Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering @jacobsschool.bsky.social · Jul 8

Why is #NIHfunding critical to early-stage clinical research? @ucsandiego.bsky.social #bioengineering professor Karen Christman explains.
Biomaterials from the @christmanlab.bsky.social are in clinical trials to heal heart conditions, from heart attacks to congenital defects.

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American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE) @aimbe-official.bsky.social · Jun 20

AIMBE has launched our new Citizen Advocate for Science Letter: takeaction.io/aimbe/scienc...

We ask the broader scientific community to widely share this letter (✍️ <1 minute) with friends, family, and other concerned citizens to urge their elected officials to protect biomedical research funding 👇

Write Your Lawmakers - AIMBE

aimbe.org

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Elizabeth Villa @thevillalab.bsky.social · Jun 10

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Marcy Zenobi-Wong @zenobilab.bsky.social · Jun 9

The latest tissue we are tackling is the mammary gland
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Volumetric printed biomimetic scaffolds support in vitro lactation of human milk-derived mammary epithelial cells

3D-printed breast tissue models pave the way for cutting-edge lactation research.

www.science.org

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Brendan Harley @profharley.bsky.social · Jun 7

The astounding contribution of US academic science to new medicines

www.statnews.com/2025/06/06/u...

We set out to quantify U.S. academic contributions to medicines. The results stunned even us

From 2020 to 2024, universities contributed patents underpinning 50% of FDA-approved drugs. 87% of those academic breakthroughs came from American institutions.

www.statnews.com

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Prof. Brian Aguado @brianaguado.bsky.social · Jun 7

Huge congrats to Brandon Vogt & friends on our on Science Advances @science.org paper!!! We leveraged hydrogel biomaterials & AI tools from Dean Ho’s lab at NUS to determine sex-dependent drug combinations that target valve myofibroblasts! 🎯
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@jacobsschool.bsky.social

Celebrating the latest Aguado Lab publication with a Strawberry Fraisier cake! L to R smiling: Megan Chavez, co-author, Brandon Vogt, first author, and Brian Aguado, senior author/PI.

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UC San Diego Program in Materials Science and Engineering @ucsd-mats.bsky.social · Jun 2

Congratulations Professor Shi (@stimulatedraman.bsky.social) for your outstanding work imaging diseased tissue. Your contributions will no doubt lead to life-saving cures. Our gratitude to you!

today.ucsd.edu/story/a-clea...

A Clearer Look at Diabetic Kidney Disease via New Optical Imaging Technology

Researchers have developed a powerful new way to look inside kidney tissues, without needing to stain or damage the tissue samples. The new technique reveals early signs of disease often missed by tra...

today.ucsd.edu

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · May 28

Could be huge. Especially for those terminated in the anti-DEI purge.

"...NIH will allow individuals whose mentored career development awards prematurely ended on or after January 1, 2025, to be eligible to apply for a new mentored career development award"

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

NOT-OD-25-115: Notice of Temporary Policy Exception to NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS) Section 12.3.7 to Permit Continued Eligibility for Mentored Career Development Award When an Award Ended Ear...

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Temporary Policy Exception to NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS) Section 12.3.7 to Permit Continued Eligibi...

grants.nih.gov

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Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · May 21

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees

Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday

📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful

Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

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Cathy Gao-Howard MD MS @catgaohow.bsky.social · May 18

Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025

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Neil deGrasse Tyson @neildegrassetyson.com · May 17

The 80-year recipe stoking America’s Prosperity:

1) Free-market capital investments in brilliant ideas…
2) enabled by Engineering Innovations…
3) based on Science Research in Universities…
4) funded by Grants from the US Government.

It’s time more people understood this.

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · May 13

"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."

Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.

I wrote about my decision in TIME.

time.com/7285045/resi...

Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress

I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.

time.com

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · May 9

Well this is truly insane...

Science Magazine @science.org · May 8

Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund

scim.ag

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Kim Weeden @weedenkim.bsky.social · May 7

One of grants frozen at Cornell: $6.7M (4 yrs) to develop heart pumps for babies born w/ heart defects.

It took decades of work to get to point of prepping device for in-human clinical trials. No private company could do this.

The cruelty of the Trump administration is heartbreaking. So to speak.

Research at risk: Life-saving heart pumps for babies | Cornell Chronicle

After receiving a stop-work order from the federal government, the future of a device to help children with heart defects is uncertain.

news.cornell.edu

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · May 7

New Notice on No Cost Extensions (or lack thereof)

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

NOT-OD-25-110: Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions NOT-OD-25-110. NIH

grants.nih.gov

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American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE) @aimbe-official.bsky.social · May 5

🚨 AIMBE is calling on the biomedical research community to take a minute to send our 3 new advocacy letters urging Congress to:

1. Protect the STEM Training Pipeline (e.g., NIH MOSAIC, T32s, MARC, etc.)

2. Oppose Indirect Cost Caps

3. Support Research Funding in FY2026

aimbe.org/advocate/wri...

A screen capture of the AIMBE advocacy webpage with 3 advocacy letters outlined in red boxes: STEM Training Pipeline, NIH & NSF Indirect Cost Caps, and FY26 Funding.

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Christman Lab @christmanlab.bsky.social · Apr 28

Great work with our long time collaborator Nathan Gianneschi, PhD on a new minimally invasive treatment strategy for acute myocardial infarction with implication for other inflammatory and ischemic conditions. Our outstanding former PhD students Josh Mesfin and Kendal Carrow, PhD led the work.

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering @jacobsschool.bsky.social · Apr 25

This injected, protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a #heartattack: work by @ucsandiego.bsky.social @christmanlab.bsky.social & Northwestern: today.ucsd.edu/story/this-i...
#bioengineering #heartfailure #engineeringinmedicine

This Injected Protein-like Polymer Helps Tissues Heal After a Heart Attack

Researchers have developed a new therapy that can be injected intravenously right after a heart attack to promote healing and prevent heart failure. The therapy both prompts the immune system to encou...

today.ucsd.edu

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Apr 28

Deaths from heart disease down 75%, that’s NIH.

Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.

HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.

99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.

Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.

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Erika Cyphert, PhD @elcyphert-phd.bsky.social · Apr 23

Big milestone for the Cyphert lab - check out our first publication in npj Antimicrobials and Resistance! This paper was led by a team of amazing grad students: Tanya, Aryak, and Yumie and undergraduates Julie, Arlene, and Sidhant. @jacobsschool.bsky.social #newPI www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Leveraging the microbiome to combat antibiotic resistant gynecological infections

npj Antimicrobials and Resistance - Leveraging the microbiome to combat antibiotic resistant gynecological infections

www.nature.com

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UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering @jacobsschool.bsky.social · Apr 25

Congratulations to #computerscience Professor Ryan Kastner, honored for exceptional undergraduate mentorship by there Computing Research Association! This is a first for @ucsandiego.bsky.social!
Kastner is also a @qi-ucsd.bsky.social affiliate.
today.ucsd.edu/story/comput...

Computer Science Professor Earns Undergraduate Mentorship Award for Going the Extra Mile, Literally

Ryan Kastner, a professor in the Jacobs School of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, recently received the prestigious award for undergraduate research faculty mentoring fro...

today.ucsd.edu

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Apr 23

ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM

Implementation of Schedule F

This is what a lot of us have been worried about.

This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.

BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...

1/n

the word alert is in a purple circle

ALT: the word alert is in a purple circle

media.tenor.com

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Prof. Brian Aguado @brianaguado.bsky.social · Apr 11

POV: Plenary lecture at the Society For Biomaterials - definitely my best SFB selfie yet! 📸 Thank you to the SFB community for the 2025 Young Investigator Award - my lab is committed to our mission to understand sex chromosome biology & develop better treatments for all! @jacobsschool.bsky.social

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Elaine Jeong @elainejeong.bsky.social · Apr 3

Next week, I will be at Humanities Unlocking Biomaterials' inaugural meeting and 50th Annual Meeting of Society For Biomaterials in Chicago! Come meet me to discuss your work and learn about Cell Biomaterials!
#HUB, #SFB, #Biomaterials

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Mar 31

On a letter I signed
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/s...

Trump Administration Has Begun a War on Science, Researchers Say (Gift Article)

Nearly 2,000 scientists urged that Congress restore funding to federal agencies decimated by recent cuts.

www.nytimes.com

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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · Mar 29

As I was saying #RFKJr, #Trump, #Musk and #Vought are intent on destroying science, public health and healthcare in America.

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · Mar 28

🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions.

The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)

docs.google.com

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