Brandon Chen, PhD
@brandontwchen.bsky.social
NCI K99 postdoc with Kivanç Birsoy | Inter-organellar metabolic communication, cancer metabolism
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
The link to our paper: dlvr.it/TP5gK5
Machine-learning-guided discovery of SLC25A45 as a mediator of mitochondrial methylated amino acid import and carnitine synthesis
Khan et al. apply machine learning to identify substrates of UNC93A, SLC45A4, and
SLC25A45. Biochemical assays and in vivo metabolite tracing establish SLC25A45 as
a key mediator of mitochondrial impo...
dlvr.it
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The link to our paper: dlvr.it/TP5gK5
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Also thanks to Zachary Sebo and Navdeep Chandel for writing a preview to our work as well as a complementary study from Thomas MacVicar's lab www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
An orphan no more: SLC25A45 controls mitochondrial import of methylated amino acids
Solute carrier (SLC) genes encode the largest membrane transporter superfamily, with
many orphan members of unknown function. In recent Cell Metabolism and Molecular Cell
articles, Khan et al. and Dia...
www.cell.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Also thanks to Zachary Sebo and Navdeep Chandel for writing a preview to our work as well as a complementary study from Thomas MacVicar's lab www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
The cover depicts a GWAS Manhattan plot as a city skyline reflected onto a New York City-style subway metabolic map: organelles as boroughs, metabolites as stations, transporters as trains.
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The cover depicts a GWAS Manhattan plot as a city skyline reflected onto a New York City-style subway metabolic map: organelles as boroughs, metabolites as stations, transporters as trains.
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Happy to see our recent work on SLC25A45 featured on the cover of @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social . Huge thanks to @yuyangliu.bsky.social for the design! @KivancBirsoy @rockefeller.edu
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Happy to see our recent work on SLC25A45 featured on the cover of @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social . Huge thanks to @yuyangliu.bsky.social for the design! @KivancBirsoy @rockefeller.edu
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Excited to share our work on discovery of SLC25A45 as a mediator of mitochondrial methylated amino acid import and carnitine biosynthesis. @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
Machine-learning-guided discovery of SLC25A45 as a mediator of mitochondrial methylated amino acid import and carnitine synthesis
Khan et al. apply machine learning to identify substrates of UNC93A, SLC45A4, and
SLC25A45. Biochemical assays and in vivo metabolite tracing establish SLC25A45 as
a key mediator of mitochondrial impo...
www.cell.com
October 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Excited to share our work on discovery of SLC25A45 as a mediator of mitochondrial methylated amino acid import and carnitine biosynthesis. @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
AND IT'S DONE! A 🧵 on our recent article now out in @natsmb.nature.com! Co-led with @abbybartlett.bsky.social, Pagliarini Lab, @judisimcox.bsky.social, we find ACAD10/11 are NOT like other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases and instead catabolize atypical lipids called 4-hydroxy acids 🤯 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
ACAD10 and ACAD11 enable mammalian 4-hydroxy acid lipid catabolism - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Rashan, Bartlett and colleagues show that mammalian 4-hydroxy fatty acids are primarily catabolized by ACAD10 and ACAD11 (atypical mitochondrial and peroxisomal acyl-CoA dehydrogenases, respectively) ...
doi.org
June 22, 2025 at 11:30 PM
AND IT'S DONE! A 🧵 on our recent article now out in @natsmb.nature.com! Co-led with @abbybartlett.bsky.social, Pagliarini Lab, @judisimcox.bsky.social, we find ACAD10/11 are NOT like other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases and instead catabolize atypical lipids called 4-hydroxy acids 🤯 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Beyond grateful to share that my main PhD thesis project, Targeting PIKfyve-driven lipid metabolism in pancreatic cancer (@lyssiotislab.bsky.social + Arul Chinnaiyan lab), has just been published in @nature.com!
April 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Beyond grateful to share that my main PhD thesis project, Targeting PIKfyve-driven lipid metabolism in pancreatic cancer (@lyssiotislab.bsky.social + Arul Chinnaiyan lab), has just been published in @nature.com!
Happy to share our most recent review on mitochondria-organelle metabolic communication with Yatrik Shah and Costas Lyssiotis now online at Molecular Cell!
We explored aspect of lipid transfer, organelle membrane contacts, ROS, metabolites, and metals!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We explored aspect of lipid transfer, organelle membrane contacts, ROS, metabolites, and metals!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Mitochondria-organelle crosstalk in establishing compartmentalized metabolic homeostasis
Mitochondria serve as central hubs in cellular metabolism by sensing, integrating, and responding to metabolic demands. This integrative function is a…
www.sciencedirect.com
April 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Happy to share our most recent review on mitochondria-organelle metabolic communication with Yatrik Shah and Costas Lyssiotis now online at Molecular Cell!
We explored aspect of lipid transfer, organelle membrane contacts, ROS, metabolites, and metals!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We explored aspect of lipid transfer, organelle membrane contacts, ROS, metabolites, and metals!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Worst week for science EVER.
Sunday: ASM scrubs DEI mentions from website.
Tue: NASA scrubs DEI from website; ICE arrests a student on campus; NSF plans to cut staff; USAID halted.
Wed: HHMI kills diversity program; NIH trashes applications for diversity F grants.
Fri: NIH cuts indirects.
Sunday: ASM scrubs DEI mentions from website.
Tue: NASA scrubs DEI from website; ICE arrests a student on campus; NSF plans to cut staff; USAID halted.
Wed: HHMI kills diversity program; NIH trashes applications for diversity F grants.
Fri: NIH cuts indirects.
February 8, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Worst week for science EVER.
Sunday: ASM scrubs DEI mentions from website.
Tue: NASA scrubs DEI from website; ICE arrests a student on campus; NSF plans to cut staff; USAID halted.
Wed: HHMI kills diversity program; NIH trashes applications for diversity F grants.
Fri: NIH cuts indirects.
Sunday: ASM scrubs DEI mentions from website.
Tue: NASA scrubs DEI from website; ICE arrests a student on campus; NSF plans to cut staff; USAID halted.
Wed: HHMI kills diversity program; NIH trashes applications for diversity F grants.
Fri: NIH cuts indirects.
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
This will kill science in the US. This is how China wins. Why is this not on the news? Why are people not more upset about this?
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-OD-25-068: Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates NOT-OD-25-068. OD
grants.nih.gov
February 8, 2025 at 1:43 AM
This will kill science in the US. This is how China wins. Why is this not on the news? Why are people not more upset about this?
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
A Primer on Indirect Cost Rates
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
media.tenor.com
February 8, 2025 at 12:51 AM
A Primer on Indirect Cost Rates
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
We are soliciting poster and short talk abstracts for the NYASciences Cancer Metabolism meeting. Just around the corner - join us for awesome metabolism in the Big Apple 🍎
Speakers: Kivanc Birsoy, Christine Chio, Marcia Haigis, Andy Intlekofer, Thales PapaG, Jared Rutter, Dan Wahl, Eileen White
Speakers: Kivanc Birsoy, Christine Chio, Marcia Haigis, Andy Intlekofer, Thales PapaG, Jared Rutter, Dan Wahl, Eileen White
February 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
We are soliciting poster and short talk abstracts for the NYASciences Cancer Metabolism meeting. Just around the corner - join us for awesome metabolism in the Big Apple 🍎
Speakers: Kivanc Birsoy, Christine Chio, Marcia Haigis, Andy Intlekofer, Thales PapaG, Jared Rutter, Dan Wahl, Eileen White
Speakers: Kivanc Birsoy, Christine Chio, Marcia Haigis, Andy Intlekofer, Thales PapaG, Jared Rutter, Dan Wahl, Eileen White
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
It’s incredibly hard to study lipids in biological membranes on the nanoscale. You need near-perfect information on both membrane ultrastructure and lipid density, which usually isn’t attainable. Lipid-CLEM brought to you by @mathilda95.bsky.social changes that.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 31, 2025 at 10:28 AM
It’s incredibly hard to study lipids in biological membranes on the nanoscale. You need near-perfect information on both membrane ultrastructure and lipid density, which usually isn’t attainable. Lipid-CLEM brought to you by @mathilda95.bsky.social changes that.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Registration and abstract submissions are open for the Third Annual SoCal Metabolism Symposium at USC. Go to gero.usc.edu/event/third-... The abstract and early bird price deadlines are Feb 28th
February 3, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Registration and abstract submissions are open for the Third Annual SoCal Metabolism Symposium at USC. Go to gero.usc.edu/event/third-... The abstract and early bird price deadlines are Feb 28th
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Fresh new paper alert 🚨 by @marcellharhai.bsky.social @jourdainlab.bsky.social et al. expanding the inventory of potential #mitodisease genes and a herculean deep-dive into FAM136A across models and human disease! 🧪🧫🐭👂
Really happy to see it out and to have played a small part 🔬
#mito #sciencesky
Really happy to see it out and to have played a small part 🔬
#mito #sciencesky
New preprint from the lab! 🚨
🧫 New galactose #CRISPR screening strategy
🎯 481 genes required for #OXPHOS
⚙️ #FAM136A in IMS proteostasis
👂Mito defects in #Menieres disease
by @marcellharhai.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social
A short thread 1/5
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧫 New galactose #CRISPR screening strategy
🎯 481 genes required for #OXPHOS
⚙️ #FAM136A in IMS proteostasis
👂Mito defects in #Menieres disease
by @marcellharhai.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social
A short thread 1/5
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Fresh new paper alert 🚨 by @marcellharhai.bsky.social @jourdainlab.bsky.social et al. expanding the inventory of potential #mitodisease genes and a herculean deep-dive into FAM136A across models and human disease! 🧪🧫🐭👂
Really happy to see it out and to have played a small part 🔬
#mito #sciencesky
Really happy to see it out and to have played a small part 🔬
#mito #sciencesky
Really enjoyed writing this spotlight highlighting recent works from @keunwooryu.bsky.social at al in the Thompson lab along with @lyssiotislab.bsky.social and Yatrik Shah! Mitochondria heterogeneity FTW!
---
Link below to the spotlight and the original @nature.com articles in the reference👇
---
Link below to the spotlight and the original @nature.com articles in the reference👇
ONLINE NOW! Subcellular mitochondrial heterogeneity enables opposing metabolic demands, by @brandontwchen.bsky.social, Yatrik Shah and @lyssiotislab.bsky.social, discussing the recent work by @keunwooryu.bsky.social et al.
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
January 29, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Really enjoyed writing this spotlight highlighting recent works from @keunwooryu.bsky.social at al in the Thompson lab along with @lyssiotislab.bsky.social and Yatrik Shah! Mitochondria heterogeneity FTW!
---
Link below to the spotlight and the original @nature.com articles in the reference👇
---
Link below to the spotlight and the original @nature.com articles in the reference👇
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
ONLINE NOW! Subcellular mitochondrial heterogeneity enables opposing metabolic demands, by @brandontwchen.bsky.social, Yatrik Shah and @lyssiotislab.bsky.social, discussing the recent work by @keunwooryu.bsky.social et al.
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
January 29, 2025 at 2:46 PM
ONLINE NOW! Subcellular mitochondrial heterogeneity enables opposing metabolic demands, by @brandontwchen.bsky.social, Yatrik Shah and @lyssiotislab.bsky.social, discussing the recent work by @keunwooryu.bsky.social et al.
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
Read it for free until March 19th at:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kWLq3jDgW...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
I got home from lab and immediately called and wrote to my representative and senators. I urge you to do the same.
Breaking news: The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:29 AM
I got home from lab and immediately called and wrote to my representative and senators. I urge you to do the same.
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
I decided to be more efficient in my doomscrolling & made my first starter-pack!😅
These are folks that IMO have been great sources of reliable info during the federal communication ban.
Please
1) tell me if you want to be taken off, and
2) give suggestions for others to add
go.bsky.app/KZnq7Qe
These are folks that IMO have been great sources of reliable info during the federal communication ban.
Please
1) tell me if you want to be taken off, and
2) give suggestions for others to add
go.bsky.app/KZnq7Qe
January 27, 2025 at 6:47 PM
I decided to be more efficient in my doomscrolling & made my first starter-pack!😅
These are folks that IMO have been great sources of reliable info during the federal communication ban.
Please
1) tell me if you want to be taken off, and
2) give suggestions for others to add
go.bsky.app/KZnq7Qe
These are folks that IMO have been great sources of reliable info during the federal communication ban.
Please
1) tell me if you want to be taken off, and
2) give suggestions for others to add
go.bsky.app/KZnq7Qe
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
All NIH/NSF awards may be paused as of today. Money is disbursed annually, so if you have your money, you're OK for a while. My next R35 grant year starts Apr 1. I hope Trump doesn't read my X/bsky feeds that say he's a racist, a rapist, a cheat, & a traitor. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 5:39 AM
All NIH/NSF awards may be paused as of today. Money is disbursed annually, so if you have your money, you're OK for a while. My next R35 grant year starts Apr 1. I hope Trump doesn't read my X/bsky feeds that say he's a racist, a rapist, a cheat, & a traitor. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
From a source inside the National Cancer Institute:
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
January 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
From a source inside the National Cancer Institute:
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Academic workers across the country are organizing to call on our congressional representatives on Thursday, 1/30, at 3pm ET / 12pm PT to demand these restrictions be lifted immediately.
There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event.
Join us!
form.jotform.com/250226137228...
There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event.
Join us!
form.jotform.com/250226137228...
Join researchers across the country in fighting restrictions on the NIH
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Academic workers across the country are organizing to call on our congressional representatives on Thursday, 1/30, at 3pm ET / 12pm PT to demand these restrictions be lifted immediately.
There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event.
Join us!
form.jotform.com/250226137228...
There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event.
Join us!
form.jotform.com/250226137228...
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
Reiterating my call to fellow federally-funded scientists: Call your reps, tell them how this hurts science and everything good that comes from science
(Also non-scientists, and scientists without federal funding! But the more of us who can directly speak to the impacts of these freezes the better)
(Also non-scientists, and scientists without federal funding! But the more of us who can directly speak to the impacts of these freezes the better)
The National Science Foundation cancelled over 60 grant review panels today, effectively grinding funding of new projects to a halt.
The so-far indefinite pause comes as NSF grapples with the impact Trump's executive orders will have on their grantmaking process.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
The so-far indefinite pause comes as NSF grapples with the impact Trump's executive orders will have on their grantmaking process.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
National Science Foundation freezes grant review in response to Trump executive orders
The National Science Foundation has cancelled all grant review panels this week. It's unclear how long the pause could last.
www.npr.org
January 28, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Reiterating my call to fellow federally-funded scientists: Call your reps, tell them how this hurts science and everything good that comes from science
(Also non-scientists, and scientists without federal funding! But the more of us who can directly speak to the impacts of these freezes the better)
(Also non-scientists, and scientists without federal funding! But the more of us who can directly speak to the impacts of these freezes the better)
Reposted by Brandon Chen, PhD
I'm one of these 11,965, and with funding from the NIH and NSF, I've been able to recruit several more full-time employees to MI (many coming from other states!) since 2023.
@repdingell.bsky.social, please advocate for us in science, health, and research to continue supporting the michigan economy
@repdingell.bsky.social, please advocate for us in science, health, and research to continue supporting the michigan economy
I looked up Michigan NIH numbers.
January 26, 2025 at 1:40 PM
I'm one of these 11,965, and with funding from the NIH and NSF, I've been able to recruit several more full-time employees to MI (many coming from other states!) since 2023.
@repdingell.bsky.social, please advocate for us in science, health, and research to continue supporting the michigan economy
@repdingell.bsky.social, please advocate for us in science, health, and research to continue supporting the michigan economy