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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

PS: Thanks to @edelblumlab.bsky.social for showing me how to do a proper Bluetorial (this isn't bad for my first try, right?)

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

@ukri.org supported this work, which was led by Liya Mathew (funded by Bart's Charity) and is being continued by Sean Carlson with HARP / @wellcometrust.bsky.social. Huge thanks to @chitinette.bsky.social Julian Naglik (KCL) Newman Sze @brocku.ca and of course @eberllab.bsky.social
10/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

What's next? We plan to build even better models of human intestine complete with patient immune cells so we can see how well these defend against fungal attack (and start testing drug treatments that could help prevent this). Got other brilliant ideas? Let us know! 👇 9/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

Could this really happen in the human intestine? To test this, we built a 'mini gut' model complete with fluid flow and tissue stretch, then added in different fungi. C. albicans strains from CD patients were much better at sticking and invading the model tissues like a pathogen might do. 8/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

Do these filaments matter? Well they are pretty BIG so quite difficult for immune cells to eat. In fact, they can even make neutrophils EXPLODE(!) and punch their way out of hungry macrophages 👽. Quite likely bad news for gut inflammation... 7/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

Why was this happening? We found lots of genetic differences between C. albicans strains from healthy donors and CD patients, which also reacted very differently when we put them in low-oxygen conditions similar to the human gut 🫧 6/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

The main type of fungus we isolated from gut biopsies was Candida albicans. Strains from healthy donors looked like harmless oval yeast: 000. Crohn's disease (CD) strains made invasive filaments that we know can break into human tissues: 0------💥 0----💥 5/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

Other labs have shown gut fungi increase in inflammation, so we checked if Vd2+ cells from IBD patients could also pull this trick. Short answer: NO! Vd2+ cells were rare in patient tissue and tough to activate (maybe not helped by some of the treatments used: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168223/) 4/10

Azathioprine therapy selectively ablates human Vδ2⁺ T cells in Crohn's disease - PubMed

Tumor-derived and bacterial phosphoantigens are recognized by unconventional lymphocytes that express a Vγ9Vδ2 T cell receptor (Vδ2 T cells) and mediate host protection against microbial infections an...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

By total chance, we noticed that activating Vd2+ cells in healthy gut tissue cultures kept them nice and clean, but when we didn't do this they would quickly get overrun by fungus!! 🍄😱 3/10

Photo of a gut tissue culture plate in which left well has been overtaken by fungal growth, whereas right well remains clean.

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

In previous teamwork with @eberllab.bsky.social, we showed that bacteria-sensing #gdT-cells in human gut tissue (Vdelta2+) are great inducers of IL-22 cytokine and anti-microbial calpro, but why would this be a useful response to make? 🤔 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28330898/ 2/10

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Neil McCarthy @neilemccarthy.bsky.social · 17d

📚 NEW #gdT-cell PAPER from our team @QMUL.bsky.social! 🥳 'Bacterial suppression of intestinal fungi via activation of human gut γδ T-cells' out now on @biorxiv-immuno
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Here's my first attempt at a 'Bluetorial'... 🧵 1/10 #gastrosky #IBDsky

Bacterial suppression of intestinal fungi via activation of human gut γδ T-cells

Gut symbionts condition mucosal immunity to resist infection by enteropathogens, but the specific microbes and mechanisms involved differ significantly between host species. In higher primates, bacter...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Edelblum Lab @edelblumlab.bsky.social · Aug 7

📚NEW #gdTcell PAPER ALERT! 'Microbiota promote enhanced CD39 expression in γδ intraepithelial lymphocytes through the activation of TCR and IL-15 signaling' is now out in @mucosalimmunol.bsky.social! #gastrosky #GIsky #IBDsky Join us for a Bluetorial 🧵...

Microbiota promote enhanced CD39 expression in γδ intraepithelial lymphocytes through the activation of TCR and IL-15 signaling

Intraepithelial lymphocytes expressing the γδ T cell receptor (γδ IEL) provide continuous surveillance of the intestinal epithelium. We report that mi…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

bioRxiv Immunology @biorxiv-immuno.bsky.social · 18d

Bacterial suppression of intestinal fungi via activation of human gut γδ T-cells https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.17.676560v1

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 24d

The “publish or perish” culture in academia creates its own kind of evolutionary pressure.

A scholar who studies human behavior through a cultural evolutionary lens explains how the relentless drive to publish can shape – and sometimes undermine – the quality of research.

buff.ly/SqnFR4g

‘Publish or perish’ evolutionary pressures shape scientific publishing, for better and worse

Scientists write papers to share their results – and gain prestige and advance their careers. In this competitive field, selection can favor AI-written papers, citation cartels, paper mills and more.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 27d

What happens to US public health without a fully functioning CDC? Americans will get a taste this upcoming cold and flu season.

How RFK Jr. Is Pushing the CDC to the Brink

A small but vocal contingent has long been demanding changes at the agency. With an ally in RFK Jr., it’s finally getting what it wants—to the horror of the scientists he’s sidelined.

bloom.bg

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Eberl Lab 👨🏻‍🔬👩🏽‍💻🔬🧫 @eberllab.bsky.social · May 23

The perfect end to a great #gammadeltatoronto conference: our latest review has just been published in Advances in Immunology!

"Modulation of humoral immunity by γδ T cells: A potential adjuvant strategy for vaccination"

👉🏼 authors.elsevier.com/a/1l8ltErwXf...

#gdTcells @forum-gd.bsky.social

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Dr. Nazila Kamaly @nazilakamaly.bsky.social · Mar 28

🎉huge congratulations to Jake Samuel for passing his PhD viva with flying colours today! Big thanks to the examiners ⁦
@neilemccarthy.bsky.social and @nickbrooks22.bsky.social 🥳 and ⁦@cesiboy.bsky.social for Co-supervision! Looking forward to Dr Samuel’s gut-lymphatics-on-a-chip papers next! 🚀

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Edelblum Lab @edelblumlab.bsky.social · Mar 22

#Bluetorial: In our latest paper on #gdTcells and #IBD in #ScienceImmunology we found that γδ IEL number and regulatory function are severely compromised BEFORE ileal inflammation occurs, suggesting that γδ IELs may maintain IEL homeostasis in response to a pro-inflammatory microenvironment. 1/n

two men are riding a bicycle with a basket on it .

ALT: two men are riding a bicycle with a basket on it .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · Mar 8

In keeping with his decades-long crusade against vaccines, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., initially downplayed the West Texas measles outbreak. Now he’s found himself tasked with the job of doing something about it.

The Dangers of R.F.K. Jr.’s Measles Response

The H.H.S. Secretary has touted over-the-counter remedies and stressed that the decision to vaccinate is “personal.”

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

West Virginia Watch @westvirginiawatch.com · Feb 27

As bird flu cases inundate more poultry and dairy farms, state officials worry that the Trump administration’s firings of federal scientists and other actions will undermine efforts to track the virus and protect Americans, reports @nhassanein.bsky.social.

As bird flu spreads, feds might undercut states by firing scientists, removing data

buff.ly

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

CNN @cnn.com · Feb 26

An unvaccinated, school-age child has died in West Texas. It's the first known death from an outbreak that's infected more than 120 people.

First measles death reported in the West Texas outbreak is school-aged child | CNN

The first measles death in the growing outbreak in West Texas was a school-aged child.

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

WIRED @wired.com · Feb 21

After a lifetime on the frontiers of the fight against HIV, researchers can finally see the end of the epidemic in sight. But thanks to the Trump administration’s executive orders, it’s unclear when—or possibly even ever—this breakthrough medicine will see the light of day.

This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout

Lenacapavir, a twice yearly injection that prevents HIV transmission, was named the breakthrough medicine of 2024. But without US foreign aid dollars, its delivery to millions worldwide is under threa...

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

WHO @who.int · Feb 11

Today is International Day of Women & Girls in Science.

Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of science & health & continue to inspire generations of scientists & innovators. 🔬 #WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Marie Curie, Physicist and chemist.

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Science Magazine @science.org · Feb 11

When asked to draw a scientist, school-age kids in the United States are increasingly sketching women, according to a study from 2018.

Read more on #WomenInScienceDay: https://scim.ag/4hOUuvx

SCIENCESHOTS What does a scientist look like? Children are drawing women more than ever before

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Reposted by Neil McCarthy

Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · Feb 9

This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.

Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”

globalnews.ca/news/9793403...

How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca

In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.

globalnews.ca

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