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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · 7d

We lost an icon today! Activist, scientist, and a difficult woman! #JaneGoodall

Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD

Alles Lab @alleslab.bsky.social · 21d

Our final contribution to this collaboration is now online. We obtained electrophysiological recordings of DRG/TG neurons and Fos+ neurons of spinal dorsal horn & vlPAG in 2 models of neuropathic pain to study the actions of a humanized P2X4R scFv #PainResearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Physiological actions of a humanized P2X4 scFv on peripheral and central neurons in male mice with neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain remains a challenging clinical condition due to its resistance to conventional analgesics. The purinergic P2X4 receptor (P2X4R), an A…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · 26d

Keyword: Dudes? I would love to see more non-men (including women, non-binary, intersex, etc scientists) receive the top prize.

Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · 28d

⚡We are finally electrocuting DRG neurons in the @alleslab.bsky.social since moving to @cincychildrens.bsky.social! #PainResearch #ephys #NeuroSkyence

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Sep 8

Congrats! I would love to talk with you one on one about what it's like to do research in Poland! Sent you a message on LinkedIn!

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Sep 4

🧪Biomarkers in a clinical setting for Alzheimer’s! Scientific work in identifying biomarkers for all sorts of health conditions leads to faster diagnosis, informs treatment, and improves health!

Good Brain News - by The Dementia League @dementialeague.bsky.social · Sep 4

🧠Guideline Alert for use of Dementia Blood Markers

Alzheimer's Association emphasizes use of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) with ≥90% sensitivity as triage testing and can serve as substitute tests for Amyloid PET imaging or CSF biomarker testing in Alzheimer's diagnosis.
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Alzheimer's Association Clinical Practice Guideline on the use of blood-based biomarkers in the diagnostic workup of suspected Alzheimer's disease within specialized care settings - PubMed

This CPG provides performance-based, brand-agnostic recommendations for the use of BBMs in the diagnostic workup of suspected AD within specialized care settings. By linking recommendations to a…

buff.ly

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Sep 3

🔍How do we test for biomarkers?
Usually through blood samples - looking for proteins, cytokines, or other molecules.

It's still early days in the pain field, but blood-based biomarkers may one day help personalize pain treatments.

#HealthResearch #ChronicPain

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Sep 3

🧪Word of the Week: Biomarker
A measurable signal in the body, like a molecule in the blood, that tells us something about health, disease, or response to treatment.

For pain, biomarkers could help make the invisible visible, giving us ways to track or predict pain.

#SciComm #PainResearch

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 30

This! If you read the paper they also were able to ID potential therapeutics based on the biomarkers. Spoiler, the therapeutics were not traditional analgesics. Though something like this is years (maybe even decades) from the clinic, this is huge first step!

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 29

A blood test for pain?

New work in Nature identifies circulating biomarkers that distinguish chronic pain states—offering a path toward objective, biologically grounded diagnostics.

#PainResearch #Neuroskyence #Biomarkers #ScienceWatch #SciComm #ScienceInTranslation #ChronicPain

Next-generation precision medicine for pain - Molecular Psychiatry

Molecular Psychiatry - Next-generation precision medicine for pain

www.nature.com

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 27

Doing my best to get better at this! You will see more and more from me as I try to communicate what we do, how we do it, and what it all means! Hoping to reach not just the science folks here on BS but non-scientists as well!

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · Aug 27

Some scientists haven't yet internalized the "why" behind science writing for the public - not just as a service, but for themselves. (I didn't always get it). In this piece for @natrevneuro.nature.com, I draw on the neuroscience of curiosity & decision making to unpack its value.

rdcu.be/eCGr7

The unexpected value of communicating science to the public

Nature Reviews Neuroscience - As a group, our scientific community has a responsibility to unpack the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind our work for the public, not least because much...

rdcu.be

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 27

3/ DRG are where sensory neurons, including nociceptors, send their signals to the spinal cord.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 27

2/ Here is what the human spinal cord and real DRG look like in humans! Image from human donor and our journal cover in www.jpain.org/article/S152.... White arrows show the DRG, the same clusters shown in the cartoon above.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 27

1/ Word of the Week: Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG)

Clusters of nerve cell bodies (soma) near the spinal cord that relay sensory signals - including pain - from the body to the brain.

Curious what they look like in real human tissue? See thread below

#NeuroSkyence #PainResearch #ChronicPain #SciComm

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Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD

Alles Lab @alleslab.bsky.social · Aug 26

One of our final papers from this collaborative effort involving collaborators at UNM, Mayo Clinic, & McGill. Here we validate a humanized scFv targeting hP2XR. Kudos to first-author @docnessmonster.bsky.social & former lab member Mark S. for making this happen! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

6 📖 Read the full study here! www.jci.org/articles/vie...

JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy

www.jci.org

Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

5/ 💡 Toward personalized care:

The study shows that inflammation is the earliest shift in diabetic nerve damage.

Controlling it early may prevent the cascade.

This opens a window for preventive intervention.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

4/ 🧠 Why it matters:
This work reveals a progressive cascade:
🧱 Perineurial disruption →
🔥 Immune infiltration →
🧵 Fibrotic remodeling →
📉 Schwann cell loss
Each stage offers a window for intervention.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

3/ 🧬 What did they find?

Inflammation dominates: IL6, IL1B, CXCL2 were upregulated in DPN nerves

Fibrosis follows: TGF-β and Tenascin signaling increased in late-stage axonal loss

Sensory nerves are hit hardest, especially the sural nerve

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

2/ 🔬 What did they do?
The team collected human tibial and sural nerves from patients with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
Using bulk and spatial transcriptomics, they mapped gene activity and tracked inflammation, cell types, and axonal mRNA transport.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 22

🧠From Lab To Life
Why do peripheral nerves suffer axonal loss in diabetes?

A study led by @dianatavf.bsky.social from the @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social lab showed how inflammation leads to neural fibrosis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy! #PainResearch #Neuroskyence #FromLabToLife 1/

Infographic titled "From Lab To Life: How Diabetes Rewires the Peripheral Nervous System – And what that means for treatment?" It is divided into four sections. The first section, "The Challenge," explains that about 50% of diabetes patients develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which causes pain, numbness, and disability, and highlights the lack of understanding of nerve degeneration. The second section, "What they did?" describes how researchers collected human tibial and sural nerves and used spatial transcriptomics to map gene activity and track inflammation and mRNA transport. The third section, "What they found?" reports increased inflammation markers (IL6, IL1B, CXCL2) and fibrosis markers (TGF-B, Tenascin) in DPN nerves. The final section, "Why it matters?" emphasizes the potential for early intervention to prevent fibrosis and axonal loss, moving toward personalized care. Visuals include a leg with pain indicators and a nerve illustration showing inflammation. The study is credited to Tavares-Ferreira et al., J Clin Invest, 2025, with a DOI link.

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 20

📸 Big day in the lab!
Our new electrophysiology rig is officially up and running — huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Excited for the science ahead! 🧠⚡️
@alleslab.bsky.social @cincychildrens.bsky.social #PainResearch

Three lab members standing proudly in front of a newly assembled electrophysiology rig. The setup includes a micromanipulator, amplifier, and monitor, with cables neatly arranged. Everyone is smiling in casual lab attire, celebrating the milestone in a well-lit lab space.

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Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD

Diana Tavares Ferreira @dianatavf.bsky.social · Aug 19

This work is finally online as in-press preview!

JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy www.jci.org/articles/vie...

JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy

www.jci.org

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Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Aug 13

FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.

By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social

www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...

Harvard University lays off fly database team

The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Nesia Zurek, PhD @docnessmonster.bsky.social · Aug 11

🔬 Very cool work from @aubinmoutal.bsky.social, @khannalabuf.bsky.social, and team! These studies reveal how auto-antibodies—like those seen in autoimmune diseases—can directly target sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, driving painful neuropathies. #PainResearch

Aubin Moutal @aubinmoutal.bsky.social · Aug 8

I’m proud to share that our first paper from the lab has just been published in Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This work uncovers a mechanism by which autoantibodies targeting CRMP5 contribute to neuropathic pain in paraneoplastic syndromes.
#PainResearch

Anti-CV2/CRMP5 autoantibodies as drivers of sensory neuron excitability and pain in rats - Nature Communications

Lung and thymoma cancer patients often suffer from autoimmunity and related painful neuropathies. Here the authors show that patient-derived anti-CRMP5 autoantibody binds to rat dorsal root ganglia to...

www.nature.com

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