Kristian G. Andersen
@kgandersen.bsky.social
16K followers 210 following 1.5K posts
Infectious diseases & genomics. Immunologist in (voluntary) exile. Minimal sarcasm. Fierce HOA (Hater of Acronyms). Personal account - opinions expressed are my own and not those of my employer.
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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
angierasmussen.bsky.social
For more information about the Friday night massacre at CDC, I wrote up an analysis of who got terminated and what that means for public health.

Grateful to @saveamericamvmt.bsky.social for supporting and amplifying. We are in really terrible trouble.

rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
angierasmussen.bsky.social
I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.
kgandersen.bsky.social
Turbo cancer!!!! Turbo lung cancer!!!!!!

I bet that’ll net you at least your usual Monthly Zoonati Stipend. No cover-up needed!!!!!!!!!
kgandersen.bsky.social
“Hey, Kristian, you should try a continuous glucose monitor”

Puts on continuous glucose monitor

Drinks beer

“Stelo has detected a glucose spike”

Rips off continuous glucose monitor. Such rubbish.
kgandersen.bsky.social
For a 650% discount, I'm going to go get myself the COVID so I can get on one of them lung drugsies. $6.5 on the dollar is not too shabby.
kgandersen.bsky.social
So much dumbfuckery that it is near-impossible to pick, however, from my own little world of COVID-19 origin the Propublica / Vanity Fair piece where a bunch of white dudes had taught themselves Secret Chinese that even the Chinese themselves couldn't understand, well, that takes the cake.
kgandersen.bsky.social
Gipson?? Thanks, autocorrect... Let's make that a Gilson...
kgandersen.bsky.social
As we’re sending Mark off on his next adventure - after nine amazing years in the lab - I can also conclude that AI made our cakes go next level…

Mark will be spending the next year(s?) biking through North, Central, and South America!

Gipson in hand, I’m sure! 🚴‍♂️
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
kgandersen.bsky.social
My PhD was on regulatory T cells (focused on elucidating their evolutionary history + exploiting Foxp3 for genetic therapeutic tricks), so happy to see work on them awarded the Nobel.

Surprised not to see Sasha Rudensky + Fiona Powrie in place of a couple of others in this list...
enirenberg.bsky.social
This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was just announced:
www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medic...

This seems like a good opportunity for me to explain a bit about peripheral immune tolerance and where the prizewinners' work comes in 🧵
6 October 2025

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to:

Mary E. Brunkow
Institute for Systems Biology,
Seattle, USA

Fred Ramsdell
Sonoma Biotherapeutics,
San Francisco, USA

Shimon Sakaguchi
Osaka University,
Osaka, Japan

“for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
angierasmussen.bsky.social
“I fear for public health in our country.”

Former CDC Chief Medical Officer @drdebhoury.bsky.social says that the national US public health system has been subjected to a “hostile takeover” and she’s right. We should all share her fears. Kennedy must go.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
A ‘hostile takeover’: ousted CDC official raises alarm over RFK Jr approach to infectious disease
Debra Houry speaks after testifying on eight months under Kennedy, who critics say shuns science and spreads falsehoods
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
flodebarre.bsky.social
Interesting interview of @peterdaszak.bsky.social by @nicolascgrey.bsky.social on the personal consequences of having become a public villain in a set of conspiracy theories

www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
gregfolkers.bsky.social
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former Director of NIAID, is Fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy in Retaliation for Filing Whistleblower Complaint with the Office of Special Counsel

bit.ly/4gRA3yx
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
zachhensel.bsky.social
Here’s an op-ed I wrote arguing to get back to a focus on the relevant facts when it comes to pandemic origins.

I wrote it in response to a debate that’s played out over the last year in Norwegian media that rarely slows down to check what’s true and false.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
acritschristoph.bsky.social
organizing works 😎

It is the only thing that works in the moment. Admins won't work. Funders won't work. If you're in academia, get involved and support @aaup.org, support your scientific societies, and help them learn to fight and speak out. Collective organizing is the only approach that works.
aaup.org
AAUP @aaup.org · 11d
BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:
Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com
Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...
www.courtlistener.com
kgandersen.bsky.social
Unfortunately, most of what is described in that article is false and the authors seem to have a very poor understanding of current biosafety regulations.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
sanderlab.bsky.social
#CDC is renaming #Mpox using the old misleading and stigmatizing term. #Mpox was set as global consensus by @who.int and there is no scientific or public health reason to go back to an outdated terminology.
What we need is action: vaccination, awareness & equitable access, not backward naming.
Monkeypox
Monkeypox is a viral disease related to smallpox that spreads mainly through close contact.
www.cdc.gov
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
ryanhisner.bsky.social
Attenuation of the SARS-2 furin-cleavage site (FCS) continues apace. It's beginning to look as if some form of FCS-weakening mutation might well become fixed in the near future. Collectively, they are at ~12% globally—a totally unprecedented level—& rising quickly. 1/4
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
enirenberg.bsky.social
I'm not in any way trying to diminish this development—it's a very good thing!—but we should not be in a position where philanthropy is required to ensure people can access lifesaving medication.
bachynski.bsky.social
This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”
Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.
www.nytimes.com
kgandersen.bsky.social
Also worth talking about the HR=1.05 [1.02 - 1.09] reported by that study...

It's bonkers that we're even here.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
pathogenomenick.bsky.social
A bit like spiralling publication costs we need to start having a proper discussion around lab equipment servicing costs. These are often completely disproportionate to the cost of instrument and the service that is provided and seem to serve as a cash cow for vendors.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
baym.lol
Immigrants, particularly on H1Bs, are the lifeblood of American innovation. If you wanted to hurt US competitiveness in the next century, I can think of few more effective ways than a move like this

Even when found illegal, the mere intent will have irreparably harmed our future
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
gregfolkers.bsky.social
Science: Gold standard science requires gold standard scholarship

by Holden Thorp
bit.ly/46K5A26