Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 25

🚨 Banning animal research too soon could us back decades.

Alternative methods like organ-on-a-chip and AI are exciting—but cutting off animal research prematurely can slow life-saving discoveries.

As scientists, we must engage, educate, and ensure policies are based on science, not misconceptions.

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 21

Ever wondered why your cat has those unique quirks? Darwin's Cats is delving into feline genetics and behavior to uncover these mysteries.
As a devoted cat parent, I'm excited to see how this research can enhance our understanding and ensure our furry friends' well-being.
darwinsark.org/darwins-cats

Darwin's Cats | Darwin's Ark

Darwin’s Cats accelerates scientific discovery by engaging cats and their people in feline research

darwinsark.org

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Reposted by Inês Serrenho

ICVS - Life and Health Sciences Research Institute | UMinho @icvs-uminho.bsky.social · Mar 21

🎥 World Down Syndrome Day 💙
We spoke with researchers Sara Guerreiro and Carlos Marques about the impact of Down syndrome. Sara studies the brain’s relation to cognitive impact, while Carlos researches its link to Alzheimer’s disease.
Watch the video to learn more!
#WorldDownSyndromeDay

#worlddownsyndromeday #icvs #research #science | ICVS - Life and Health Sciences Research Institute

🎥 World Down Syndrome Day 💙 We spoke with our researchers, Sara Guerreiro and Carlos Marques, about the impact of Down syndrome. Sara studies the brain's…

www.linkedin.com

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 10

🧠 On #InternationalWomensDay, let’s talk about all dimensions of gender inequality—including the ones hiding in lab research. Science should be built for all brains, not just the male ones.

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 10

For decades, #neuroscience research has largely ignored female animals, assuming that what applies to males must apply to females too. Spoiler: it doesn’t. This outdated approach has left glaring gaps in our understanding of brain function, mental health, and disease.
#AnimalResearch #SexBias

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 10

👩‍🔬 'Ignoring female animals in research may hinder neuroscience progress' 🧠
Ever wondered why science sometimes seems a bit...male-oriented? Well... It’s not just you.

www.livescience.com/health/neuro...

#GenderBias #Science

'Let's just study males and keep it simple': How excluding female animals from research held neuroscience back, and could do so again

Neuroscience research has only recently begun to prioritize the inclusion of both male and female lab animals in studies. Could we see that shift reverse?

www.livescience.com

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 7

🔬 In cell (ouside a living organism):
✅ Studied how the nanoparticles interact with brain cells
✅ Examined how particles cross the brain barrier
🐭 In living mice:
✅ Showed that the nanoparticules improved delivery of a therapy to the brain and that this strategy was more effective
buff.ly/3XnuShz

Peptide-Guided Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA to Neurons

LNPs are mixture of nucleic acids, lipids, and peptides. Team had to optimize quantification methods to pick out the peptides against all those other signals.”

www.genengnews.com

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 7

The nanoparticles were designed with specific peptides - that function as keys - that recognise brain receptors - a lock that is on the surface of the cells. Thus, nanoparticles coated with these peptides can "unlock" specific brain cells, directing the delivery of drugs and other therapies.

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 7

Getting mRNA into the brain is tough—the blood-brain barrier (BBB) blocks most delivery, and existing methods often end up in the liver. This study introduces for brain delivery of drugs using nanoparticles, tiny packages 100x smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
#AnimalResearch

Peptide-Functionalized Lipid Nanoparticles for Targeted Systemic mRNA Delivery to the Brain

buff.ly

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 6

Science gave us a shield. Misinformation is taking it down.

A child in Texas has died from measles—the first U.S. death from the virus in a decade. The state is facing its largest outbreak in 30 years.

#VaccinesSaveLives #Measles #PublicHealth

www.bbc.com/news/article...

US measles outbreak kills child in Texas

The child who died was unvaccinated during an outbreak that has infected more than 120 people.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Inês Serrenho

EARA @eara.eu · Mar 6

🚨 Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to register for #BOARD25!

✍️ Don't miss out on taking part – sign up here: forms.office.com/e/hrcR1sd0n8

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 6

🐒 From Nobel Prize-winning discoveries to life-saving vaccines, #AnimalResearch remain a cornerstone of biomedical progress.

Explore the key reasons why this research is vital for both human and animal #health in the latest @eara.eu feature:

Forty Reasons Why | EARA

Home

www.eara.eu

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 5

🐾 #AnimalResearch saves animal lives too! Studies in dogs have led to better treatments for canine cancers, diabetes, and heart disease
Veterinary medicine advances thanks to biomedical research, helping pets and wildlife live longer, healthier lives

Research that benefits animals | EARA

Home

www.eara.eu

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 4

🐟 Each pulse of data fuels #biomedical breakthroughs. A zebrafish study challenges assumptions about heart rate control, revealing its own nervous system
🫀 This discovery with #AnimalResearch may transform treatments for arrhythmias and cardiovascular diseases

Heart has its own ‘brain’ – zebrafish study

The heart has its own nervous system to control the heartbeat, according to a study in zebrafish, which may provide new insights into treating cardiovascular diseases.Researchers at the Karolinska…

www.eara.eu

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 3

Research is the spark that ignites progress in #Biomedicine. A recent #mouse study found targeted gene editing in muscle stem cells taken from patients with muscular dystrophy can trigger regenerative processes, opening new doors for a future therapy #AnimalResearch

Gene therapy for muscle disease – mice study

Using CRISPR gene editing, researchers in Germany have successfully corrected faulty genes that cause muscle disease, to repair the muscles of mice.Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of genetic…

www.eara.eu

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Mar 1

Science is a symphony, where different methods play in harmony!
A complementary approach—combining #AnimalResearch with other techniques—helps researchers assess the safety of new drugs & therapies, ensuring a balanced, evidence-based path to medical progress
www.eara.eu/replacing-an...

When will animals be replaced in biomedical research?

Increased political pressure in Europe has raised expectations about the possible phasing out of animal use in scientific research, but what is the reality? In this EARA feature we look at the safety…

www.eara.eu

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 28

Biomedical research is expanding its horizon with innovative studies. A recent #monkey study revealed how the brain controls natural movements, helping to understand brain function and use in robotics
www.eara.eu/post/greater...
#AnimalResearch #Brain #Movement

Greater understanding of voluntary movements in monkeys

An Italian study in monkeys has shed light on how the brain controls natural movements and challenges some existing theories on how the motor system works.The research, at EARA member the University…

www.eara.eu

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 27

What’s one #science #myth you used to believe?

👀👂🫰👅👃
I used to believe that humans only have five senses! Usually we learn about sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—but we also have proprioception (body awareness), thermoreception (temperature), nociception (pain), and more!

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 26

👩‍💻 By integrating #AnimalResearch and new approaches, we create a path toward clearer, more robust insights
Researchers at @vibai.bsky.social & @viblifesciences.bsky.social used AI on human & animal data to reveal how brain cells evolved in the last 300M years

Insights on human and animal brain cell evolution using AI

Researchers in Belgium have used AI, trained on human and animal data, to shed light on how different brain cells have evolved over time and how this may give clues to brain diseases.The study, at…

www.eara.eu

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Reposted by Inês Serrenho

EARA @eara.eu · Feb 24

📅 The deadline for registration for #BOARD25 has been extended to 7 March.

👇 Scan the QR code to register before the deadline!

#AnimalResearch

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Reposted by Inês Serrenho

EARA @eara.eu · Feb 25

250+ experts in Canada have voiced their views about the essential role of monkeys in developing new medical treatments, challenging a letter from a group of academics that called for an end to Quebec imports of long-tailed macaques.
#AnimalResearch #Monkeys
www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2...

Les animaux de laboratoire toujours nécessaires, plaident des experts

Les expérimentations sur des primates en laboratoire sont encore essentielles pour développer de nouveaux traitements médicaux, plaident des acteurs du domaine. Ils s’inscrivent en faux contre un grou...

www.lapresse.ca

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 25

Studies in females are key to understand diseases affecting #women and how drugs act in the female body - which is different in many ways from the male body, right?
Let's make relevant #AnimalResearch that contributes to biomedical breakthroughs for both genders!
#SexBias #WomenInScience

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Feb 24

Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies www.thetransmitter.org/policy/exclu...

Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies

Such a shift would “put us back in the dark ages in terms of our science,” says neuroscientist Anne Murphy, who helped to formulate the original policy.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 25

Portuguese researchers from @i3suporto.bsky.social and Universidade do Porto showed that metformin - a treatment for #diabetes - reversed #infertility in pregnant mice with #endometriosis

#AnimalResearch #WomenHealth
www.rbmojournal.com/article/S147...

Metformin reverses infertility in a mouse model of endometriosis: unveiling disease pathways and implications for future clinical approaches

Infertility, defined as the absence of conception after 1 year of unprotected and regular intercourse, is a public health concern, driving a rising demand for assisted reproductive technology (ART) (I...

www.rbmojournal.com

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Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 21

🌊❄️ Deep in the icy waters of Antarctica, fish have evolved antifreeze proteins & unique immune adaptations to survive extreme cold.
🇵🇹 PT researchers explore how these Arctic species respond to pathogens
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/antarcticfishdiversity/
#AnimalResearch

What cool fish live in icy Antarctica? – A discovery of Antarctic fish diversity!

blogs.uoregon.edu

Inês Serrenho @iserrenho.bsky.social · Feb 20

🧩 Every study is a puzzle piece in the grand picture of biomedical science. Animal research helps us connect the dots, providing the evidence needed to unlock treatments and deepen our understanding of health.
https://www.eara.eu/post/hiv-studies-in-animals-show-progress
#AnimalResearch #SciComm

HIV studies in animals show progress

A team at Scripps Research, California, USA, has developed a vaccine for HIV (a virus that can lead to AIDS if left untreated) which improved the ability of mice, rabbits and monkeys to block the…

www.eara.eu

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