Madeline Lancaster
@lancasterlab.bsky.social
Developmental neurobiologist using cerebral #organoids to study brain size and evolution. Opinions my own.
Help spread the word about the fully funded 4-yr PhD places available at the Max Planck School of Cognition. Pursue a passion for research & advance the understanding of cognition, mentored by a network of world renowned scientists. @maxplanck.de @mps-cognition.bsky.social More info & how to apply:
Application
Application; application procedure; FAQs; handbook
cognition.maxplanckschools.org
Cool new preprint from the McDole lab on morphogenesis of the antero-ventral mammalian embryo. Lots of nice microscopy and morphometric analysis in this! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Choreographed morphogenetic events underlie early foregut development in the mouse embryo
Between embryonic days 7.5 and 8.5, the mouse embryo undergoes a dramatic rearrangement of its entire anterior, a process known as ventral folding: the near-simultaneous morphogenesis of the cardiac c...
biorxiv.org
With expansion of several stem cell based initiatives @lieberinstitute.bsky.social - we are hiring! We are looking for a Staff Scientist with expertise in hiPSCs and iPSC-derived neuronal models to join our Stem Cell Core, directed by @tsawada1.bsky.social recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/j...
Very grateful to Martin Pera for his excellent News & views piece on our recent paper with @lancasterlab.bsky.social in @natbiotech.nature.com doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Restoring pluripotency to pluripotent stem cells - Nature Biotechnology
Human pluripotent cell lines that cannot generate cortical organoids are rescued by an epigenetic reboot.
doi.org
Magdalena Sutcliffe, @lancasterlab.bsky.social & @stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social demonstrate how epigenetic ‘memory’ shapes stem cell potential, but a chemical reset can restore differentiation ability. Read more: shorturl.at/PZ4tV #LMBResearch @cellbiol-mrclmb.bsky.social @babrahaminst.bsky.social🧪
Super proud and excited to share this new paper from our lab, a huge collaborative effort from an amazing team! If you do any differentiation of PSCs, this will be of interest 🤓👇 And if you’d like to try out this PSC standardisation, reach out and we’ll happily share the protocol!
Stefan Schoenfelder@stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social · last mo.Very happy to see this story finally out in @natbiotech.nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Fantastic collaboration with @lancasterlab.bsky.social on how to identify and ‘fix’ differentiation-compromised human pluripotent stem cells. @babrahaminst.bsky.social @mrclmb.ac.uk 🧵 below
Tribute to Gail Martin www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Discoverer of #EScells whose curiosity went beyond cells, genes / embryos. Good for younger generations to learn @ these giants. NB. Unfathomable why she was overlooked for a Nobel Prize, though this says more @ prizes than @ her.
How does an embryo generate the right cells in the right place? Delighted to share our latest findings on how neural crest cells acquire vagal or trunk identities Spoiler alert: The timing & combination of CDXs preconfigures cell identity & distinct HOX states www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Temporally distinct CDX programmes preconfigure vagal and trunk neural crest
Neural crest cells (NCCs) are progenitor cells vital in establishing the head, heart, gut and peripheral nervous system of vertebrate embryos. Disruptions to NCC development underlie neurocristopathie...
biorxiv.org
You also don't have to do an editor's job of deciding if a paper "fits" or is "impactful enough" for their journal, because you're a scientist and not a marketing agent for the publisher.
Timothy O'Leary@timothyoleary.bsky.social · 2mo agoDear peer reviewers everywhere: sometimes we feel pressure to find issues with a submission as a demonstration of diligence. But we have to recognise this is a mistake: picking random and sometimes incoherent holes in research add confusion, generates unnecessary work and encourages defensive
Cool work from the McDole lab just published. Primordial germ cells have to endure some pretty tight spaces on their journey! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Primordial germ cells experience increasing physical confinement and DNA damage during migration in the mouse embryo
Mammalian PGCs face a challenging journey to the gonads, and experience DNA damage as they navigate through confined spaces.
science.org
Thank you for this important paper! Using biobanks of thousands of people to check what effects archaic coding variants might have. Finding certain variants in healthy modern humans helps clarify which might have real consequences to human evolution, and which do not.
Simon Fisher@profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 9mo agoHow did DNA changes that alter protein structures impact evolution on the branch that led to modern humans? As we demonstrate today in Science Advances, biobanking initiatives offer ways to directly assess biological effects of rare archaic variants in living people, & (re)evaluate their roles. 🧬🧪
This is a great article and you can read it free here! A fresh perspective to understanding language with an interdisciplinary and integrative approach.
Simon Fisher@profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 10mo agoIf you are unable to download the full version of our newly published language evolution article in Science, there is a link for direct free access on the Max Planck Institute website here:
Cool paper and cool thread! Makes me wonder, what’s going on in a whale or dolphin brain where there’s essentially no layer 4 🤔
neurosock@neurosock.bsky.social · 11mo agoA core function of cortex is predicting what happens next given the world's state. This recent paper from Oxford shows how cortical layers may use a delay trick to learn to predict. A simple illustration can explain the idea. A🧵with my toy model and notes: #neuroskyence #compneuro #NeuroAI
Super excited for the start of #EESorgan 2025! One of my favorite parts of coming to EMBL is the walk to the ATC through the forest. Can’t wait for 4 days of awesome organoid science!
We are recuiting two new Associate Professors here in Oxford Biochemistry. Come join us! Reach out to me if you have any questions. Please repost! tinyurl.com/mr3m7bd3
New paper alert! Rare DNA changes in the SETBP1 gene are linked to speech problems & diverse syndromes affecting brain development. Work led by ace postdoc @maggiemkwong.bsky.social uncovered impact of different gene variants, coupling clinical/speech evaluation to molecular & cellular readouts.🧬🗣️🔬🧪
SETBP1 variants outside the degron disrupt DNA-binding, transcription and neuronal differentiation capacity to cause a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder - Nature Communications
Different types of SETBP1 variants cause variable developmental syndromes with only partial clinical and functional overlaps. Here, the authors report that SETBP1 variants outside the degron region impair DNA-binding, transcription, and neuronal differentiation capacity and morphologies.
nature.com
The Vienna BioCenter PhD Program application deadline is approaching: October 10! Join one of Europe’s premier life science campuses, home to cutting-edge research across all areas of biology. Apply and start your scientific journey in Vienna! training.vbc.ac.at/phd-program/ #PhD #LifeSciences
PhD Program
Empowering Curious Researchers at the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program Are you a curious and motivated student looking to launch a successful scientific career? Look no further than the Vienna BioCenter P...
training.vbc.ac.at
Julius Brennecke@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social · 12mo agoLove RNA biology? Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇). PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself. DM or email us if you’d like to know more! @vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social
Interested in the mechanisms of neurogenesis, and how they might converge/differ across species, regions, and life epochs? Check this out, wonderful location and great science! Please RT neuro-unige.ch/news/csf-mee...
Nine former CDC directors, from Bill Foege onward, speak out about the incalculable harm that RFK, Jr. is doing to public health in the US and around the world. Gift link.
Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
nytimes.com
Amazing work! The Silver lab is on a roll!
Debby Silver@debbysilver.bsky.social · last yr.Sharing our newest study led by the incredibly talented @federicamosti.bsky.social investigating new molecular mechanisms of human brain development. We discover a human-specific enhancer HAR1984 that influences chromatin looping to promote cortical size and folding! www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Delighted & excited to share our latest preprint on non-canonical enhancers in human pluripotent stem cells, the result of a fantastic and fun collaboration with @guenesdoganlab.bsky.social: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵 below
Non-canonical enhancers control gene expression and cell fate in human pluripotent stem cells
Enhancers are key gene regulatory elements that ensure the precise spatiotemporal execution of developmental gene expression programmes. However recent findings indicate that approaches to identify en...
biorxiv.org
This is amazing. Really interesting science made accessible to non experts. I recommend tuning in if you can, even for a little while
Hank Green@hankgreen.bsky.social · last yr.200+ scientists are in the middle of a marathon livestream to show why weather and climate science is so important and needs all our help to continue. It is here: wclivestream.com/watch
Hi friends - In the face of unprecedented cuts to the basic research science funding, climate scientists are staging an 100-hour live stream of why science matters. There will be many talks on all sorts of things (I'm Saturday at 12:30 PT). Please share widely! wcstreamathon.netlify.app. 🌊🧪
The Weather & Climate Livestream
Join us starting May 28th, as meteorologists and climate scientists from across the US share their research and answer your questions.
wcstreamathon.netlify.app
Still openings, check it out!
Denis Jabaudon@djabaudon.bsky.social · 2y ago🧠Job Opening!🧠 We are opening 2️⃣! positions – bioinformatics / molecular biology – in a project studying how temporal patterns set up connectivity in human brain tissue. @institutimagine.bsky.social. Full details below, contact me for details if interested. And please retweet (re-bluesky?)!
New Faraday Fellowships for international applicants moving to the UK Up to £4 million per researcher over 5-10 years Fast-track option for mid-career researchers looking to relocate to the UK
The Royal Society@royalsociety.org · last yr.Today we've announced the new Faraday Fellowship accelerated international route, which will grant up to £30 million in funding over the next two years to attract global talent and support the development of world-leading research groups in the UK: #RSGrants royalsociety.org/news/2025/05...
This is so cool! It’s beautiful to see exactly the kind of elegant genetic locus swapping experiments I’ve been hoping to see in the field 🤩 Nice work Debby and team!
Debby Silver@debbysilver.bsky.social · last yr.Thrilled to share our latest study out in @natureportfolio.nature.com led by the fantastically talented Jing Liu. Our study provides insight into a long standing question in biology: What molecular features make us uniquely human and how do these function? www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out this impressive work from the Jabaudon lab exploring an age old question: how does the forebrain grow more than the rest of the brain?
Denis Jabaudon@djabaudon.bsky.social · last yr.Why does the forebrain expand dramatically while other neural regions grow less? Our new publication reveals progenitor metabolism critically shapes region-specific brain growth. Thread below. authors.elsevier.com/a/1k-udL7PXu...
