Steve Trutane

I was on a very interesting panel about the democratization of science, about communicating science to the people, about synthetic biology, and all sorts of cool, interrelated concepts. It was also filmed at a really neat studio space at Concordia University. If you have any interest in these topics, go watch the video now! #scicomm #syntheticbiology #synbio #sciencejournalism #trust #biology #sciencemuseum #scienceeducation https://lnkd.in/eQDmcduh

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Another glimpse in retrospect. The year 2017 was running, and the second year of the Ph.D. was starting. Our initial deep dive into a single modeling approach expanded to comprise that interconnected levels in biological systems still corresponded to silos-like subdomains in the scientific community. Indeed, there was no modeling approach to rule them all. That is why 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒚𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 were worth reviewing. That is why, as in many other contexts, it was worth it to comprise and highlight this diversity of perspectives over complexity. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dRqE7AzX Bardini, R., Politano, G., Benso, A., & Di Carlo, S. (2017). Multi-level and hybrid modelling approaches for systems biology. Computational and structural biotechnology journal, 15, 396-402. Chicago #ComputationalSystemsBiology #multidisciplinarity #interdisciplinarity #modeling #research #science

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The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has awarded $14M to four cell biology research collaboratives to develop technology for better understanding cells. The multi-year grants will bring together regional labs in California, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina to explore the frontiers of genomics, cell biology, and synthetic biology by developing new measurement technologies. These projects will focus on developing technologies to engineer cell and tissue models, exploring cellular responses to genetic and environmental stressors, understanding the role of #RNA in metabolism, and more. More on each project below: Exploratory cell networks to decode and program cellular behavior: Caltech, UCLA, and the University of Southern California will engineer, manipulate, and analyze complex multicellular systems, starting with muscle and immune cells. Findings from the project could help unlock a variety of cell and gene therapies to treat diseases such as #cancer, #musculardystrophy, and #autoimmune conditions. Innovative approaches for charting state-dependent RNA metabolic networks: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Research, and UC San Diego will create a set of technologies to research RNA and cellular metabolism. These methods will clarify how cells respond and adapt to genetic and environmental stresses, including aging and diseases linked to RNA dysregulation, such as #Alzheimer’s disease. Revealing the hidden topologies of the human kinome: Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will develop a suite of new tools capable of monitoring and manipulating protein kinases, which are not only key biological regulators but also a frequent target for therapeutic intervention. This work will help researchers better understand cellular organization, nervous system function, and neurological diseases. Technologies for mapping RNA/protein flux, assembly, and aging through condensates: Princeton University, The Rockefeller University, and the University of Pennsylvania will develop technologies to clarify how RNA and proteins move and are metabolized within cells, with a specific focus on membrane-less compartments in cells. These new tools will fill a gap in foundational biology and may be helpful for understanding a core process impacting disease diagnosis and aging. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBngZ2_R

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Answers & justice are possible, regardless of circumstance, geography, decade, or biogeographical ancestry. More forensic genetic genealogy cases have been solved with Othram Inc. than any other method. Don't settle for "good enough" testing. Every case deserves the best case scenario. Start here: https://lnkd.in/gWeb5xum. #dnasolves #forensics #genetics #genealogy

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My latest for EpiGenie takes a look at a new multiomic map that describes how both DNA methylation and 3D chromatin conformation changes in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus as the human brain develops. It could someday help researchers learn more about neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. https://lnkd.in/esPrSppH

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#TBT 🧬 In 2003, SFI featured a profile on resident faculty — now President — David Krakauer on his origins as an evolutionary biologist. “What drives Krakauer as a biologist is the infinite problem of how and why cells communicate, how they organize, transmit information, and select and make decisions.” To read more about Krakauer’s early journey to SFI 👉 https://ow.ly/jjGU50RHm4K

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Could Digestive Enzymes Contribute to Aging? UCSD researchers have hypothesized a mechanism of aging called “autodigestion”- where digestive enzymes like trypsin, normally confined to the small intestine, leak into peripheral organs as we age. This leakage causes significant tissue damage, resulting in higher levels of collagen damage within organs linking this autodigestion to aging. Using Collagen Hybridizing Peptides (CHPs) to detect damaged collagen, the study revealed how this enzyme leakage accelerates aging and harms vital tissues. Here are their key findings:  Older rats showed higher collagen damage across multiple organs, including the liver, lungs, heart, brain, skin, and kidneys. This damage was closely linked to the presence of leaked digestive enzymes. When older rats were treated with a serine protease inhibitor for just two weeks, enzyme leakage and collagen damage were significantly reduced, offering a potential therapeutic approach. Implications: These findings imply that dietary habits, such as meal frequency and caloric intake, could influence the rate of enzymatic leakage and associated tissue damage, shedding a light on new avenues for therapeutic and lifestyle interventions to preserve tissue integrity and metabolic health. Learn more by reading our full blog and the paper itself here: https://lnkd.in/eHKegbDU

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Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous loci linked to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, but understanding the specific target genes and biological mechanisms remains a major challenge. Here Wen et al provide a comprehensive analysis of genetic regulation across diverse ancestries, focusing on gene expression, isoform variation, and splicing in brain development. By integrating multi-ancestry datasets, the study highlights how genetic diversity influences brain development at multiple molecular levels. This cross-ancestry approach advances our understanding of neurodevelopmental processes, revealing ancestry-specific regulatory mechanisms and their potential links to neurological disorders. The atlas serves as a valuable resource for future research, emphasizing the importance of including diverse populations in genetic studies to capture a broader spectrum of human biology. However future studies should focus on including more diverse populations and the atlas could also be applied to studying age-specific or region-specific gene regulation patterns in the brain, potentially informing personalized medicine and therapies for brain-related diseases. Paper link: https://lnkd.in/dBthciZ3 #TiwariLab #JournalClub

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In this article, Dr. Justin Siegel explores the role of computational #protein design in addressing the complex challenges around human and planetary health. The groundbreaking research of Dr. David Baker, one of the 2024 #NobelLaureates in Chemistry, and the collaborative scientific communities like Rosetta Commons, are revolutionizing our ability to navigate the vast universe of proteins. "There are an estimated 10^500 unique proteins that could exist—a number so astronomical it dwarfs the number of stars in the observable universe, which is about 10^24" says Dr. Siegel. "The integration of computational tools with biological science is unlocking solutions to problems once thought insurmountable." 📖 read more here: https://lnkd.in/gC2rUnrv #NobelPrize #ProteinInnovation #FoodandHealth #UCDavis #Foodinnovation #Healthinnovation #FoodScience #HealthScience University of California, Davis | University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management | The March Group | Digestiva | VinZymes

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"How can we search through this vast protein universe to find those that meet our specific needs?", our key partner Dr. Justin Siegel talks about the role of computational #protein design in addressing the complex challenges around human and planetary health — applying his research to our portfolio companies Digestiva & VinZymes. 🍎🚀 Dr. Justin Siegel also joined his PhD mentor and #NobelLaureate in Chemistry, Dr. David Baker at the ongoing The Nobel Prize award ceremony — congratulations to Dr. David Baker for his success once again! Thank you both for being part of the effort to make the world a better place. Proud to share this journey with you! Read more about protein design here: https://lnkd.in/gxmgv_X9 #nobelprize #AI #technology #venturecapital

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🎙️ New Episode of the #CompBioCafePod! This week, we discuss "Picking a Healthy Work Environment as a Computational Biologist" Full episode at: https://buff.ly/4a957Vu #ComputationalBiology #Bioinformatics #DataScience #BioinformaticsResearch #Biotech #BioinformaticsTalk #InformaticsPodcast #ScienceCommunication #blackinstem #stem #blackwomeninstem #womeninstem #blackintech #womenintech #diversityinstem #biotech

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🎙️ New episode on Getting to Know Your Research! 🎉 In episode seven, Dr. Dawn Eichenfield and Dr. Jennifer Sui discuss their 2022 PeDRA Research Fellowship project titled Characterization of non-coding genetic loci and transcription factors that drive the development of linear morphea. Listen to learn about the many collaborations needed to propel a study like this. 🎧 Listen on PeDRA Pearls or click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eG5Atjeg #PeDRA #pedraresearch #dermatology #pedsderm #dermresearch #dermnerds #academicdermatology #dermpodcast #morphea

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UC Davis researchers have developed a rapid, noninvasive tool to track the neurons and biomolecules activated in the brain by psychedelic drugs. The protein-based tool, which is called Ca2+-activated Split-TurboID, or CaST, is described in research published in Nature Methods. There has been mounting interest in the value of psychedelic-inspired compounds as treatments for brain disorders including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder, among others. Psychedelic compounds — like LSD, DMT and psilocybin — promote the growth and strengthening of neurons and their connections in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Those afflicted with brain disorders showcase signs of neural atrophy in this region. “It’s important to think about the cellular mechanisms that these psychedelics act upon,” said Christina Kim, an assistant professor of neurology at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and an affiliate of the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics. “What are they? Once we know that, we can design different variants that target the same mechanism but with fewer side effects.” This research provides scientists with a new technique that could be used to track step-by-step the molecular signaling processes that lead to these compounds’ beneficial neuroplastic effects. What’s more, CaST accomplishes the task of cellular tagging in rapid time, taking 10 to 30 minutes rather than the hours typical of other tagging methods.     “We designed these proteins in the lab that can be packaged into DNA and then put into harmless adeno-associated viruses,” Kim said. “Once we deliver the CaST tool and these proteins into neurons, then they incubate inside the cells and start expressing.” The research was conducted in collaboration with David Olson, the founding director of the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics and a professor of chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular medicine. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gtdqSTwR 

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2025 is the #yearofquantum (according to the UN, anyway). What better way to kick it off than to read my latest feature for Nature Portfolio's Nature Medicine, which is all about what quantum computers could do for medicine and the people who are backing the nascent tech in the hopes of finding out ⚛️ Read here: https://lnkd.in/erAnpAfZ

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As the concept of “next-generation sequencing” or #NGS is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary commercially, is it time to just call it #sequencing? I appreciate that the #technology has continued to evolve, but perhaps we can come up with a new epithet that doesn’t feel ironically old. #genomics #pharma #biotech

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