging/volumes/6/issues/3

I love it!!

We are very proud: Julio Antonio Otárola Jiménez successfully defended his PhD thesis today! His research topic was "From Courtship to Egg-Laying: How Chemical Cues and Experience Shape Reproductive Strategies in Drosophila melanogaster". Congratulations, Julio!

Congrats Noah!

Why is Spotted Wing Drosophila attracted to fruit at its prime, instead of overripe fruit like other flies? Xue and Dweck found the neuron receptor shifts responsible for this $500M agricultural problem, in this impressive 2-author work out of the CT Ag Experiment Station!

This‘s fantastic; Congratulations!!

Receptor sequence divergence, gain, loss, duplication, and neofunctionalization drive olfactory adaptation in Drosophila suzukii | PNAS Shifts in ecological niches are often driven by evolutionary changes in the olfactory system, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understoo...

I am very happy to share that the latest work from the lab, led by Dr. Qi Xue, has been published in PNAS and is now online: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Amazing Hany!! Congratulations; very proud!!

This was a stunning talk, Caro!! Congratulations twice!!

Wow!! Congratulation!

Congrats Dario!

Spontaneous aging-associated inflammation and genome instability in the immune system of turquoise killifish - Nature Aging Turquoise killifish are naturally short-lived vertebrates that serve as a model system for aging. The authors show that killifish exhibit age-related transformation in the immune system, which rapidly...

Aging killifish show systemic inflammation and accumulating DNA damage in progenitor-like immune cells, offering a window into the evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of vertebrate immune aging.
Great work from Gabriele, @mdonertas.bsky.social, and the whole team.
www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Took it with me to Berlin :P

Drosophila santomea males frequently court other males due to specific changes in their pheromone signals and how these cues are interpreted. By rewiring chemical communication, this species shows how social signals can drive striking shifts in mating behaviour
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I don’t have insta.. Please post it here as well 🤩😉

Congratulations 🎉

Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds High-sugar diets cause human metabolic diseases, yet several bird lineages convergently adapted to feeding on sugar-rich nectar or fruits. We investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms in hummin...

Happy to see this one out! Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A naked mole-rat

In collaboration with Nora Bourbia @ukhsa.bsky.social we have a fully funded (UK/home fees) PhD studentship available @phar.cam.ac.uk:

"Radiotherapy induced nerve damage and pain: can we prevent it?"

Naked mole-rats will be involved!