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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 18

A humanized NOVA1 splicing factor alters mouse vocal communications - Nature Communications

The neuron-specific RNA binding protein NOVA1 has a single amino acid substitution unique to modern humans. Here, the authors characterize the evolutional specificity and the function of the substitut...

www.nature.com

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 10

I wonder if it's a statistically significant uptick.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 4

Addgene now has the NHP-RMAs available - the synthetic serum markers for measuring transgene and Cre-dependent expression, from the preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...) with @vincentcostaphd.bsky.social lab.

plasmids for order:
www.addgene.org/browse/artic...

Addgene: Synthetic Serum Markers Enable Noninvasive Monitoring of Gene Expression in Primate Brains

www.addgene.org

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

It does take a lot. The hope is that all the companies doing BBB permeable AAVs like Apertura, Capsida, Sangamo, Voyager etc. will find something that works 10-100-fold more efficiently.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

Ultrasound BBB opening in large animals (or humans) is doable but somewhat complex. I do think the prices and complexity will go down over time for both gene delivery and BBB opening.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

Doing whole brain BBB-permeable gene delivery + with FUS release of synthetic markers could allow to study multiple sites without surgery and monitoring intracellular gene expression. e.g.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39110811/

Acoustically targeted measurement of transgene expression in the brain - PubMed

Gene expression is a critical component of brain physiology, but monitoring this expression in the living brain represents a major challenge. Here, we introduce a new paradigm called recovery of marke...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

That would be neat. Hong Chen at WUSTL has done some pioneering work in using FUS to release native proteins from the brain into the blood. There's non zero chance that native proteins carry sufficient information. If not, then the synthetic markers probably will, but would need gene delivery.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

What do you want to study? I am always curious about what are the experimental hurdles people have. I am wondering if it site-specific liquid biopsy would be useful for you. It's much more technically complicated but can study different regions on different days.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 3

There are some hurdles for human translation eg need for exogenous gene delivery. There are also ways to mitigate them. If our bright focus grant works out it should make translation realistic. There will be more work on optimization in nhps like higher signal, longer duration, recording c-fos etc

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 2

Author list:

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 2

How can you know if gene delivery in a primate worked Typically through expensive scans or histology. With
@vincentcostaphd.bsky.social
and co-authors we made synthetic markers that monitor gene delivery and Cre-dependent expression with a blood test:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jun 2

Thanks Mark. I think we were surprised it worked so robustly. Still lots of work to do, in mice we could do orders of magnitude signal and track c-fos, arc etc. Next paper, if we can get the funding. This was done on a shoestring.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Apr 26

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Lead author: Manwal Harb, who also contributed to engineering AAV.FUS, vector optimized for noninvasive site specific gene delivery to the brain.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Work supported by The G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation

Site-Specific Noninvasive Delivery of Retrograde Viral Vectors to the Brain

Neuronal activity underlies the brain function. Different behaviors, physiological processes, and disorders depend on which neurons are active at a given moment. Treating brain disorders without side ...

www.biorxiv.org

Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Apr 26

What is the next frontier in brain therapy? Small molecules act everywhere; our work targets brain regions with mm precision. Next frontier? Targeting microscale - neuronal connections, ensembles. Here, we test AAV9.retro for noninvasive transduction of neuronal projections. preprint comments

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Mar 27

Jordan, we missed you at the ACS! I hope you're doing well

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Reposted by Jerzy Szablowski

Ed Boyden @eboyden3.bsky.social · Mar 10

The MIT McGovern Institute’s story celebrating the 10th birthday of expansion microscopy (ExM). One highlight: ExM is not only easy to do, it’s easy to modify - so lots of people are altering and applying ExM for custom purposes, leading to unexpected innovations: mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/03/03/t...

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Reposted by Jerzy Szablowski

Vinny Costa @vincentcostaphd.bsky.social · Mar 7

Posting this image of neurons transfected to secrete proteins that @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social bioengineered to enable noninvasive monitoring of neuronal integrity in NHPs for #fluorescentfriday.

This technology will eventually lead to improved treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Feb 17

We are starting our
@ARIA_research
Precision Neurotechnologies project and have two non-postdoc positions in neuroscience and bioengineering. This funding is independent of US government.

Jobs:
emdz.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

More info:
tinyurl.com/hwsnrwpe

-- please RT --

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Feb 6

Did you all start sciencing harder recently, or something?

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Feb 4

i think it would be for more surprising if the mixture wasn't racemic...

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jan 28

They are about a half of what we get paid here, but money isn't everything.

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Reposted by Jerzy Szablowski

Amanda Fanniff, PhD @amandafanniff.bsky.social · Jan 24

A quick reminder: For every $1 of research funding, NIH generated $2.46 in economic activity. This includes funding jobs in all 50 states. This isn't a red/blue thing: 8.9 jobs per $1M in CA & 12 jobs per $1M in GA. #AcademicSky #PhDSky #MedSky #HealthSky #healthequity #SciComm
bit.ly/40NkIc0

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Jan 21

I am looking forward to working with @LignaniLab_UCL and others on this @ARIA_research neurotechnologies grant. A ~$2.5m contribution to our lab's work that will help us make next generation noninvasive brain therapies for specific brain circuits.

news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

news.rice.edu

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Jerzy Szablowski @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social · Dec 17

this book brings back good memories!

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Reposted by Jerzy Szablowski

adamezracohen.bsky.social @adamezracohen.bsky.social · Dec 12

If some calcium enters a dendrite, how far does it diffuse? Rebecca Frank Hayward (who is on the job market!) measured this. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
She combined a blue light-activated Ca++ channel with a red-fluorescent Ca++ sensor. The length constant is about 5 microns.

All-optical mapping of Ca2+ transport and homeostasis in dendrites

Calcium mediates many important signals in dendrites. However, the basic transport properties of calcium in dendrites have been difficult to measure: …

www.sciencedirect.com

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