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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 2d

Pediatric oncologist @johnprensner.bsky.social has teamed up with the LSI's Natural Products Discovery Core to explore thousands of #NaturalProducts in search of new treatment paths for #DIPG, a deadly childhood brain cancer. Learn more about the project:
research.umich.edu/research-sto...

Ashu Tripathi working with the NPDC’s high-throughput mass spectrometry system

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Reposted by U-M Life Sciences Institute

Wallace House Center for Journalists @umwallacehouse.bsky.social · 5d

✨ Save the Date! ✨

LSI SciComm Speaker Series welcomes Kate Zernike, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the Fight for Women in Science.

📅 Thursday, Oct. 9
⏰ 10:00 a.m.
📍 Rackham Amphitheatre
📖 Book-signing after the talk!

@umlifesciences.bsky.social

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 6d

Prof. Alison Narayan (@alisonnarayan.bsky.social) discusses the motivation behind CATNIP, a data-driven platform that makes biocatalysis more accessible to chemists. The tool, developed by Narayan's lab and collaborators at @cmu.edu is described in a new @nature.com study:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Photo of Alison Narayan with a quote: Biocatalysis offers a more sustainable way to build molecules, and it can also give us access to molecules that we couldn’t build using traditional chemical methods. But most of the known substrates for these biocatalysts come from nature, which is just a very small subset of the molecules that chemists work with.

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 7d

A team from @umich.edu and @cmu.edu has developed CATNIP for chemists — a data-driven open-access platform that removes a major barrier to wider adoption of #biocatalysis, making greener chemistry more accessible.
Read more: myumi.ch/dgp2Z
@narayanlab.bsky.social
@alisonnarayan.bsky.social

Abstract representation of the connections between chemical space and protein space

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 8d

A new @natcomms.nature.com study from Dan Klionsky’s lab, conducted in yeast, reveals how mutations that were thought to shut down one essential cellular process can actually help some types of cancer cells grow, while making them more resistant to stress.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

V-ATPase-dependent induction of selective autophagy - Nature Communications

Here the authors show that mutations in V-ATPase genes in follicular lymphoma trigger V-ATPase-dependent autophagy. This process, linked to tryptophan metabolism and ribosome biogenesis, may help tumor cells thrive under stress conditions.

www.nature.com

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 9d

Studying venom resistance in opossums, scientists have discovered that differences between human and opossum versions of a blood-born protein enable the animals to combat the blood-clotting effects of snake venom. Their findings could have relevance for human coagulopathies.
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Comparative microfluidic and enzymatic analyses reveal multifaceted snake venom resistance and novel VWF behavior in the opossum Monodelphis domestica

Interactions between predators and prey are often characterized by strong selection pressures that shape extreme physiological adaptations. Venom resistance in large-bodied South American opossums (Cl...

doi.org

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 12d

In a new @jcb.org study, a team of @umich.edu researchers reveal new details in a complex cellular mechanism that is central to the brain’s ability to learn and form memories.

www.lsi.umich.edu/news/2025-09...

Hippocampal neuron with its central cell body, branching neurites and dendritic spines

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · 19d

We've had a great week celebrating our dedicated, innovative postdocs as part of National Postdoc Appreciation Week. And while #NPAW2025 is coming to an end, our gratitude is not! Thank you, LSI postdocs, for your scientific expertise, mentorship, and all you contribute to the LSI community!

Handwritten note on black paper: Thank you for your mentorship and guidance!

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Aug 25

Join us October 9 for the LSI #SciComm Series lecture featuring
Kate Zernike, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the Fight for Women in Science."
Details: events.umich.edu/event/137203

Cosponsored by @umisr.bsky.social and the U-M Wallace House

Illustration of a microscope examining female scientists working at a lab bench. Text: LSI SciComm Speaker Series, Kate Zernike, Author & Journalist. "The Exceptions: The Past, Present and Future of women in Science." 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., October 9, 2025, Rackham Amphitheater.

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Aug 11

Congratulations to LSI Research Associate Professor Wenjing Wang, who has been named a MBioFar Award recipient. This award from the U-M Biosciences Initiative recognizes faculty for their "research achievements, academic excellence, and potential to drive scientific breakthroughs." myumi.ch/4mN4n

Portrait of LSI Research Associate Professor, Wenjing Wang.

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Aug 4

A @umich.edu research team, including Shawn Xu's lab at the LSI, has uncovered the neural circuit that allows skin to sense cool temperatures and send that info to the brain.

In addition to deepening our understanding of fundamental biology, the findings have medical implications:
myumi.ch/796gx

Coolness hits different; now scientists know why

Researchers at the University of Michigan have illuminated a complete sensory pathway showing how the skin communicates the temperature of its surroundings to the brain.

myumi.ch

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Aug 1

LSI Director Roger Cone discusses his lab's research into the melanocortin system, and how that work has led to new drug-development programs targeting both anorexia and obesity:

Protein targets can act as a switch for obesity and anorexia | www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/p...

Protein targets can act as a switch for obesity and anorexia

In the U.S., dietary obesity has a prevalence of 40% and obesity increases the risk of other chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Even though anorexia nervosa has a prevalence of 1%, i...

www.michiganmedicine.org

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 29

LSI faculty members @byneuron.bsky.social and Peng Li teamed up with colleagues in the U-M School of Dentistry (including LSI alum @elizabithian.bsky.social) to uncover how neurons inside teeth do more than just sense pain:
news.umich.edu/ouch-tooth-n...

Ouch! Tooth nerves that serve as pain detectors have another purpose: Tooth protectors

Until now the sensory neurons inside the tooth were primarily thought to send pain signals to the brain, but a new study shows those neurons are multitaskers that also trigger a jaw-opening reflex tha...

news.umich.edu

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 25

#PostdocOpportunity:
The Fung lab is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to explore human structural cell biology using #cryoEM and #cryoET, with a focus on chromatin and nuclear structures during development.
Learn more and apply: careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 22

Scientists have developed a new method for rapid discovery of RNA-protein interactions. Combining the multiplexed method with #cryoEM, @jbquerido.bsky.social & colleagues identified novel interactions between RNA & the LARP1 protein impacting translation initiation.
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Photo of Jay Brito Querido with a quote: "This new method allows us to uncover, at unprecedented detail and speed, unique changes in how RNA_binding proteins interact with RNA under different conditions, which is key to understanding how genes are regulated and respond to change."

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 17

“When everyone’s interests align, there’s almost no science we cannot do here at Michigan.”
Learn how the the LSI's comprehensive suite of research cores support drug-discovery and basic science research for @umich.edu researchers, while also advancing novel research:

Core Strength

Even before many of the faculty lab spaces were occupied, the nascent Life Sciences Institute was investing in its scientific cores — research centers with specialized expertise and technologies that ...

www.lsi.umich.edu

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 10

In the 2 decades that they've worked together at the LSI, faculty members David Sherman & Janet Smith have published over 40 studies together. They recently discussed how this long-standing cross-discipline collaboration has helped each of their research programs:
www.lsi.umich.edu/news/lsi-mag...

David Sherman and Janet Smith discuss one of their discoveries

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 3

In the most recent LSI Magazine, @umich.edu alum @aefraley.bsky.social describes how she has charted
a unique career path to from the LSI to her own lab at @ethz.ch, where she is focused on "caring for the planet and caring for human health at the same time."
www.lsi.umich.edu/news/lsi-mag...

Cartoon drawing of a scuba-diver collecting marine samples

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jul 1

One month left to apply!
The Michigan Pioneer Fellows program is accepting applications for its 2025 cohort. Spanning the @umich.edu Medical School, LSA, School of Dentistry, & LSI, this postdoc program is designed to launch innovative scientists into groundbreaking careers.
pioneerfellows.umich.edu

Shaping tomorrow’s scientific breakthroughs | Michigan Pioneer Fellows ProgramMichigan Pioneer Fellows Program

Our fellowship program identifies exceptional postdoctoral researchers and empowers them to become independent leaders through financial support and dedicated mentorship.

pioneerfellows.umich.edu

U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jun 24

LSI Prof. David Ginsburg, one of the nation’s leading scholars in the molecular genetics of bleeding and clotting disorders, has been selected as U-M’s 2025 Henry Russel Lecturer! myumi.ch/w9dm2

Photo of David Ginsburg and text: Congratulations to David Ginsburg, U-M's 2025 Henry Russel Lecturer! This lectureship is the university's highest honor for senior faculty, awarded for exceptional achievements in research, scholarship, and an outstanding record of distinguished teaching, mentoring, and service to U-M and the wider community.

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Reposted by U-M Life Sciences Institute

Chelsey Spriggs @drsprggs.bsky.social · Jun 19

I’m excited to share the first publication from my lab on the unexpected strategy that MCPyV, a cancer-causing virus, uses to enter cells. This was truly a team effort and I am so grateful for each of the brilliant women who contributed to this research project. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Temporal gating of nuclear import: How Merkel cell polyomavirus exploits the cell cycle for nuclear entry

Author summary Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes a rare but deadly form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. However, many aspects of its infectious life cycle are unclear, including how...

journals.plos.org

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jun 19

LSI researchers have uncovered new details of the process that HIV uses to hijack cells’ transportation systems and cause infection. Their findings overturn a decades-old theory and offer a new system for studying viral trafficking and infection.
@science.org
www.lsi.umich.edu/news/2025-06...

Quote from Somaney Badieyan, first author of the new study: “This opens a new perspective on how the infection is happening. [HIV] is a much more opportunistic hijacker than we previously thought.”

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jun 17

"Education like this is an opportunity, but it's what we do with that opportunity that matters."
—Joslyn Johnson, Assistant Dean of Student Development & Career Initiatives, welcoming the 2025 Perrigo & Aspirnaut students, who will spend their summers immersed in hands-on research at the LSI.

The newest group of LSI Perrigo and Aspirnaut summer research students gathered for a group photo after receiving their lab coats.

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jun 13

Last week, U-M Program in Chemical Biology students, alumni & faculty celebrated the program's 20th anniversary!
Alumni came in from across U.S. to present talks about their journey and what they've been able to achieve as graduates of the program.
@alisonnarayan.bsky.social @annamapp.bsky.social

Group photo Program in Chemical Biology alumni

Program Director Alison Narayan welcomes the audience to the Program in Chemical Biology's 20th Anniversary celebration

Poster session at the PCB 20th Anniversary celebration

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U-M Life Sciences Institute @umlifesciences.bsky.social · Jun 12

By combining experiments in baker’s yeast and human cell lines with a generative AI tool, @umich.edu researchers have determined how specific genetic mutations found in children with neurodegenerative diseases disrupt an essential cellular process.
Read the full story: myumi.ch/QwVrA

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