iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 14h

I'm excited to share that I've been selected as a 2026 Cardinal Family Scholar by Cure Alzheimer's Fund. This funding will help build on our recent Cell study here @scbrmmountsinai.bsky.social to develop therapies targeting APOE4-driven vascular damage in Alzheimer's. curealz.org/news-and-eve...

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Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD @caitvw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

So proud of everything we have built in the past 6 years, and all the SUPER cool science we've touched along the way 🧪 Shaping how science makes it's way out into the world is both an honor and an absolute joy!

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

If insights from neuroscience can improve AI – e.g., by achieving low-power computing, continual learning, or enhanced cognition – the capital unlocked from the AI industry would drive clinical and scientific breakthroughs. I discuss this funding landscape here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSPd...

youtube.com

Sean Escola | Funding Brain Science @ Vision Weekend UK 2026

YouTube video by Foresight Institute

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Using a multicellular human brain model, our latest study, now published in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social, identifies APOE4 astrocytes as key drivers of α-synuclein pathology, uncovering a new mechanism linking genetic risk to neurodegeneration. www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce...

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Molecular & Cellular Cognition Society @molcellcog.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Meet the #MCCS26 officers! Dr. @denisejcai.bsky.social ‪is an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her lab studies the neural underpinnings of learning & memory and develops imaging tools. Join us November 12 & 13. Register here: event.fourwaves.com/4599d6d4-273...

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Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

(1/8) Our approach for untangling brain-wide interactions is out today in @cp-neuron.bsky.social! Current-Based Decomposition (CURBD) uses RNNs constrained by real neural data to reveal the input driving neurons, uncovering how brain regions talk to each other. doi.org/10.1016/j.ne... 🧵👇

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 06/08/2026

One of our most popular preprints of 2025 is now published in @science.org. Congrats to @brianhie.bsky.social, @samuelhking.bsky.social, and team on establishing a framework for generating and evaluating AI-generated genomes. - Access the paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Generative design of bacteriophages with genome language models

Many important biological functions arise not from single genes but from complex interactions encoded by entire genomes. We report the first generative design of complete bacteriophage genomes using g...

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This week the Blanchard Lab turns 5! 🎉 Together, we've built increasingly sophisticated human brain models, uncovered new disease biology & even began the process of taking our #miBrains to space. I'm so grateful for this team & everyone who's been part of the journey so far.

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Attending #CCN2026 in NYC? Be sure to visit Gelana Tostaeva's poster on Thursday! Gelana will be presenting our recent work exploring how the human hippocampus can track locations in abstract social space 🧠 Read her full abstract here: 2026.ccneuro.org/poster/?id=y...

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 04/08/2026

Pre-registration for the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge opens today. Start building your team and say hello in our Discord. The full competition launches August 20. virtualcellchallenge.org

virtualcellchallenge.org

Virtual Cell Challenge

The competition, hosted by Arc Institute at virtualcellchallenge.org and sponsored by NVIDIA, 10x Genomics, and Ultima Genomics, is focused on accelerating progress in AI modeling of biology. Entrants...

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Heading to #CCN26? Stop by and see what the Rajan Lab has been working on! Don't miss presentations from John Vastola, Satpreet Singh, and Nathan Wu. Drop by their sessions to chat about our ongoing projects and say hello to the team! @purpleantelope.bsky.social @satpreetsingh.bsky.social

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Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Congratulations to @jenbussell.bsky.social and the whole team on this work! I'm so happy to see it out in the world 🎉 @ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Today’s potent #cannabis products pose a risk to the mental health of adolescents. To the brave parents turning their pain into advocacy, thank you for all you do at Johnny's Ambassadors & for inviting me to speak at your conference ♥️ Learn more here: johnnysambassadors.org/research/

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Biswas Family Foundation @biswasfamilyfdn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

We just wrapped our first cycle of Fast Grants: we’re funding 37 projects across diagnostics, AI scientists, phage therapies, and more. Global demand for fast, flexible research funding is even larger than we expected, and it’s shaping how we’re building Cycle 2 this fall. More to come soon.

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

🤔 Why does prior stress make future stress hit harder? In new work led by @zachtpennington.bsky.social, the Cai Lab discovered a brain circuit that controls stress vulnerability, reshaping how the brain reacts to the next stressor. I'll be speaking about at @fens.org. Come check it out!

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Big congrats to @rhienhare.bsky.social on her promotion to Account Supervisor this month! ✨

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 02/07/2026

Cells control gene expression through combinatorial interactions between readers, writers, and erasers of chromatin marks, but most epigenetic editing tools rely on a single effector in isolation. COMBINE is the first platform to test those combinations at scale, screening 50,000+ effector pairs.

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 30/06/2026

Start assembling your team because the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge officially kicks off on Thursday, August 20. This is round two of our global competition to understand and predict how cells respond to internal cues and external stimuli.

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Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Nobody spells it out like @kordinglab.bsky.social. In this latest @juanbenetpodcast.bsky.social episode, Konrad discusses why we need “compilers” to translate molecularly annotated connectomes into neural dynamics – generating data we could use to build better AI. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHQf...

youtube.com

The Power of a Single Neuron and a Path to Simulating the Brain | Dr. Konrad Kording

YouTube video by Juan Benet Podcast

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Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

As kids break for summer, it’s important to talk with them about #cannabis use. The cannabis products sold today have a high THC content, risking addiction and long-term effects on developing brains 🧠 Empower kids to make the right decisions for a happy and healthy summer ☀️

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 29/06/2026

Science Fellow Jingtian Zhou and colleagues traced stress-driven glioma growth in mice to a bone marrow-derived macrophage that infiltrates the brain tumor and acts on the immune environment rather than the tumor cells.

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Two milestones in the Preston Lab this week 🎉 1️⃣ Andrei Amatuni defended his dissertation proposal! His work asks how we learn the hidden structure of experience & use it to reason in new situations + how that ability develops from childhood to adulthood. Congrats, Andrei!

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

🎉 Congratulations to @zachtpennington.bsky.social on receiving this year's Banting Discovery Award! I worked closely with Zach when he was a postdoc in my lab and I know he is incredibly deserving of this award. Read more about his award here: psych.ubc.ca/news/zachary...

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Lily @lilystellate.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Congratulations to PSFC on their new website. Coordinated philanthropy for safe, ethical, evidence-based access to psychedelic healing — visual identity, illustrations, and report design via @stellatecomms.bsky.social. psfc.co | stellatecomms.com/creative-portfolio

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

People spend ~5% of their lives sick the with cold & flu. Intercept — a $500M philanthropic initiative spearheaded by Stripe — aims to make respiratory infections a thing of the past. We're proud to have helped usher Intercept into the world today 🚀 www.interceptfund.com

interceptfund.com

Intercept

A philanthropic initiative accelerating technologies to reduce and ultimately eliminate respiratory viruses.

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Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

What if we could redesign AI to mirror biology’s efficiency? Reardon & the Flourish team are exploring exactly that. By mapping neural connections in the human brain, they aim to develop biology-inspired AI that is radically more energy-efficient. Read here: www.wired.com/story/jeff-b...

wired.com

Jeff Bezos Is Funding a Wild Hunt for the Brain’s ‘Core Algorithm’

With $500 million in funding and a reported $2.5 billion valuation, Flourish wants to reinvent AI by putting real neurons under the microscope.

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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 09/06/2026

A study in Communications Medicine explores whether a special, fat-based diet could be a safe and effective treatment for adults with anorexia nervosa. Participants showed significant improvements in eating disorder symptoms. go.nature.com/4dT0WCA #medsky 🧪

This is figure 3, which shows eating disorder and depression symptom scores over time.

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Humans already alter their own brain states — coffee boosts focus and alcohol relaxes. Neurotech could deliver the same effects with precision and without the systemic risks. Read about how neurotech can expand from purely clinical to consumer use ⬇️ zenodo.org/records/2011...

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Biswas Family Foundation @biswasfamilyfdn.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Only 1 week left until the Cycle 1 Fast Grants deadline! We're awarding 35 grants ($25K–$100K) for seed-stage projects at the intersection of AI & biomedicine. Apply today: www.biswasfamilyfoundation.org/science/fast...

Biswas Family Foundation announces the Fast Grants Program. Cycle 1 with award 35 grants at funding levels of $25K, $50K, or $100K. The application deadline for Cycle 1 is June 15, 2026.

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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 09/06/2026

God I love her

A tweet showing that Donald Trump has fallen asleep at the NBA finals in Madison square garden. Quote tweeted by Alexandria ocasio-cortez wake TF up

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Our understanding of depression is incomplete, leaving millions without effective treatment. I joined @hmarusak.bsky.social on her BrainSTEM podcast to discuss how my lab maps the mechanisms underlying the disease to develop better therapies. Listen here ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/2nX3...

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Emma Mitchell @silverpebble2.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

In a field near Wicken, Cambridgeshire larkspur is grown for London florists along with cornflowers & Nigella. It’s quite a sight just now-some floral dopamine for you 🌿:

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

We're recruiting postdocs to study how people build structured knowledge from experience & use it to act flexibly. Behavioral work, fMRI, computational & AI models, with a lifespan focus. You don't need experience with every method; fit & curiosity matter most. Please repost & share! 🧠

Preston Lab, University of Texas at Austin. Now recruiting 1–2 postdoctoral researchers in learning, memory, development, and flexible behavior. Methods: behavioral experiments, fMRI, computational modeling, and naturalistic stimuli. Apply with CV, research statement, and 3 references to apreston@utexas.edu. Photos show the lab group smiling together, members working at a table, and members at a celebration.

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Congrats to Blanchard Lab PhD student Anna Bright for presenting a poster at the #Myelin GRC in Italy this past week! Anna shared her work on APOE4 and oligodendrocyte development and represented our lab wonderfully at her first GRC. Well done, Anna!

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

✨ Our creative pages got a little facelift ✨ Visit the Stellate website to peep some of favorite design projects, and read what clients have to say about working with us! > Services: www.stellatecomms.com/creative > Portfolio: www.stellatecomms.com/creative-por...

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Welcome to Emily Powell, our newest research coordinator! Emily joins us from UT Austin and will be central to our NIH-funded BrainWave Project, studying how memory changes through adolescence and shapes how we decide, reason, and learn. So glad to have you, Emily!

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

How does your brain filter out the noise and focus enough to learn efficiently? In our newest preprint, we use intracranial recordings + computational modeling to explore how selective attention shapes learning and state representations in the human brain 🧠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/🧵

bioRxiv preprint titled 'Coordinated human prefrontal dynamics sustain task-state representations during learning'

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Really enjoyed meeting new colleagues and sharing some of our latest work at #SBBq earlier this month! Big thanks to Elis Cristina Araujo Eleutherio for the invitation and for organizing such a thoughtful session with a fantastic lineup of speakers.

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juanbenet @juanbenet.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I recently launched a podcast on the future of neurotech, computing, & intelligence First guest: @maxhodak.bsky.social, founder & CEO of @science.xyz building PRIMA, a retinal prosthetic restoring meaningful vision for patients with age-related macular degeneration. www.youtube.com/watch?v=24CM...

youtube.com

Max Hodak — Restoring Sight, Growing Neurons on Silicon, and Expanding Human Intelligence

YouTube video by Juan Benet Podcast

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

One thing I wish we talked about more explicitly with #earlycareer faculty is how gradually the pool of people who'll write their tenure letters develops. Impressions form slowly over the pre-tenure years, which makes visibility much easier to build over time than to manufacture later.

nfographic titled "Building Visibility in the Pre-Tenure Years." Four rows, each pairing an observation on the left with a corresponding action on the right.
Row one. Observation: the tenure-letter pool forms gradually. The pool of people who may eventually write tenure letters is not formed in year five, it develops gradually across the pre-tenure years. Action: build visibility early. By the time a tenure case is assembled, many scholars have already formed impressions through talks, preprints, grants, and conversations. Pull quote: "Start in year one, not when tenure is approaching."
Row two. Observation: visibility is not just networking. The goal is not to collect contacts. The goal is for the right people to understand your questions, your trajectory, and your contributions. Action: make the work legible. Help others understand what problems you are trying to solve and how your work is changing the conversation. Pull quote: "Who should understand your work, and why?"
Row three. Observation: impressions build through substantive engagement. Conference talks, seminars, preprints, workshops, panels, and study sections all help others see how you think. Action: share ideas consistently. Visibility grows through repeated, substantive forms of engagement. Strong work matters, but it also has to be visible and legible to the field. Pull quote: "Share ideas early and often."
Row four. Observation: sponsorship carries real weight. Senior faculty can help make visibility possible by opening doors to the conversations where reputations are formed. Action: turn mentorship into sponsorship. Nominate early-career colleagues for talks and panels. Introduce them to people who should know their work. Pull quote: "Small acts of sponsorship can carry real weight.

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

When you're stressed, what happens to the mental links that let you connect related experiences and draw new conclusions? In our new @science.org #ScienceAdvances paper, we show that stress disrupts that linking process in the hippocampus🧵

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

So happy to see @christinamaher.bsky.social recognized by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with the Award for Outstanding Research in Neuroscience AND the Hausfeld Award honoring an exceptional PhD student! 🎉 Read more about Christina’s journey & all the 2026 awardees: icahnhonors.com

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

“Stellate produced a phenomenal new website for my lab. Their designs captured the energy, aesthetics, technology & science that define our group... It was a wonderful experience & I would certainly do it again!” Congrats on launch, @mhigley.bsky.social 🚀 www.higleylab.org

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Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Looking forward to speaking at the Canadian Cannabis Research Summit this week about the neurodevelopmental effects of #cannabis exposure during pregnancy 🧠 Thank you to @ccicbluesky.bsky.social & @tc3consortium.bsky.social for hosting and inviting me to speak!

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 26/05/2026

Most spatial CRISPR screens require trade-offs in throughput or readout depth. A new preprint introduces PerturbSpace: spatially resolved, multimodal, whole-transcriptome on standard single-cell workflows.

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Reposted by Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

Biswas Family Foundation @biswasfamilyfdn.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

NEW: $3M in Fast Grants for AI-driven life sciences research. We’re funding pilot projects in AI diagnostics, prediction, and personalized therapeutics — with a two-week review turnaround. 35 grants · $25K–$100K · Deadline: June 15 Please share! www.biswasfamilyfoundation.org/science/fast...

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Optogenetics Gordon Research Conference @optogrc.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Don’t miss this session exploring the computational side of brains and behavior at #OptoGRC2026 🧠 💻 Discussion to be led by Sweta Agrawal, featuring speakers Yaniv Ziv, @mazenkheirbek.bsky.social, Takashi Yamaguchi & Jesse Kaminsky, Wednesday evening!

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