Lara K. Mahal
@glycocode.bsky.social
CERC in Glycomics, Director of Glycomics Institute of Alberta(www.glyco-alberta.ca), Professor of Chemistry, Univ. of Alberta. Work on #glycotime with lectin microarrays and discovering new aspects of #miRNA. Opinions are mine (she/her). www.glycocode.org
Pinned
Lara K. Mahal
@glycocode.bsky.social
· Jan 13
Screening the human miRNA interactome reveals coordinated up-regulation in melanoma, adding bidirectional regulation to miRNA networks
Analysis of ST3GAL1/2 and CD98hc regulation by miRNA reveals co–up-regulation, adding a bidirectional twist to miRNA networks.
www.science.org
Proud of @faezehjame.bsky.social and our latest paper on upregulation by #miRNA. miRNA upregulate protein expression of CD98hc, ST3GAL1 and ST3GAL2 in a coordinated manner. Regulation is bidirectional, changing the picture on how these #RNA work. #glycotime
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧪
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧪
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
"It may take time to prove you're right, but you have to stick to it."
- Fred Korematsu
Jailed for refusing to abide by FDR's Exec Order 9066, he took his case against internment all the way to the Supreme Court - and lost. Remember him on Korematsu Day, January 30th. 1/
- Fred Korematsu
Jailed for refusing to abide by FDR's Exec Order 9066, he took his case against internment all the way to the Supreme Court - and lost. Remember him on Korematsu Day, January 30th. 1/
January 30, 2026 at 10:32 PM
"It may take time to prove you're right, but you have to stick to it."
- Fred Korematsu
Jailed for refusing to abide by FDR's Exec Order 9066, he took his case against internment all the way to the Supreme Court - and lost. Remember him on Korematsu Day, January 30th. 1/
- Fred Korematsu
Jailed for refusing to abide by FDR's Exec Order 9066, he took his case against internment all the way to the Supreme Court - and lost. Remember him on Korematsu Day, January 30th. 1/
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Nature and Science journalists denied entry to event featuring NIH Director
I'm at the Willard Hotel where I've been denied entry and kicked out of the Reclaiming Science event with NIH director Bhattacharya & other top agency leaders.
@jocelynkaiser.bsky.social and I registered for the event months ago yet were told capacity was full, even as they let in dozens of others.
@jocelynkaiser.bsky.social and I registered for the event months ago yet were told capacity was full, even as they let in dozens of others.
January 31, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Nature and Science journalists denied entry to event featuring NIH Director
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
www.youtube.com/shorts/z4dy0...
A video from board-certified ophthalmologist a @glaucomflecken.bsky.social - FYI if you ever get pepper spray somehow onto you, in some manner.
A video from board-certified ophthalmologist a @glaucomflecken.bsky.social - FYI if you ever get pepper spray somehow onto you, in some manner.
What To Do If You Get Pepper Sprayed
YouTube video by Dr. Glaucomflecken
www.youtube.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:04 AM
www.youtube.com/shorts/z4dy0...
A video from board-certified ophthalmologist a @glaucomflecken.bsky.social - FYI if you ever get pepper spray somehow onto you, in some manner.
A video from board-certified ophthalmologist a @glaucomflecken.bsky.social - FYI if you ever get pepper spray somehow onto you, in some manner.
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Biology is so cool!!!
I fully used to believe that "man flu" was simply due to patriarchy - that women sucked it up because they had to keep being moms/caregivers, while men were just being whiny
Then I personally experienced it myself after starting T. It's so real!!
I fully used to believe that "man flu" was simply due to patriarchy - that women sucked it up because they had to keep being moms/caregivers, while men were just being whiny
Then I personally experienced it myself after starting T. It's so real!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Lol - the true mark of being a man is that you get man flu apparently 😅
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_flu
Lol - the true mark of being a man is that you get man flu apparently 😅
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_flu
Immune system adaptation during gender-affirming testosterone treatment - Nature
Examination of immunological changes in transgender individuals undergoing gender-affirming testosterone treatment reveals sex hormone-regulated pathways in humans and explains sex-divergent responses...
www.nature.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Biology is so cool!!!
I fully used to believe that "man flu" was simply due to patriarchy - that women sucked it up because they had to keep being moms/caregivers, while men were just being whiny
Then I personally experienced it myself after starting T. It's so real!!
I fully used to believe that "man flu" was simply due to patriarchy - that women sucked it up because they had to keep being moms/caregivers, while men were just being whiny
Then I personally experienced it myself after starting T. It's so real!!
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Biochemist/molecular biologist Joan Steitz was born #OTD in 1941.
She (& team) figured out how our cells read/use genetic instructions to make proteins. A key person who helped crack the code on RNA—the molecule that acts like a messenger between DNA & and the proteins our bodies need. #WomenInSTEM
She (& team) figured out how our cells read/use genetic instructions to make proteins. A key person who helped crack the code on RNA—the molecule that acts like a messenger between DNA & and the proteins our bodies need. #WomenInSTEM
January 26, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Biochemist/molecular biologist Joan Steitz was born #OTD in 1941.
She (& team) figured out how our cells read/use genetic instructions to make proteins. A key person who helped crack the code on RNA—the molecule that acts like a messenger between DNA & and the proteins our bodies need. #WomenInSTEM
She (& team) figured out how our cells read/use genetic instructions to make proteins. A key person who helped crack the code on RNA—the molecule that acts like a messenger between DNA & and the proteins our bodies need. #WomenInSTEM
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Jane Richardson was born #OTD in 1941
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
January 26, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Jane Richardson was born #OTD in 1941
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...
January 29, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
One blip of light among the darkness today:
A 25 year old trans guy in biology messaged me on LinkedIn and thanked me for my visibility and making him feel less alone
No single person can fix the horrors we're in
But every voice that says "this is not okay" gives hope to others 💖🏳️⚧️
A 25 year old trans guy in biology messaged me on LinkedIn and thanked me for my visibility and making him feel less alone
No single person can fix the horrors we're in
But every voice that says "this is not okay" gives hope to others 💖🏳️⚧️
January 24, 2026 at 9:02 PM
One blip of light among the darkness today:
A 25 year old trans guy in biology messaged me on LinkedIn and thanked me for my visibility and making him feel less alone
No single person can fix the horrors we're in
But every voice that says "this is not okay" gives hope to others 💖🏳️⚧️
A 25 year old trans guy in biology messaged me on LinkedIn and thanked me for my visibility and making him feel less alone
No single person can fix the horrors we're in
But every voice that says "this is not okay" gives hope to others 💖🏳️⚧️
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
I am hearing that RFK Jr.’s minions are going to go after HPV vaccines. I’ve got problems with these people and now you’re going to hear about them, first from a personal perspective and then from a professional one.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
January 28, 2026 at 7:52 PM
I am hearing that RFK Jr.’s minions are going to go after HPV vaccines. I’ve got problems with these people and now you’re going to hear about them, first from a personal perspective and then from a professional one.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
The names of 72 female scientists will be added to the Eiffel Tower, to accompany those of 72 male scientists that are already engraved there tinyurl.com/e2satnyp
👏👩🔬
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👏👩🔬
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January 28, 2026 at 5:37 PM
The names of 72 female scientists will be added to the Eiffel Tower, to accompany those of 72 male scientists that are already engraved there tinyurl.com/e2satnyp
👏👩🔬
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👏👩🔬
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Science update from my postdoc Peiyuan Chai - his work “glycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signaling” is now published @nature.com uncovering a new layer or glycoRNA-regulation of growth factor mediated control physiological processes rdcu.be/e1bBX
January 28, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Science update from my postdoc Peiyuan Chai - his work “glycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signaling” is now published @nature.com uncovering a new layer or glycoRNA-regulation of growth factor mediated control physiological processes rdcu.be/e1bBX
January 28, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Science update from my postdoc Peiyuan Chai - his work “glycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signaling” is now published @nature.com uncovering a new layer or glycoRNA-regulation of growth factor mediated control physiological processes rdcu.be/e1bBX
🧪🇨🇦
Are you a fermentation researcher outside of Canada ? We're looking for a Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Sustainable Food Fermentation Systems. Tenured at Associate or Full Professor. Come join @umanitoba.bsky.social the Harvard of the Prairies ! #share viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX...
viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca
January 28, 2026 at 6:44 PM
🧪🇨🇦
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Ilhan Omar is an American hero. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
January 28, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Ilhan Omar is an American hero. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
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Come and work with us! Science is recruiting an editor in the area of next-generation medicine in the USA or UK. bit.ly/4bWOJfn
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bit.ly
January 28, 2026 at 2:45 PM
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👇This. In a discussion with my lab last week I told them that they are not allowed to use AI to generate paper or thesis drafts because the point of getting a graduate degree is to LEARN how to think and write. Struggling with concepts and words and assembling thoughts is a critical part of this.
The act of writing is fundamental to science, because the process is what makes people think. You cannot fully evaluate your idea until you are forced to write it down and defend it to yourself, and to the readers in your head. There is no shortcut for that. There is no way to make science easy.
January 28, 2026 at 2:34 PM
👇This. In a discussion with my lab last week I told them that they are not allowed to use AI to generate paper or thesis drafts because the point of getting a graduate degree is to LEARN how to think and write. Struggling with concepts and words and assembling thoughts is a critical part of this.
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
🔬 III Conference in Glycosciences | International webinar series (Jan–May 2026)
Online lectures on advances in glycan recognition, glycosylation, and enzymatic mechanisms in health and disease
👉 Info & registration: ow.ly/1yy150XW6St
Online lectures on advances in glycan recognition, glycosylation, and enzymatic mechanisms in health and disease
👉 Info & registration: ow.ly/1yy150XW6St
January 28, 2026 at 12:46 PM
🔬 III Conference in Glycosciences | International webinar series (Jan–May 2026)
Online lectures on advances in glycan recognition, glycosylation, and enzymatic mechanisms in health and disease
👉 Info & registration: ow.ly/1yy150XW6St
Online lectures on advances in glycan recognition, glycosylation, and enzymatic mechanisms in health and disease
👉 Info & registration: ow.ly/1yy150XW6St
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
And for this, I admire them both so much.
No one is coming to save us. We have to be the change we want to see in the world and that always starts with making some changes within ourselves. We can start by reimagining ourselves to meet the moment.
If Victor can do it, we can do it too. ❤️✊🏼
No one is coming to save us. We have to be the change we want to see in the world and that always starts with making some changes within ourselves. We can start by reimagining ourselves to meet the moment.
If Victor can do it, we can do it too. ❤️✊🏼
January 27, 2026 at 12:25 AM
And for this, I admire them both so much.
No one is coming to save us. We have to be the change we want to see in the world and that always starts with making some changes within ourselves. We can start by reimagining ourselves to meet the moment.
If Victor can do it, we can do it too. ❤️✊🏼
No one is coming to save us. We have to be the change we want to see in the world and that always starts with making some changes within ourselves. We can start by reimagining ourselves to meet the moment.
If Victor can do it, we can do it too. ❤️✊🏼
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Sad news indeed. One of the few Members of Parliament I’ve ever met (never met my own 🙄). A clear voice for good science and health policy. Fuck cancer.
Sad news. She was very much a solo voice in cabinet for science. Even agter she was bumped, she continued to be a voice for the scientific community. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Former Liberal cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan dies at 59 | CBC News
Former Liberal cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan has died at the age of 59 following a years-long battle with cancer.
www.cbc.ca
January 27, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Sad news indeed. One of the few Members of Parliament I’ve ever met (never met my own 🙄). A clear voice for good science and health policy. Fuck cancer.
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Please share🙏:
Our lab opens 2 PhD positions to investigate fungi's evolution: #Barcelona
Wet lab in Biochemistry/Structural Biology of cryo-tolerant fungi
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...
Computational in Physical Chemistry of cellular processes under extrem environments
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...
Our lab opens 2 PhD positions to investigate fungi's evolution: #Barcelona
Wet lab in Biochemistry/Structural Biology of cryo-tolerant fungi
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...
Computational in Physical Chemistry of cellular processes under extrem environments
www.upf.edu/documents/d/...
www.upf.edu
January 26, 2026 at 6:45 PM
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Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
So much work still to do to break the glass ceiling!
Analysis of millions of biomed & life science articles reveal that female-authored articles spend longer under review than comparable male-authored ones
@plosbiology.org
🧪 plos.io/4658FZN
Analysis of millions of biomed & life science articles reveal that female-authored articles spend longer under review than comparable male-authored ones
@plosbiology.org
🧪 plos.io/4658FZN
Biomedical and life science articles by female researchers spend longer under review
Women are underrepresented in academia, especially in STEMM fields, at top institutions, and in senior positions. This study analyzes millions of biomedical and life science articles, revealing that f...
plos.io
January 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM
So much work still to do to break the glass ceiling!
Analysis of millions of biomed & life science articles reveal that female-authored articles spend longer under review than comparable male-authored ones
@plosbiology.org
🧪 plos.io/4658FZN
Analysis of millions of biomed & life science articles reveal that female-authored articles spend longer under review than comparable male-authored ones
@plosbiology.org
🧪 plos.io/4658FZN
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
To quote Andor again:
“And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”
“And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”
January 25, 2026 at 5:09 PM
To quote Andor again:
“And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”
“And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
Canada Lives Because…
January 23, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Canada Lives Because…
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan has just clearly stated, out loud, that he wants to experiment on the people of the United States by seeing what happens as vaccination coverage plummets and infectious diseases spread.
January 22, 2026 at 7:47 PM
RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan has just clearly stated, out loud, that he wants to experiment on the people of the United States by seeing what happens as vaccination coverage plummets and infectious diseases spread.
Reposted by Lara K. Mahal
this was disappointing but not surprising to read and I hate that I have to repeat: there is NO conflict between pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion and hiring people based on merit.
“The idea behind DEI was very simple, that the composition of institutions should reflect the public they serve...But I think the left took it too far."
I'd note how status threat and reaction often drives this feeling: "the left took it too far," and it serves to justify wrecking.
I'd note how status threat and reaction often drives this feeling: "the left took it too far," and it serves to justify wrecking.
Which of Trump’s upheavals in U.S. science are likely to stick?
A future president could reverse many changes, but greater White House control of science agencies may be here to stay
www.science.org
January 22, 2026 at 2:45 AM
this was disappointing but not surprising to read and I hate that I have to repeat: there is NO conflict between pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion and hiring people based on merit.