The 2025–26 school year may be over, but ISB Education hasn't slowed down. This spring & summer, our team expanded teacher professional learning, finalized new classroom resources, welcomed district STEM leaders to ISB, and launched another summer of student research. isbscience.org/news/educati...

2025-26 School Year ISB Education Highlights

Throughout the 2025-26 academic school year, the ISB Education team provides quarterly updates on curriculum, programs, interns, and more.

isbscience.org

Dear microbiome enthusiasts: I'm excited to be moving my lab to New York University this fall (& the NYU Institute for Engineering Health); with joint-appointment @isbscience.org I'm hiring a postdoc @ NYU to look at diet-driven evolution in the gut: apply.interfolio.com/189980 Please share! 🦠🤓

Read ISB's news release here: isbscience.org/news/press-r...

Dfam and Repbase Unite to Create a Fully Open Resource for Transposable Element Research

Dfam and Repbase are joining under a fully open framework, making decades of transposable element data freely available to accelerate genome annotation and genomics research.

isbscience.org

Dfam Database of Transposable Elements@dfam.bsky.social · last mo.

A New Open Foundation for TE Research: GIRI is transitioning the full Repbase collection to an open-access license and joining the Dfam effort to help build a unified open resource for transposable element research. Full announcement: tinyurl.com/48665xss

160+ guests joined @isbscience.org for An Evening of Laurels, celebrating @nobelprize.org laureate Dr. Mary Brunkow and the future of women in science. This short video captures highlights. Full recap and video: isbscience.org/news/women-i... @lostwomenofsci.bsky.social

"There is a profound curiosity." Last week, Lost Women of Science co-founder Katie Hafner joined Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow for a conversation about overlooked women scientists, mentorship, visibility, and creating opportunities for future generations. Watch: isbscience.org/news/women-i...

Lost Women of Science’s Katie Hafner Joins Mary Brunkow for Conversation on Recognition, Mentorship, and Opportunity

Lost Women of Science co-founder Katie Hafner joined Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow to talk overlooked women scientists, mentorship, and more.

isbscience.org

"Leave yourself open to opportunities when they arise. Be willing to take a risk and say yes to the unknown." @nobelprize.org laureate Mary Brunkow delivered the commencement address at the UW's 151st Commencement ceremony. Her remarks start around the 2-hour mark: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhoc...

2026 University of Washington Commencement

YouTube video by UW Video

youtube.com

As graduates push back on AI-focused commencement speeches, UW's Nobel Prize-winning commencement speaker is taking a different approach. @geekwire.com talks with @isbscience.org scientist Mary Brunkow ahead of Saturday's commencement address. www.geekwire.com/2026/as-grad...

As graduates push back on AI, UW’s Nobel-winning commencement speaker takes different approach

Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow will be the featured speaker at Saturday's 151st commencement. She's a scientist, not a tech executive — and unlike other graduation speakers this season, she's not plannin...

geekwire.com

Join us June 11 for a free virtual conversation with Katie Hafner, co-founder of @lostwomenofsci.bsky.social , and Nobel laureate Dr. Mary Brunkow. We'll explore the stories behind LWoS, scientific recognition & visibility, & the evolving role of women in science. isbscience.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Our latest preprint, led by PhD student Jacob Cavon, is online: "Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors." 🦠😴🏃⚕️ www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵...

Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors.

Emerging evidence links the gut microbiome to sleep quality, yet measuring sleep at scale remains challenging. Commercial wearables, such as Fitbit, capture objective sleep and activity data in natura...

medrxiv.org

Researchers at @isbscience.org have developed a powerful new platform that can identify and deeply profile antigen-specific #CD4+ #TCells at unprecedented scale and resolution. Learn more from Drs. Rongyu Zhang and Jim Heath: https://bit.ly/3PrpSYt

A global multiomics human diversity study is helping researchers better understand how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and the microbiome interact to shape human health. @cellpress.bsky.social isbscience.org/news/health/...

Global Multiomics Study Reveals How Geography and Ethnicity Shape Human Biology

A multiomics study published in Cell reveals how ethnicity and geography shape metabolism, immunity, the microbiome, and biological aging.

isbscience.org

NEW: @isbscience.org researchers developed a high-throughput platform to identify and profile antigen-specific CD4+ T cells at single-cell resolution. Published in Nature Communications, the work could help advance vaccine research and next-gen cancer immunotherapies. isbscience.org/news/cancer/...

A New Window Into the Immune System: ISB Researchers Develop Powerful Platform to Decode CD4+ T Cells

A new high-throughput platform profiles antigen-specific CD4+ T cells at single-cell resolution for vaccine and cancer research.

isbscience.org

Meet Laasya Cheruvu! Laasya is a junior at Bothell HS in WA who participated in our System Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship. Check out Laasya’s STiSA project: see.isbscience.org/projects/laa... #STEMsystemsthinkers @isbscience.org

Laasya Cheruvu

Laasya's STiSA research paper examines the neurological and psychological effects of adolescent nicotine use.

see.isbscience.org

Thank you for your visit, Congresswoman Jayapal! @jayapal.house.gov

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal@jayapal.house.gov · 3mo ago

It was great to visit @isbscience.org to tour their labs, hear about their groundbreaking work, and recognize Mary Brunkow’s achievement of the Nobel Prize!

Antibiotic resistance in #tuberculosis may start before treatment begins. New research shows oxidative stress from the host immune system can prime bacteria to evolve resistance more quickly — changing how scientists understand the emergence of drug resistance. @nitinbaliga.bsky.social

How Host Stress May Prime Tuberculosis to Rapidly Gain Drug Resistance

New research shows oxidative stress can prime tuberculosis bacteria to rapidly evolve antibiotic resistance, reshaping how resistance begins.

isbscience.org

A new study reveals 1,700+ protein-like molecules hiding in the human genome — expanding what we thought we knew about the proteome. These newly identified “peptideins” could play roles in cancer, immunotherapy, and disease. isbscience.org/news/chronic... @nature.com

Scientists Uncover 1,700+ Protein-like Molecules in the ‘Dark Proteome’

Scientists identify 1,700+ new protein-like molecules in the human genome, revealing a hidden layer with implications for cancer and disease.

isbscience.org

It's worth it! Give it a watch! @alicekane.bsky.social

Science in Seattle@scienceinseattle.com · 3mo ago

🤔 Missed the most recent @isbscience.org Research Roundtable? Catch up on the work of Dr. Alice Kane in this recap: https://bit.ly/4tJWdbV The Kane lab explores the biology of aging, highlighting new biomarkers of aging and insights into menopause and #WomensHealth.

What helps us stay healthier as we age? @alicekane.bsky.social shared how her lab at @isbscience.org is studying #frailty and #aging — and how #exercise, #sleep, financial stability, and life satisfaction may help build #resilience. Recap and full video: isbscience.org/news/isb-eve...

Excited to see this work out! 💩🍨🐁 "If you give a mouse a poopsicle: a novel fecal microbiota transplant method for exploring the role of the gut microbiome in stress-related outcomes in mice" www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm... @isbscience.org @uwnews.uw.edu 🧵...

Frontiers | If you give a mouse a poopsicle: a novel fecal microbiota transplant method for exploring the role of the gut microbiome in stress-related outcomes in mice

BackgroundThe microbiome-gut-brain axis is a mediator of stress-related disorders. The number of preclinical studies exploring the potential causal mechanism...

frontiersin.org

If you missed this week’s Research Roundtable, the recording is now available. ISB’s @alicekane.bsky.social explores the biology of aging — including frailty, menopause, and what shapes long-term health. Watch here: isbscience.org/news/isb-eve...

How the Body Ages: Exploring Frailty, Menopause, and the Biology of Healthspan

Alice Kane on aging, frailty, and healthspan, highlighting new biomarkers, sex differences, and insights into menopause and women’s health.

isbscience.org

💊 An @isbscience.org study reveals a surprising twist: the same drugs designed to stop cancer can also trigger a stress response that helps some cells survive. Researchers showed that melanoma cells can rapidly shift into a temporary, drug-tolerant state to escape treatment: https://bit.ly/3OYKJSB

MolES’ Scientific Exchange sparks microbial engineering collaborations www.moles.washington.edu/moles-scient... @flash-point.bsky.social @isbscience.org @uwgenome.bsky.social @uwbioe.bsky.social @basicsci.fredhutch.org @uwmnewsroom.bsky.social

Today’s the day. Join us at noon PT to watch @alicekane.bsky.social discuss new insights into frailty and women’s health across the menopause transition, shedding light on the biological drivers of aging. This event is free and virtual. Register now! isbscience.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Aging isn’t a single, uniform process. Join us April 21 for a Research Roundtable with @alicekane.bsky.social, exploring frailty and women’s health across the menopause transition — and what it reveals about how the body ages. Free, virtual — register today! isbscience.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

What if cancer doesn’t wait for mutations to survive treatment? New work published in Nature Communications shows melanoma cells can rapidly adapt to targeted therapy — shifting into a temporary, drug-tolerant state driven by stress. @natureportfolio.nature.com isbscience.org/news/cancer/...

The Drug That Stops Cancer Also Teaches It How to Escape

ISB research shows how targeted therapy can trigger a stress-driven escape program, allowing cancer cells to adapt early and evade treatment.

isbscience.org

A new study co-led by ISB and published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine reveals how a rare lung cancer can shift between cell types, pass through hybrid states, and build distinct tumor “neighborhoods” that may help it evade detection and resist treatment.

Cell Reports Medicine@cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Online now: Spatial multi-omics unveils the monoclonal origin, neuroendocrine plasticity, and microenvironment niches in combined small-cell lung cancer

What if some lung cancers don’t stay in one state? Research co-led by @isbscience.org shows rare mixed lung tumors can shift identity as they evolve, creating hybrid cell states & immune-protected regions that may help them resist treatment. @cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social isbscience.org/news/cancer/...

This winter, ISB Education engaged thousands of learners through community events, student field trips, and STEM programs. isbscience.org/news/educati... @systemsed.bsky.social @nitinbaliga.bsky.social @claudiamcl.bsky.social

BrainFest at the Pacific Science Center rocked! 🧠 ⚡️ 🤘 Thank you to all the young scientists who joined our cerebral celebration and all the volunteers, including from our partners at @uwmedicine.bsky.social, UW, @isbscience.org, and many more! #BrainAwarenessWeek #brainfest

Today is National Science Appreciation Day. At ISB, that means advancing research to better understand — and ultimately improve — human health. From cancer & the microbiome to multi-omics & data-driven biology, our teams are working across disciplines to tackle complex problems. isbscience.org

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Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is a nonprofit scientific research organization in Seattle. Learn how our science is transforming health.

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