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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD

@immunofever.bsky.social
11K followers 3.8K following 626 posts

Immunoengineer at MIT BE developing predictive diagnostics. Captivated by #inflammation, #SexDifferences #Lyme, #COVID, #IACI, #IACC and #onehealth. Mom of 2. prev/ PhD in Immunology @Yale; PostDoc @Stanford talresearchgroup.mit.edu

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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
2/ The TL/DR is that I think this paper is both very informative, and very important. However, it needs to be contextualized as a deep study of blood from a recovery cohort, which is then being compared to public data from tissue from cohorts where many did not recover. Add your comments to discuss
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
1/ This is my first time posting a comment on a bioRxiv manuscript, but since I've been asked my opinion on this one a bunch, and I was actually one of the reviewers and waived my anonymity in review, I decided to post my review as a comment: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Linking to my full post from that time when I was faced with a measles outbreak with a kid that was below the recommended age for MMRV. I'm so sorry for the parents who will lose access to lifesaving vaccines for their babies.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
What if this was your kid, you ask? I'll tell you. As an infectious disease immunologist, I protect my kids through vaccination. A measles outbreak reached my county when I had an infant. Knowing the risk for severe outcomes, I read the literature, vaccinated him EARLY and then rejoined the schedule
Post about my decision to vaccinate my baby ahead of schedule during a measles outbreak
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
You've never seen anything like this before. Come see for yourself! mitnano.mit.edu/events/studi...
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Want to see the universe within? Join us at MIT where you'll get to peak under our microscopes at the bacteria that cause #Lyme disease and even get to view YOUR own capillaries to see a bit of what we look at in our clinical study MAESTRO. July 24th RSVP: mitnano.mit.edu/events/studi...
Microscope images.
Join us at MIT where you'll get to peak under our microscopes at the bacteria that cause #Lyme disease and even get to view YOUR own capillaries to see a bit of what we look at in our clinical study MAESTRO. July 24th RSVP: https://mitnano.mit.edu/events/studionano-lyme/register
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
I took this picture in my garden with my cell phone. Looking at it now, I see things I didn't/couldn't see by eye in the moment. The dragonfly wing cast a shadow on the leaf below. As a tool, this is exactly how I'm thinking of using AI. A way to capture and see more/different features.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Tomorrow is talk #1 of a summer season of Tick Talks I'll be giving in the Boston area. Do you have questions for me? Let's talk! Let's raise awareness! If you have an additional venue for us to reach more people let us know!
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
I'll be giving Tick Talks around Boston this summer to raise awareness about #Lyme disease and our clinical study MAESTRO. First up, July 2nd 1-2 pm at the Roxbury branch, and coming soon after July 9th 12:30-1:30pm at the Chinatown branch. More coming soon! talresearchgroup.mit.edu/mitmaestro
Tick Talks around Boston this summer to raise awareness about #Lyme disease and our clinical study MAESTRO. First up, July 2nd 1-2 pm at the Roxbury branch, and coming soon after July 9th 12:30-1:30pm at the Chinatown branch
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
I'm so PROUD of my lab making waves at #FOCIS2025!!! Grace Loeser gave an incredible talk on Borrelia causing trouble in the connective tissue and Mita Singh got poster of merit!!!
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
For everyone who will be at #focis2025 you're not going to want to miss the session with @akassogloulab.bsky.social and then Grace Loeser from my lab presenting her incredible work on Lyme disease and the connective tissue. This is going to blow everyone away!!!
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
Book research on how names shift science. How do controversial ideas become accepted in medical research and medicine? T-suppressor cells were "debunked" and then rebranded as #Tregs. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome now ME w/ #ChronicLyme to #IACI following #LongCOVID. I want to hear your stories!!
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
Book research on how names shift science. How do controversial ideas become accepted in medical research and medicine? T-suppressor cells were "debunked" and then rebranded as #Tregs. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chronic Lyme became #IACI in the wake of #LongCOVID. I want to hear your stories!
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
1/ A long standing paradox in my mind (from always seeing immune "strength" or reactivity drawn as a spectrum from immunodeficiency to autoimmunity) was resolved this year at #AAI #Immunology2025. WHY do SO many people have both simultaneously? Each infection brings risk of developing autoimmunity!!
Figure 4 from "How persistent infection overcomes peripheral tolerance
mechanisms to cause T cell-mediated autoimmune disease" by Arup Chakraborty
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
1/ My group is at #IMMUNOLOGY2025 presenting our research. For those of you following along from home I want to share 1 min videos of each presenting their posters. @PaigeSHansen did an incredible job here presenting her about Lyme disease and gynepathologies.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
I see I became an avid listener of @nightsciencepod.bsky.social in January and the hypothesis as a liability podcast was the first one I started raving about on our slack channel with the Lauffenburger and Griffith Labs. But I think one of the episodes I most often recommend is the decision tree.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Ewan Birney and the outliers on the X- chromosome!!! I started listening regularly recently and so I'd been working backwards from the most recent. But after the hypothesis liability episode I skipped back to the 30s to find Ewan's episode and it was as excellent and fascinating as the teaser.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Which of these two logos do you like better?
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Registration is LIVE!!! Join us in-person or online for the launch of Menstruation Science—exploring the complexities of the far-reaching effects of sex hormones on human physiology in sickness and in health. April 9th cgr.mit.edu/2025/03/17/s...
Registration is LIVE!!! Join us in-person or online for the launch of Menstruation Science—exploring the complexities of the far-reaching effects of sex hormones on human physiology in sickness and in health. April 9th https://cgr.mit.edu/2025/03/17/save-the-date-mit-menstruation-science-launch-event-april-9-2025/
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Caturday Sun
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
I just got a special request. Fading hope fuels a plea for expert videos for #LongCOVID Awareness Day (March 15). Share your lab's progress and offer hope in a 1-5 min clip. Join a powerful social project started by @neurologistmom.bsky.social I'm in! Who's posting #HopeVideos with me?
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
NIH didn't even make the cartoon?
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Older female mice, who are past their reproductive age, showed more disease when infected with Lyme compared to younger female mice. Age is a key factor in how Lyme affects the body. - In fact we have more work on this topic spearheaded by @bleeeve243.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Figure 4. B. burgdorferi-induced gynecological pathologies worsen with increased age of female mice at  time of infection.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Lyme disease isn't just skin and joints. It can cause serious, long-term damage to the female reproductive tract. This is important. Special imaging showed #Lyme causing bacteria glowing in mice uteruses. We tracked the infection for months. bsky.app/profile/immu...
Special imaging showed #Lyme causing bacteria glowing in mice uteruses.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Mice with Lyme got cysts & tissue damage in their uterus and ovaries. The older the mice, the worse the damage was. We then studied 100,000s of human health records. People with Lyme had much higher rates of endometriosis & other problems. 📊👩‍⚕️
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Finally online - sharing our findings that #Lyme disease bacteria can live in female reproductive organs for over a year and increase risk for gynecological disease!!! We found this increased risk in mice and humans! 😱 (thread below) www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
graphical abstract
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Now Pharos.nih.gov isn't working anymore... Pharos is the user interface to the Knowledge Management Center (KMC) for the Illuminating the Druggable Genome (IDG) program.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Should we think about GLP-1 drugs like the good parts of a hookworm infection but with less of the bad parts of a hookworm infection? GLP-1 hormone signaling (also induced by hookworm) triggers profound weight loss and anti-inflammatory impact. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
GLP-1 drugs have transformed obesity and diabetes treatments, exhibiting profound weight loss and anti-inflammatory impact. Should we think about this like the good parts of a hookworm infection but with less of the bad parts of a hookworm infection? pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Tested on an Influenzer.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Today my 15yr old learned that Tamiflu (influenza antiviral) is the brand name for oseltamivir and he was visibly disappointed. I asked why and he said he thought it would be called outfluenza. Truly a missed opportunity.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
And I posted this over on the other site. But I want you to know there are incredible people out there supporting our research and we are just going to keep pushing forward.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
What a bizarre world. Our research did make it into MIT president's statement about why MIT is joining the law suit in federal court over this, and what's on the line for us.
Text from an email about MIT joining a lawsuit in federal court over the indirect cuts
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
We're right below you on there with Janko! Do we think this is still happening??? I'm afraid they plan to pull the rug out from under us.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
You know what, at least MIT had the conviction to say this is what our costs are to keep the lights on and to oversee research and the indirect rate was the indirect rate across all grants.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Are the last remaining gagged scientists on the CDC H5N1 response team resorting to trying to send messages in a bottle snuck into wildfire reports?
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
I think these signs are more warranted than ever. I need one of these and one about human rights.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
"On Feb. 5, 2025, we come together to make our voices heard. Across all 50 states, peaceful protests will take place at each state capital united for change. 📍 Where: Your State Capitol ⏰️ February 5th, 2025 Spread the word. Bring a sign. Join the movement." #50States
On Feb. 5, 2025, we come together to make our voices heard. Across all 50 states, peaceful protests will take place at each state capital united for change.

📍 Where: Your State Capitol 
⏰️ February 5th, 2025

Spread the word. Bring a sign. Join the movement.

 #50States
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Fair point. But I did go back to the bad place to scream into the void about this and I did get a little attention.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
When I was at a Banbury conference on Lyme disease, Sue Faber gave us all these lighthouse mugs to remind us on the dark days that our research provides a shining light for many. I needed to pull out my lighthouse mug today.
A mug with a lighthouse depicted on it
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
So glad to see the reaction stirred up by this unbelievable buyout (not real money, fake money buyout with no funds appropriated by Congress) attempt on our federal employees. Get mad and stay mad.
About a memo distributed to federal employees Comments on this memo on RedditComments on this memo on Reddit
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
My lab has an NIH grant to investigate chronic illness from #Lyme disease and work towards building illness trajectory maps that allow us to distinguish between those making a protective response and those who aren't, to identify and help those who need us most. We have a pending #LongCOVID grant.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
If you want to see what it looked like as it was falling last night, this is why I said the shimmering chunky snow flakes were frolicking their way down.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
For those of you outside of New England we got this super fluffy snow with no wind. And I know that the next breeze will shake the trees in the most incredible snow dance to rival watching the shimmering chunky snow flakes frolic their way down. The cold might be bitter but the snow show is sweet.
A maple tree covered in fluffy snow
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
They let me back in the lab today🤩
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
My lab manager (as of January 1), Grace Loeser made me the most incredible embroidery of the most incredible picture of Borrelia burgdorferi ever taken. I will cherish this forever.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Brilliant paper by Martha Eckey, Peng Li, Braxton Morrison, Ronald W Davis, and Wenzhong Xiao on ME/CFS vs Long COVID!!! You can review treatments by how helpful vs hurtful they were and also by co-morbidities. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Figure of symptoms in ME/CFS vs Long COVID from https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.27.24317656v1.full-text
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Very insightful, and here I would say yes, and add that for so many years, with so many medicines, the medical care that you received was tuned, tested, and optimized for men. It is only really in the last decade that new drugs seeking FDA approval had to be tested on equal numbers men and women.
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
This is a really excellent tool if you are trying to make your own custom lists/feeds based off of starter packs or vice versa. nws-bot.us/bskyStarterP...
https://nws-bot.us/bskyStarterPack.php
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Michal Caspi Tal, PhD @immunofever.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
The never before seen Borrelia burgdorferi caught in the act of making trouble in our mouse model of borrelia infection-associated chronic illness. I feel so grateful to get to collaborate with Kunzan Liu (who took these sunning images), and Sixian You who makes the invisible visible.
We call this one “Borrelia touched a nerve”. You're seeing a cluster of Borrelia burgdorferi, adipose cells, and a nerve.We call this one under attack. You're seeing Borrelia burgdorferi, inside the body, surrounded by immune cells.
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