Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 1d

“Anyone who does not have an autoimmune disease, that’s because of these regulatory T cells,” says Markus Feuerer, an immunologist at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Medicine Nobel for researchers who identified immune system’s security guards

Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi discovered regulatory T cells that prevent autoimmune disease

www.science.org

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 1d

My PhD was on regulatory T cells (focused on elucidating their evolutionary history + exploiting Foxp3 for genetic therapeutic tricks), so happy to see work on them awarded the Nobel.

Surprised not to see Sasha Rudensky + Fiona Powrie in place of a couple of others in this list...

Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 1d

This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was just announced:
www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medic...

This seems like a good opportunity for me to explain a bit about peripheral immune tolerance and where the prizewinners' work comes in 🧵

6 October 2025

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to:

Mary E. Brunkow
Institute for Systems Biology,
Seattle, USA

Fred Ramsdell
Sonoma Biotherapeutics,
San Francisco, USA

Shimon Sakaguchi
Osaka University,
Osaka, Japan

“for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 2d

“I fear for public health in our country.”

Former CDC Chief Medical Officer @drdebhoury.bsky.social says that the national US public health system has been subjected to a “hostile takeover” and she’s right. We should all share her fears. Kennedy must go.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A ‘hostile takeover’: ousted CDC official raises alarm over RFK Jr approach to infectious disease

Debra Houry speaks after testifying on eight months under Kennedy, who critics say shuns science and spreads falsehoods

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Flo Débarre @flodebarre.bsky.social · 3d

Interesting interview of @peterdaszak.bsky.social by @nicolascgrey.bsky.social on the personal consequences of having become a public villain in a set of conspiracy theories

www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 6d

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former Director of NIAID, is Fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy in Retaliation for Filing Whistleblower Complaint with the Office of Special Counsel

bit.ly/4gRA3yx

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Zach Hensel @zachhensel.bsky.social · 7d

Here’s an op-ed I wrote arguing to get back to a focus on the relevant facts when it comes to pandemic origins.

I wrote it in response to a debate that’s played out over the last year in Norwegian media that rarely slows down to check what’s true and false.

runestava.bsky.social @runestava.bsky.social · 7d

www.aftenposten.no/meninger/deb...

La oss vende tilbake til bevisene for koronapandemiens opprinnelse

Jakten på pandemiens opprinnelse er for viktig til å bli avsporet av uvitenskapelige insinuasjoner.

www.aftenposten.no

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Alex Crits-Christoph @acritschristoph.bsky.social · 7d

organizing works 😎

It is the only thing that works in the moment. Admins won't work. Funders won't work. If you're in academia, get involved and support @aaup.org, support your scientific societies, and help them learn to fight and speak out. Collective organizing is the only approach that works.

AAUP @aaup.org · 7d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 7d

Unfortunately, most of what is described in that article is false and the authors seem to have a very poor understanding of current biosafety regulations.

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Leif Erik Sander 🇪🇺🇺🇦 @sanderlab.bsky.social · 7d

#CDC is renaming #Mpox using the old misleading and stigmatizing term. #Mpox was set as global consensus by @who.int and there is no scientific or public health reason to go back to an outdated terminology.
What we need is action: vaccination, awareness & equitable access, not backward naming.

Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a viral disease related to smallpox that spreads mainly through close contact.

www.cdc.gov

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 12d

Attenuation of the SARS-2 furin-cleavage site (FCS) continues apace. It's beginning to look as if some form of FCS-weakening mutation might well become fixed in the near future. Collectively, they are at ~12% globally—a totally unprecedented level—& rising quickly. 1/4

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 13d

I'm not in any way trying to diminish this development—it's a very good thing!—but we should not be in a position where philanthropy is required to ensure people can access lifesaving medication.

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 13d

This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”

Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.

www.nytimes.com

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 14d

When you made the deadline, but didn't quite stick the landing.

a person is doing a trick on a trampoline in a gym

ALT: a person is doing a trick on a trampoline in a gym

media.tenor.com

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 14d

Also worth talking about the HR=1.05 [1.02 - 1.09] reported by that study...

It's bonkers that we're even here.

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Nick Loman @pathogenomenick.bsky.social · 15d

A bit like spiralling publication costs we need to start having a proper discussion around lab equipment servicing costs. These are often completely disproportionate to the cost of instrument and the service that is provided and seem to serve as a cash cow for vendors.

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Michael Baym @baym.lol · 17d

Immigrants, particularly on H1Bs, are the lifeblood of American innovation. If you wanted to hurt US competitiveness in the next century, I can think of few more effective ways than a move like this

Even when found illegal, the mere intent will have irreparably harmed our future

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 18d

Science: Gold standard science requires gold standard scholarship

by Holden Thorp
bit.ly/46K5A26

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · 19d

bioRxiv partners with Dryad to enable easier, better linking to curated datasets connect.biorxiv.org/news/2025/09...

Dryad partnership brings easier data sharing to bioRxiv

bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution

connect.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 19d

🗒️Ebola update: 48 cases & 31 deaths in Kasai Congo.
~1000 contacts monitored to stop chains of transmission
-Tests turned around in <6hrs (fast!)
-523 healthworkers & contacts vaccinated

Luckily, DRC has become mighty at Ebola response at at time when US funds & assistance is underwater.
From WHO:

Brazzaville — Response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is accelerating, with a range of control measures being scaled up leading to quicker detection of the virus, early start of treatment and care, contact tracing, as well as vaccine rollout.

Two weeks since the declaration of the outbreak on 4 September 2025, over 90% of contacts of confirmed cases are being monitored and followed up, from just 19% a fortnight ago. Monitoring of contacts is important for—among other measures—rapid detection, prompt isolation and quick initiation of treatment when Ebola symptoms appear. A total of 943 contacts are being followed up in Bulape health zone, the current epicentre of the outbreak. The goal is to disrupt the chain of transmission in the community.

Sixteen patients are receiving treatment at Bulape treatment centre, where a 34-bed treatment centre has been set up with clinical care experts and therapeutics deployed to improve treatment. The first two patients to recover from Ebola were discharged on 15 September.

Laboratory testing of samples is now being conducted on site in Bulape. Sample testing turnaround time has also significantly improved, with results now obtained within 4—6 hours, down from 4—5 days previously when samples would be shipped to Kinshasa

To reduce community transmission as well as safeguard the health workers who are at most risk, a total of 523 frontline health workers in Bulape health zone and contacts have been vaccinated as of 16 September. Six teams are carrying out the vaccination. Around 45,000 additional doses of the Ervebo vaccines have been approved and an initial consignment of 2000 doses has been delivered.

“While we’re witnessing important improvements in the response, we’re still in the early days of the outbreak. A determined action is vital to consolidate these positive steps, gain ground against the virus, end its spread and protect the population,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, World Healt…

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Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 19d

MMR vaccines do not cause autism (see my 🧵 of studies)

At the same time, one potential cause of autism is rubella, which is *prevented* by MMR vaccines.

Which means...vaccines may actually help prevent autism.

🧵

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21592401/

Congenital rubella syndrome and autism spectrum disorder prevented by rubella vaccination--United States, 2001-2010 - PubMed

We estimate that rubella vaccination prevented substantial numbers of CRS and ASD cases in the United States from 2001 through 2010. These findings provide additional incentive to maintain high measle...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 22d

To my surprise, OS26 is pretty nice... First time in many years I actually noticed an OS upgrade.

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 22d

True.

And I will always be victorious.

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 23d

And what happened less than fifteen years later? Battle of Svold!

A proper king, Svend Tveskæg, fueled by Ketchup Hotdogs, Carlsberg, and the wrath of the Norse Gods kicked the arses of the Weirdos of the North.

To the bottom of the sea Olaf went.

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 24d

Well, no - those were the Danes. Sorry.

Nice fjords, though.

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 24d

Let me remind you that back then “your” people were our people. Any self-respecting Norse would identify as Danish.

And put pølse ketchup on hotdogs.

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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 24d

This is an important article and a key reminder that, while tech companies can't be held responsible for content on their platform, they can, and should, be held responsible for how they serve and amplify said content.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Something Is Very Wrong Online

The cycle of violence will continue as long as the medium doesn’t change.

www.theatlantic.com

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