Manuela Raffatellu
@manuelar.bsky.social
From Sardinia to California - Professor at UCSD - Love microbes. Find me by the ocean or at my Pilates studio
Pinned
Manuela Raffatellu
@manuelar.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Hi everyone, this is my first post here and it’s great to get so many new connections. My lab works on host-pathogen interaction, particularly in the context of Salmonella infection, mucosal immunity, microbiota-host interaction, microbial competition. We are a fun, diverse, enthusiastic group.
These are challenging times - But I would like to take a moment and say a big THANK YOU to my amazing support group of friends and colleagues, who are always there via email, Zoom, phone calls, in person meetings - and are no doubt the best part of being an academic scientist.
February 4, 2026 at 4:37 PM
These are challenging times - But I would like to take a moment and say a big THANK YOU to my amazing support group of friends and colleagues, who are always there via email, Zoom, phone calls, in person meetings - and are no doubt the best part of being an academic scientist.
Such a fantastic group of people! Enjoy your visit to SoCal (and the break from Boston weather) 😊
February 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Such a fantastic group of people! Enjoy your visit to SoCal (and the break from Boston weather) 😊
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Friday we lost a brilliant mind, colleague, and friend to her battle with pancreatic cancer. Those who knew her will remember Helene Andrews-Polymenis for her warmth, generosity and leadership. She will be missed by many. RIP
December 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Friday we lost a brilliant mind, colleague, and friend to her battle with pancreatic cancer. Those who knew her will remember Helene Andrews-Polymenis for her warmth, generosity and leadership. She will be missed by many. RIP
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Early Career Faculty Opportunity! @ucsdhealthsci.bsky.social Health Sciences Summer Institutes in Infectious Diseases - opportunity to work with mentors on enhancing research development and grant writing skills!
Applications for UC San Diego RAPID program's 2026-27 cohort are now open! This highly-rated and effective career development opportunity is for junior faculty researchers in #InfectiousDiseases.
Learn more and apply today at rapid.ucsd.edu!
#UCSD_RAPID #FacultyDevelopment
Learn more and apply today at rapid.ucsd.edu!
#UCSD_RAPID #FacultyDevelopment
December 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Early Career Faculty Opportunity! @ucsdhealthsci.bsky.social Health Sciences Summer Institutes in Infectious Diseases - opportunity to work with mentors on enhancing research development and grant writing skills!
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Finally, someone has solved a real problem with AI! No more having to take a paper in the format for a journal that rejected you, and reformat it for a new journal. Well done!! formatmypaper.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Finally, someone has solved a real problem with AI! No more having to take a paper in the format for a journal that rejected you, and reformat it for a new journal. Well done!! formatmypaper.com
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT📣: I haven’t been this excited to be part of something new in 15 years… Thrilled to reveal the passion project I’ve been working on for the past year and a half!🙀🥳 (thread 👇)
October 15, 2025 at 12:22 PM
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT📣: I haven’t been this excited to be part of something new in 15 years… Thrilled to reveal the passion project I’ve been working on for the past year and a half!🙀🥳 (thread 👇)
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Dear #microbiology and #immunology community- I took a break from social media after I deleted my Twitter account, but am back here. Please help me rebuild my community by following me and amplifying this message- I will follow you back. Thank you and I look forward to our many interactions!
October 5, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Dear #microbiology and #immunology community- I took a break from social media after I deleted my Twitter account, but am back here. Please help me rebuild my community by following me and amplifying this message- I will follow you back. Thank you and I look forward to our many interactions!
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Excited to share our new publication, out today in Nature! www.nature.com/articles/s41.... @kanchanj.bsky.social led this fascinating fungal-bacterial interaction project. We are grateful for our wonderful collaborators Brian Peters and David Underhill.
Commensal yeast promotes Salmonella Typhimurium virulence - Nature
Commensal Candida albicans enhances the virulence and dissemination of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium.
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Excited to share our new publication, out today in Nature! www.nature.com/articles/s41.... @kanchanj.bsky.social led this fascinating fungal-bacterial interaction project. We are grateful for our wonderful collaborators Brian Peters and David Underhill.
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Airport reunion 🥳 Loved catching up with my postdoctoral mentor @manuelar.bsky.social at the airport during her layover in Munich ☀️❣️
August 10, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Airport reunion 🥳 Loved catching up with my postdoctoral mentor @manuelar.bsky.social at the airport during her layover in Munich ☀️❣️
Congratulations 🎉 - so well deserved!
July 23, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Congratulations 🎉 - so well deserved!
This is so cool, congrats @lozanzi.bsky.social and team! Important implications for infection and IBD
Online now: Epigenetic silencing of interleukin-10 by host-derived oxidized phospholipids supports a lethal inflammatory response to infections
Epigenetic silencing of interleukin-10 by host-derived oxidized phospholipids supports a lethal inflammatory response to infections
Upon pathogen detection, phagocytes trigger immunity. This process induces tissue stress and the formation of host-derived molecules that further tune immune responses. We show that host-derived oxidized phospholipids accumulate upon microbial encounter, epigenetically suppress IL-10, and exacerbate harmful inflammation. Thus, targeting oxPLs represents a therapeutic strategy to treat deranged inflammation after infection.
dlvr.it
July 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
This is so cool, congrats @lozanzi.bsky.social and team! Important implications for infection and IBD
Congratulations 🎉
July 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Congratulations 🎉
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
We have decided to ban the use of GenAI for research, writing & creative work at our organization.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
July 17, 2025 at 1:04 AM
We have decided to ban the use of GenAI for research, writing & creative work at our organization.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
In fact, we make people sign an agreement saying that their research, analysis, writing, and creative work are *theirs* and not done by GenAI.
Thanks to all the coauthors, particularly Michael Lee, who was the driving force of this project, all former and current lab members, and @leighknodler.bsky.social and Jean Celli for the beautiful images! Also thankful for the constructive reviews from @brodskyigorlab.bsky.social and John Gunn
July 15, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Thanks to all the coauthors, particularly Michael Lee, who was the driving force of this project, all former and current lab members, and @leighknodler.bsky.social and Jean Celli for the beautiful images! Also thankful for the constructive reviews from @brodskyigorlab.bsky.social and John Gunn
Here's the link to the companion paper: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - together, our studies show that PgtE enables Salmonella to evade innate immunity and cause bacteremia.
African Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 isolates prevent reactive oxygen species production by human neutrophils via elevated PgtE expression | mBio
The S. enterica serotype Typhimurium omptin family protease PgtE has long been known to cleave complement factors bound to the bacterial surface, but a role for complement inactivation by PgtE in avoidance of serum bactericidal activity was found only for ...
journals.asm.org
July 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Here's the link to the companion paper: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - together, our studies show that PgtE enables Salmonella to evade innate immunity and cause bacteremia.
Happy that our manuscript showing that PgtE protease enables Salmonella to evade C3-mediated serum and neutrophil killing is published in mBio journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - check out the companion paper from @rtsolis.bsky.social and team, focused on PgtE in the African Salmonella strain ST313
PgtE protease enables virulent Salmonella to evade C3-mediated serum and neutrophil killing | mBio
Non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars primarily cause gastrointestinal infections but can also lead to bacteremia
through mechanisms that are not completely elucidated. Here we show that the outer
membran...
journals.asm.org
July 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Happy that our manuscript showing that PgtE protease enables Salmonella to evade C3-mediated serum and neutrophil killing is published in mBio journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - check out the companion paper from @rtsolis.bsky.social and team, focused on PgtE in the African Salmonella strain ST313
Here is the link to the companion paper: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - Together our independent and complementary studies show how PgtE enables Salmonella to evade host immunity.
African Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 isolates prevent reactive oxygen species production by human neutrophils via elevated PgtE expression | mBio
The S. enterica serotype Typhimurium omptin family protease PgtE has long been known to cleave complement
factors bound to the bacterial surface, but a role for complement inactivation by
PgtE in avoi...
journals.asm.org
July 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Here is the link to the companion paper: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... - Together our independent and complementary studies show how PgtE enables Salmonella to evade host immunity.
It was so nice to teach about Immunity to Bacterial Pathogens for the @aai.org Intro Course. I love to be part of this great training opportunity that AAI provides.
Dr. Manuela Raffatellu @manuelar.bsky.social concluded Part 1 of the Intro Course yesterday with an insightful lecture on the intricate interplay between bacterial pathogens and the host immune system! #AAICourses #ScienceEducation #Immunology
July 12, 2025 at 2:36 AM
It was so nice to teach about Immunity to Bacterial Pathogens for the @aai.org Intro Course. I love to be part of this great training opportunity that AAI provides.
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
The new open access policy of NIH will take effect next week (July 1st). All NIH funded research 🔬🧪🧬accepted after July 1st must be open access upon publication. Worried about fees? 💸 Check out how IAI stacks up against other journals—you might be surprised. #OpenAccess #SciComm #Microbiology
June 26, 2025 at 9:47 PM
The new open access policy of NIH will take effect next week (July 1st). All NIH funded research 🔬🧪🧬accepted after July 1st must be open access upon publication. Worried about fees? 💸 Check out how IAI stacks up against other journals—you might be surprised. #OpenAccess #SciComm #Microbiology
What do I love the most about UCSD? My amazing colleagues. Congratulations @chulab.bsky.social and @alistairrussell.bsky.social on your promotion and to Kees Murre for being elected to the NAS!
June 27, 2025 at 2:37 AM
What do I love the most about UCSD? My amazing colleagues. Congratulations @chulab.bsky.social and @alistairrussell.bsky.social on your promotion and to Kees Murre for being elected to the NAS!
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
So important! Please contact your Republican senators, especially Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). 🙏 amplify!
As Robert Kuttner writes, the NIH will need support from Republican Senators to avoid draconian cuts to its FY2026 budget.
prospect.org/politics/202...
prospect.org/politics/202...
Will the Senate Save NIH?
Rescuing biomedical research is every bit as important as saving Medicaid.
prospect.org
June 25, 2025 at 1:01 AM
So important! Please contact your Republican senators, especially Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). 🙏 amplify!
Former and current member of the Raffatellu lab were well represented at #ASMicrobe in LA - it was great seeing everyone!
June 23, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Former and current member of the Raffatellu lab were well represented at #ASMicrobe in LA - it was great seeing everyone!
Check out the preview written by @romanagerner1.bsky.social on the excellent study from @mucosalimmunology.bsky.social about exploiting bacterial competition for rational design of mucosal vaccines
Honored to write a preview on Emma Slack’s latest work in Science: ‘Vaccine-enhanced competition permits rational bacterial strain replacement in the gut.’ A novel strategy to selectively replace microbial strains in the gut. Truly elegant science!
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lFMi6t8JE...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lFMi6t8JE...
authors.elsevier.com
June 15, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Check out the preview written by @romanagerner1.bsky.social on the excellent study from @mucosalimmunology.bsky.social about exploiting bacterial competition for rational design of mucosal vaccines
Another amazing manuscript and resource led by @pieterdorrestein.bsky.social and team! So happy to be part of it, and to start using these new class of metabolites in the context of infection. Stay tuned!
If you have ever wondered what might happen to short chain fatty acids made by the microbiome. Here is a large class of metabolites and how they link to biology. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
The microbiome diversifies long- to short-chain fatty acid-derived N-acyl lipids
Mass spectrometry data mining tools enabled the creation of an MS/MS spectral library
containing hundreds of N-acyl lipids, including conjugates with short-chain fatty
acids. This resource enabled the...
www.cell.com
June 12, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Another amazing manuscript and resource led by @pieterdorrestein.bsky.social and team! So happy to be part of it, and to start using these new class of metabolites in the context of infection. Stay tuned!
Reposted by Manuela Raffatellu
Science has more than doubled our life expectancy, revolutionized our quality of life, and powered unprecedented technological advancement. But can we afford to take scientific progress for granted? What happens when science funding is slashed, diversity is suppressed, and pseudoscience takes hold?
June 8, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Science has more than doubled our life expectancy, revolutionized our quality of life, and powered unprecedented technological advancement. But can we afford to take scientific progress for granted? What happens when science funding is slashed, diversity is suppressed, and pseudoscience takes hold?