Madeline Lancaster
@mad_lancaster
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Developmental neurobiologist using cerebral #organoids to study brain size and evolution. Opinions my own.
Cambridge, England
Joined February 2015
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Pinned Tweet
We've started a new Google group dedicated to Brain organoids. Check it out and join us! We want to create an open community to discuss methods, technical difficulties, and uses of organoids:
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This new brain organoid protocol is really working well…
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New paper from the lab out now in
@ScienceMagazine
. A heroic effort by
@laupellegrini
and our awesome collaborators!
Human CNS barrier-forming organoids with cerebrospinal fluid production
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📢New Lancaster Lab paper out now! Check it out, we've discovered a cool way evolution has played with cell shape to make our brains BIG! 🧵
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I'm thrilled to share our latest published paper in
@eLife
where we applied cryo-EM to brain organoids to look at ultrastructure of human axons with unprecedented resolution!
Check out the lovely cryo-CLEM clip below.
And a short 🧵 of what we found.
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Ok, I am seriously worried that a lockdown situation will disproportionately set those of us with small children back. Those without young kids can use this time to focus, read, write papers, apply for grants etc. while we’re just trying to stay sane! Anybody have a solution?
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On this
#WomensDay
I have the most wonderful news to share. Today it was decided that I will be promoted to tenured group leader at the LMB! I am so very honoured to be able to continue to work with my amazing colleagues here. And I want to especially thank my wonderful lab!
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Today is exactly 10 years since publication of our cerebral
#organoids
paper! I've been taking a trip down memory lane looking at my lab book and couldn't resist sharing this page. It took a lot of tests of different conditions first with mouse cells, but it was worth it!
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OTD, exactly 10 years ago, I started the experiment that would lead to my first ever neural organoids. Here’s the 1st page of that experiment in my lab book. I was not planning to make what we now call
#organoids
, but sometimes, science doesn’t go as planned!
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Going on a break from twitter for a bit. All the people telling me my concerns about juggling a full-time job and home-schooling are not valid, in combo with all the tweets telling us how to use this time to analyse data, write manuscripts etc., is just soul-crushing.
Stay safe
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Probably an unpopular opinion, spurred by another discussion going around on Twitter, but…
Can we stop treating “descriptive” like a dirty word in science? Isn’t a description the first step in the scientific method?
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New Lancaster lab publication out in
@Nature
! This was all
@Dabrica
’s idea and due to her ingenuity and hard work, with help from
@ChiaradiaIlaria
,
@laupellegrini
, and Alex Kalinka. Check it out and see our🧵below!
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It’s official! I’m so delighted to announce that I’ve been chosen for the ISSCR Dr. Susan Lim Outstanding Young Investigator Award. Special thanks go to all my past and current lab members. Could not have done it without you!!!
Congratulations 2021 ISSCR Award Winners! Learn more about the outstanding accomplishments of these exceptional leaders and innovative scientists who are honored for their work in stem cell science this year.
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Loving all the single cell stuff in organoids…BUT…
Please please show me the organoids. If your organoids look bad, then the data won’t be good.
Repeat after me people:
Quality👏control👏is👏key!
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📢We have an opening for a postdoc in my lab! If you are interested in brain organoids and excited about development, evolution, or new technologies, please apply. We have a great record of postdoc success too!
RTs much appreciated ☺️
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I did it, I skied down the
@MRC_LMB
“hill”. I promised I would if we got enough snow, and I did, and I have the tracks to prove it!
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New preprint from the lab. We’ve joined the fight, and looked at tropism of the virus causing
#COVID19
in the brain. Great collaboration with
@AnnaAlbecka
and Leo James group. Here’s a breakdown of what we find. 🧵
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I’m so delighted to have been selected. Thank you!
EMBO announces its 67 new members and associate members from 22 countries. Congratulations and welcome!
Read more:
#EMBOMembers
#EMBO
#LifeSciences
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Well, we did not get the cover for our recent paper on CSF producing organoids, but I still think
@laupellegrini
did a fantastic job on these cover submissions, don't you?
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Our new paper on the virus that causes COVID-19 is out now. We show infection of a key barrier that protects the brain. Important implications for viral induced neuropathologies. Great job
@laupellegrini
,
@AnnaAlbecka
and our other co-authors!
New Short Article online now CellStemCell: SARS-CoV-2 infects the brain choroid plexus and disrupts the blood-CSF-barrier in human brain organoids
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Check out our new preprint. We found some pretty interesting human-specific differences and identified a key regulator that when we modify its expression converts human organoids into an ape-like morphology. The power of cell shape!
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ICYMI We've got a new paper out in
@NatureNeuro
and I want to tell you about it. Here's the paper, and here's a short explainer - a thread.
Cerebral organoids at the air–liquid interface generate diverse nerve tracts with functional output
1/11
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This is getting out of hand. Discussion is great, but I mean come on, seriously?? How about all the real, actual sentient people suffering from neurological conditions with no cure because science hasn't had a close enough model? Brain organoids might finally be that model!
Scientists 'may have crossed ethical line' in growing human brains
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Honored to have been chosen this year, thank you! And special thanks to my amazing team of brilliant scientists!
Announcing the 2022 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK 🇬🇧 Laureates🥇🥇🥇
@MattBrookesMEG
@UoN_MEG
@SPMIC_UoN
@UoN_Physics
@UniofNottingham
@Mad_Lancaster
@MRC_LMB
@JelfsChem
@impchemistry
@ImperialSci
@ImperialCollege
#Blavatnik2022
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This is what I have been saying for a long time. Of course they are not actually miniature brains, far from it. Seems like the overhyping is often from those newer to a field, while I have tried to be clear in my seminars where they fail. That said...
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Open position in our division at the LMB. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity people! I cannot stress enough how amazing this place is. It's one of the few places you can focus 100% on making ground-breaking discoveries!
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We're hiring! We have an opening for a postdoctoral scientist in my lab. If you are interested in brain development and evolution, and want to use a cool model system, brain organoids, to do that, please apply!
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We are delighted to share our latest publication! It’s a useful resource to the organoid community, but also uncovers some interesting biology about how tissue shape influences cell fate. Check out the thread below from first author
@ChiaradiaIlaria
!
I'm thrilled to share my first first author PhD paper investigating the link between brain organoid shape and tissue fate 🧵. Thanks to a wonderful teammate (Ivan Imaz Rosshandler) and great collaborators! A big shout out to
@mad_lancaster
🧠🤩
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I am delighted and honoured to have been chosen for this year’s Cheryll Tickle Medal! Thank you so very much. And I’m looking forward to the
#EDBC2023
meeting!
@elmentaite
We are thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2023 BSDB Cheryll Tickle medal is....🥁
Madeline Lancaster 🥳
This medal recognises
@mad_lancaster
's outstanding achievements in the field of
#DevBio
We look foward to her talk at
#EDBC2023
🏅
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New opening in my lab for a post-doc bioinformatician to carry out exciting research on human and ape brain organoids, and to support other bioinformatics related projects. Work with us to find out what makes us human! Please RT.
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Congrats to
@silviakima
on a successful PhD defense!! Silvia is a shining star in my lab and I am so very proud of her! Well done! 🥳🎉
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PhD studentship alert! Do you like birds? I mean, who wouldn't, they're basically little dinosaurs! Wanna understand their brains better? Do you like cool methods, like organoids? Apply here!
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Update on this experiment from 10 years ago...After a week in culture, my attempt at mouse rosettes led to these floating beauties (which I called colonies, or aggregates in my lab book). I remember seeing this in the microscope and thinking, "Oh my god, WHAT is THAT?!"
OTD, exactly 10 years ago, I started the experiment that would lead to my first ever neural organoids. Here’s the 1st page of that experiment in my lab book. I was not planning to make what we now call
#organoids
, but sometimes, science doesn’t go as planned!
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Look at that! Our cover submission for our organoids with functional motor output paper in 2019 may not have been chosen at the time, but here it is on the wall behind the seahorse. It’s a meta cover!
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I don’t normally get political on here, but…
As an American, I miss a lot of things about the USA, but as a mother, recent events have reminded me why it’s unlikely I’ll be going back any time soon. My heart breaks for those families.
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Paper rejected 😪 after longer review process than for me to incubate a baby, have baby, and finish parental leave.
#somethingneedstochange
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This could be particularly relevant to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) where there is evidence of abnormal inflammatory molecules getting into the brain. And CFS/ME symptoms seem to be a key aspect of the increasing reports of
#LongCovid
.
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Twitter has spoken.
My greatest accomplishment?
Growing brain tissues from stem cells: meh.
Balancing a conical tube on the pointy end: freakin’ awesome!
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Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like things are improving with the review process. Recently got reviews back and although we have a lot to do, I feel the reviewers are genuinely trying to help make it a better paper. Thank you whoever you are!
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I have just taken the train (well 4 of them) from Cambridge all the way to Heidelberg. A long trip, but I loved it! Great way to write a grant and cut down on my carbon footprint 🌎👩💻
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Somehow missed this last month, but very interesting explanation for the loss of smell. Also suggests the virus does not enter the brain via olfactory bulb. All the more reason the choroid plexus needs more investigation in post-mortem studies!
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👀 Hang on! Did you say there’s an open position at the LMB?? That’s where I work! And it’s completely, totally, utterly amazing. If you’re thinking about taking that leap, this is THE best place to do it. Scientific freedom, core funding, great facilities… Apply now!
We have an amazing opportunity for someone to lead their own research group in
@CellBiol_MRCLMB
, supported by the LMB’s exceptional scientific facilities, core funding and enthusiastic colleagues!
Apply by 01 NOV
#ScienceJobs
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The first staining and imaging I ever did, I found something really cool. When I got my PI to show him, he just looked down the microscope and said, “those are not cells, that’s just dust.” 😬
So this created some interest.
Any other PIs out there want to share stories of their failed experiments to help those struggling in the lab?
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Matrigel is magic! Yet another example of how embedding in ECM enables beautiful tissue architecture. Here with gastruloids becoming trunk-like structures.
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Never presented inside a church before, let alone one so beautiful in the heart of Naples! Thanks to the organizers for inviting me to such a great meeting!
#NECTAR2023
That kind of meeting that blow O2 to your science enthusiasm. Here with
@mad_lancaster
at NECTAR23
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If you'd like to explore the single cell data from our new choroid plexus-CSF organoid paper, you can find it on the UCSC cell browser, as well as on our website, where we've started putting all our single cell data in one place:
Have fun!
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I've realized that just like for centrifuges, we probably need to start reporting centrifugal force in our methods when using orbital shakers. rpm means nothing without the orbit diameter. And for organoids, the force is key, not just shaking speed!
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Really great PI opportunity at the University of Dundee: a thriving developmental and cell biology community with excellent resources (including stem cell facility!) and fantastic colleagues (including
@katestorey27
and
@LizMillerCU
). Deadline November 21st!
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Me too! People sometimes ask me why, and the answer is simple: I still love being at the bench. It means I can’t do certain other things that other profs do, but to each their own and I’m happy to say that I have contributed experiments to every one of our papers.
I’m a full professor. I keep a bench in my lab, regularly do experiments, and contribute data to most of our publications ~93 peer reviewed, so far). Plus, the opportunities for regular, informal interactions with trainees are priceless
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Nope. Neanderthal minibrains were not grown. Just like mice with a human gene are not suddenly human.
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Interesting. Seems iNeurons are not so homogeneous after all. Time and time again we think we’ve cracked the code, but in the end you can’t rush development!
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🚨 Deadline approaching! If you are interested in starting your own lab, we have an opening in the LMB (AKA the "Nobel factory"). Ample resources, free facilities, focus on the science without other teaching or grant-writing requirements. Apply by Dec 3:
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Congratulations to
@laupellegrini
who is this years recipient of the
@NC3Rs
3Rs prize. Well done! I’m sure I speak for the whole lab when I say we are so very proud of you and glad to call you our friend and colleague!
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We're recruiting new group leaders! This is a great opportunity to start your lab in one of the best places in the world to do science!
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📢 Attention! Are you ready to start your own lab? Do you want to have free rein to do exciting and cutting edge science, with amazing facilities, core funding, and awesome colleagues? Then you NEED to apply to the LMB! Join us!
Please RT 🙏
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“Please allow women to be scientists in their own image - behaving as themselves, rather than following expected norms based on previous male stereotypes.”
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All in all, our data suggests that this virus could infect this important 🧠 barrier, and if that’s infected then it can become leaky to lots of bad stuff getting in to the brain.
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I couldn’t join our lab Xmas celebration in person but I brought some festive spirit virtually from my quarantine room! I’ll be wearing my Christmas jumper to my
@ASCBiology
session too, so come and join me in just a bit to check out my elf outfit! 🎄🧝♀️🎅
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If you’re attending
#ISSCR2020
and you’re interested in brain organoids, come check out my talk in Plenary IV in a couple hours!
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I find this very concerning. As an in vitro organoid person myself, I see the potential to reduce animal use, but they cannot fully replace. We are still learning their abilities and always have to compare with in vivo.
Concerning news that
@The_MRC
is planning to close the Mammalian Genetics Unit of
@MRCHarwell
Doubly concerning as
@sangerinstitute
closes its mouse facilities
The UK urgently needs a coordinated strategy for mouse genetics and model research
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The amazing Laura Pellegrini will be starting her own lab in London at KCL
@dev_neuro
. I couldn’t be more proud! If you’re looking for a rising star lab to join for your PhD or postdoc, this is it!!
I am very excited to join the Centre for Developmental Neurobioly
@dev_neuro
at KCL to continue working on the role of choroid plexus and CSF in brain development using organoids! 🤩
Job adverts coming soon!
Thank you
@MRC_LMB
@CellBiol_MRCLMB
@Mad_Lancaster
for the support!
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Sometimes it’s difficult to get a sense of relative size just from scale bars. Here are sections of brain
#organoids
from two different methods. One with agitation on the right, one without on the left.
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Apologies to those waiting for an email reply from me. It's been a hectic couple weeks, but here's a sneak peak of what we've been up to...
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Something cool happened to me today... I had to fill out a form to select the experimental techniques we use in my lab and....brain organoids was an option! I feel like a proud momma 😊 Don't they just grow up so fast!
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Such a cool discussion around the ethics of brain organoids at
#ISSCR2020
! One thing that became clear to me: we need more input from scientists working on human cognition! What is human consciousness?
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Once again, mouse seems to be the odd one. That’s why it’s so important when only comparing human and mouse to not assume observed differences are “human-specific”.
I’m very excited to share our latest findings! We dive deeper into the mechanisms of the first cell specification event across mammals (mouse, rat, cow,human). Despite some expected similarities, mice seem to molecularly diverge from other mammals!🐁🐀🐄💃
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Congratulations to
@laupellegrini
for winning the LMB postdoc Brenner prize today. Well done to an amazing scientist!! 🥳🎉
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This breaks my heart. I am so saddened to hear of the loss of Suzanne, and my thoughts go out to Tony and their two sons. I had the pleasure of having dinner with the family last year and was struck by Suzanne’s intellect and kindness. We will all miss her
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I just want to give a big shout out to support staff. We had a -80 emergency and lab services took care of it out of hours, no problem. Our support staff often do not get a lot of credit, but they are AMAZING! We at
@MRC_LMB
are so lucky to have them!
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The Brain Organoid group is picking up! Several discussions now on cell lines, applications, and various protocols. If you work with neural organoids of any sort, come and join the discussions!
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I commented on this very thing during the first lockdown. See that biggest bar? That was me...with my 3-year-old...drowning. And I was one of the luckier ones, but let’s just say some comments made me quit Twitter for a while. Good to see some data on it now.
Compared to childless academic men, since the start of the pandemic, women with children have lost over 500 hours of research time. Even compared to men with children they've lost 150-200 hours of research. As for single parents, I'd dread to see the data.
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Wow! I’m flabbergasted. 5000 followers! Thank you all for your support. This year has been difficult, but science Twitter has been that glimmer of sunshine I needed!
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Not one, but TWO, developmental biology superstars coming to the LMB! Can’t wait to welcome Kate and Marta soon.
Two new group leaders at the LMB: Kate McDole and Marta Shahbazi
#LMBnews
@Marta_Shahbazi
#womeninscience
#cellbiology
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Why do we have to go clonal with human pluripotent stem cells? For both reprogramming and genetic engineering. Doesn’t it introduce more problems?
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Well, world events tried to make me feel like crap today, but a quick trip to the lab a look down the microscope at something highly expected, turned it all around! 😁
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Ooh, I got this...zombie apocalypse and I’m a maker of mini-brains to feed the drove of zombies and keep them from coming after our brains...🧟♀️🤤🧠
I just had a friend ask, “The world is ending and you are the only scientist who can save the day....what catastrophe is happening?”
I’m drawing a total blank but I bet science twitter has some excellent answers 😂
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Monday morning musing: Why aren't there pathogenic archaea? We get sick from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and even other multicellular eukaryotes (worms), but not archaea. What's going on there?
@BaumBuzz
, do you have the answer?
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Brain organoids ethics piece. "Not even 100% natural human brains found in neonates can develop into recognizably human minds unless they are given the right interactions and social development..."
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Question for the hive mind: does ATAC-seq work on lightly fixed (PFA) cells? If so, what method do you use?
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Much work still needed, but hopefully this small contribution might provide at least some insight into the neurological aspects of this horrible disease. And open up ways of preventing or reversing them!
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Interested in brain organoids? Want to gain new skills in this exciting field? We have an opening for a maternity cover technician in my lab!
Retweets much appreciated.
Please see the job ad here:
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Overall, we've identified this cool new transition state, that is delayed in humans, and leads to increased organoid size, in line with the difference you see in actual brains.
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I just realised something wild: the chimpanzee brain is closer to the mouse brain in terms of neuron number than it is to the human brain.
Mouse -> chimp: ~30 billion more neurons
Chimp -> human: ~50 billion more neurons
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The choroid plexus (ChP) is what makes your cerebrospinal fluid! It’s also a really important barrier that prevents things from entering the CSF from the blood. So it’s like a gatekeeper, protecting the brain from viruses, toxic compounds and immune cells and factors.
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And look what my lovely lab did to mark the occasion! I have THE BEST lab!
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Deadline approaching (October 10th) for the postdoctoral position opening in my lab. If you're interested in big questions in human brain development and evolution, please apply!
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Lots of great PhD positions available through the CRUK PhD studentship here in Cambridge
Including one in my lab to look at the role of cerebrospinal fluid in human brain development. Apply now! Deadline Nov. 13th.
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What an amazing
#LMBOpenDay
we had at
@MRC_LMB
! Visitors got to see some of our brain organoids and experiment with model versions made of jelly. Lots of messy fun was had by all!
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On a related note, when did “descriptive” become a bad word in science? I think a classical comparative and often descriptive approach can open up so many new routes of investigation!
I would like to see a return to comparative biology in science.
The molecular biological and genetic revolution reduced the species that science has focused on to effectively two, the human and mouse.
There is so much to learn from studying other species from vision to cancer.
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I’m off to
#FENS2022
today! Looking forward to some great interactions over the next couple days. And check out the poster from
@laupellegrini
in session 5. She’ll be presenting our work on choroid plexus-CSF organoids!
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Completely agree. Isn’t that the editor’s job? They should have the best idea of what fits within the scope of the journal. I view my role as reviewer as being quite simple: to assess whether the data supports the claims.
To what extent should a journal's impact factor influence the way we, as reviewers, evaluate a paper submitted for publication?
If IF is a poor predictor of paper quality, why be more stringent for "higher-tier" journals?
Shouldn't we be author- and journal-blinded?
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