Zehao-Tommy Zhang
@tommyz626.bsky.social
260 followers 510 following 14 posts
Graduate fellow at Junyue Cao's lab at the Rockefeller University Studying aging biology and genomics
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tommyz626.bsky.social
This work wouldn't have been possible without the CR samples & generous support from NIH and NIA, and crucial funding from Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Kellen Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund, Center for Integrated Cellular Analysis & AFAR. Thank you all!
tommyz626.bsky.social
Alex, Chloe & I are deeply grateful for the incredible support from all co-authors @junyuecao.bsky.social ’s lab & @rockefelleruniv.bsky.social !
tommyz626.bsky.social
Looking ahead, we're keen to apply our scalable & low-cost EasySci & IRISeq methods to diverse aging interventions and across species, with the goal in mind to uncover evolutionarily conserved and broadly applicable cellular and molecular targets to promote healthy aging for all.
tommyz626.bsky.social
A key limitation: we studied only male mice & are excited to see if female samples show similar/different effects!
tommyz626.bsky.social
Our study offers a deep atlas of CR's impact on the aging mouse brain. We are excited to further explore if CR modulates aging cell population dynamics through inter-cellular signaling OR by direct action on aging-associated cells.
tommyz626.bsky.social
CR also takes a swing at cellular senescence! With IRISeq, We observed a significant reduction in senescence-associated gene expression across various brain regions and cell types upon CR.
tommyz626.bsky.social
Intriguingly, CR’s boost to neurogenesis is time-sensitive! 🕰️ It helps preserve neurogenic cell populations (stem cells & neuroblasts) earlier in life (e.g., at 12 months), delaying their depletion. However, this effect wasn't sustained at much later time points (18 & 24 months).
tommyz626.bsky.social
CR significantly counteracts the age-related expansion of disease-associated glial cells. We observed a striking reduction in inflammatory cell states like disease-associated microglia & oligodendrocytes – pointing to CR’s power to dampen brain inflammation.
tommyz626.bsky.social
The precise cellular & regional mechanisms of CR's benefits to the aging brain have been elusive. To bridge this gap, we brought cutting-edge tech – highly scalable single-nuc(EasySci) & spatial transcriptomics (IRISeq, kudos to Abdul & Weirong) – to dissect this age-old yet resilient strategy.
tommyz626.bsky.social
Why do many aging interventions come & go, yet Caloric Restriction (CR) remains a robust pillar, extending healthspan across species? Its benefits are even noted in ancient eastern texts like The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine!
Reposted by Zehao-Tommy Zhang
aliceyting.bsky.social
Today we report the directed evolution of HUH into rHUH, a sequence-specific covalent protein tag for RNA labeling. rHUH was hard to engineer: the initial HUH template had no RNA activity, so we started with RNA-DNA hybrids. 30 rounds of selection on the yeast surface were required, and 7 cycles of
Reposted by Zehao-Tommy Zhang
bbparis1984.bsky.social
Biological sex is a key modifier of #aging phenotypes, including #Brain 🧠 aging.
See this piece out today in #Neuron, spearheaded by @denadubal.bsky.social, co-authored by #YousinSuh, @ctmurphy1.bsky.social and myself on the topic:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#GeroSky #SexDifferences
Biological sex matters in brain aging
Reposted by Zehao-Tommy Zhang
brunetlab.bsky.social
Interested in brain aging? We are super excited to share our new review!!

"Brain aging and rejuvenation at single-cell resolution" 🧪🧠

Massive CONGRATS to Eric Sun, Rahul Nagvekar, and Angie Pogson, three phenomenal graduate students in the lab!!

authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Reposted by Zehao-Tommy Zhang
tommyz626.bsky.social
Joined @junyuecao.bsky.social's lab without knowing single-cell genomics - after 3 years of failing, crying, learning, and growing, I’m proud to share the PanSci! Huge thanks to amazing mentors Jun & Wei and support from @rockefelleruniv.bsky.social. The secrets of aging are starting to unfold!