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Jen Gommerman

@jengommerman.bsky.social
1.2K followers 796 following 72 posts

Professor and Chair, Dept of Immunology, UofToronto. I study immune responses in the brain and the mucosae. Opinions are my own.

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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
It’s been a great week for the GommerLab. Today I am proud of Dr. Albert Nguyen who as a student then a postdoc saw this work to the finish line. Also grateful to Dr. Chrys Brown (MSKCC) - Working together we learned new things about cDC2 biology. Yay team science!
nature.com
Sequential lymphotoxin-β receptor and retinoic acid receptor signals regulate cDC2 fate - Nature Immunology
Nguyen et al. show that the splenic environment provides sequential signals via lymphotoxin and retinoic acid that guide cDC2A development and retention.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Proud to share our work now out in Cell. We hope what we learned about IgA immune responses to rotavirus can be translated into better vaccines. Congratulations Dr. Kei Haniuda, an amazing PDF. TY @uoftmedicine.bsky.social for covering. temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/news
temertymedicine.utoronto.ca
Recent News
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Journal of Experimental Medicine @jem.org · 02/10/2025
Florescu et al. reveal that dynamic changes in the brain, leptomeninges, and dural B cells are associated with age-dependent disease severity in an animal model of progressive #MultipleSclerosis. rupress.org/jem/article/... @jengommerman.bsky.social
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Big day for Toronto! And I'm not talking about the Jays. Voila our shiny new 7T MRI funded by CFI/ORF. This infrastructure will support interdisciplinary brain science research across the city. Inter-institute collaboration works! @uoftmedicine.bsky.social
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
So grateful to be part of this important study. Cross-country method validation is a fun way to collaborate and key for establishing reproducible methods to measure mucosal antibodies.
sciencedirect.com
Comparing methods collecting mucosal secretions and detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike IgA in three laboratories across three countries
Mucosal IgA is key in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Several mucosal vaccines are in development,…
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
A fantastic 2-day retreat at Blue Mountain with @immunologyuoft.bsky.social . Big thanks to Dr. Carla Rotlin for serving as our keynote, to our student reps Maye and Boyd andr administrative staff (especially Vaish) for their hard work, and to our community for showing up and being kind!
And that's a wrap...a fantastic 2-day retreat at Blue Mountain with @immunologyuoft.bsky.social . Big thanks to Dr. Carla Rotlin for serving as our keynote and to our community for showing up and being kind! And thanks to our IGSA co-presidents Maye and Boyd as well as our administrative staff (especially Vaish) for all their hard work.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
So pleased to see this published rupress.org/jem/article-... and look at what came out in the NYT crossword on the exact same day! Congrats Alex Florescu, Michelle Zuo and Angela Wang - the triple threat (former) PhD students who teamed up to make this happen. @rupress.org
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
What's better than being introduced by a former trainee to give a talk? Being introduced by a former trainee (the amazing Dr. Natalia Pikor from ETH Zurich) sporting baby #2, the beautiful Elizabeth. #womeninscience
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Mom has had a bit of attention over the last few days. Which is great, because women born in 1943 have been pretty overlooked. I liked this one the best: www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
cbc.ca
Back to school at 82
Marion Gommerman is heading back to class in Toronto this fall, with a goal to finish post-secondary studies she began decades ago.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
The first week of term was extra interesting for me this year!
ctvnews.ca
Family affair: Toronto grandmother to study at UofT with her grandson, a fellow student and daughter, a professor
Marion Gommerman isn’t sure where her lifelong love of learning came from, but at 82 years old, she’s leaning into it. This fall, Gommerman will be among those heading back to class and hitting the bo...
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
My favourite academic duty is attending convocation. Congrats to our Immunology grads! @uoftmedicine.bsky.social
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
And that’s a wrap - the GRC on Neuroimmune connections in health and disease here in Ciocco, Tuscany. Congrats to our poster winners and all our speakers on a great meeting!
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Mauro Gaya @maurogaya.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
🚨🦠🔬 Last month to register to the EMBO workshop on Adaptive Immunity in Barrier Tissues. 📍 Where: Basel, Switzerland 📅 When: 26th–29th August 2025 📝 Registration deadline: 30th May 2025 Childcare support & travel grants from @embo.org and @efis-immunology.bsky.social #EMBOBarrierTissues
meetings.embo.org
Adaptive immunity in barrier tissues
Immune responses lie at the heart of almost every aspect of human health, including host responses to infection, autoimmunity, cancer, metabolism and aging. While adaptive immune responses by B and T…
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
This is the best slide show finisher EVER! Baweleta Isho in my lab assembled all lab cats into this Biorender (acknowledged) montage.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
The GommerLab celebrates 5 GRADUATES: Salma Sheikh Mohamed PhD (Guardian of the mucosal galaxy) and for MSc: Sophie Wang, Catherine Chi, Numa Sayeed & Kennedy Hoven.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Congrats to Dr. Salma Sheikh Mohamed on the successful defence of a brilliant thesis!!! I have learned so much from you during your time with @immunologyuoft.bsky.social and am looking forward to seeing what you do next.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
A perfect ending to the Canadian Society for Immunology meeting and a perfect beginning to a new tradition - the inaugural Gill Wu Mentorship award given to Gill herself. Thanks for mentoring us Gill. Most important job in academia. @superwuster.bsky.social
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Day 1 of CSI with keynote from Ira Mellman. And no it’s not a meeting about crime scenes, it’s the Canadian Society for Immunology. We had the name first.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
A wet start to the running season with @immunologyuoft.bsky.social‬ participating in the 5k/8k spring run-off in High Park. As expected these young scientists kicked my butt. #wellness.
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Dr. Sunny Shin @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Thrilled to share our @elife.bsky.social paper "Inflammasomes primarily restrict cytosolic Salmonella replication within human macrophages" by 1st author Dr. @marisaegan.bsky.social (@cambupenn.bsky.social alum, now faculty @swarthmorecollege.bsky.social)! elifesciences.org/articles/90107 🧵(1/n)
elifesciences.org
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Sylvain Baillet @sylvainbaillet.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
🚨We're hiring another tenure-track at McGill University: focus on brain-body science! 👇 mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill...
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
@sarahcrome.bsky.social so glad we planned plenty of flash talks for our immunology retreat.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Let me add why @brittlestar.com. Chapmans is a made in 🇨🇦 product - a family business that has become the largest independent ice cream maker in 🇨🇦. Despite a devastating fire in 2009, they did not sell out. They built anew - 800 employees - keeping the local economy alive.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Markdale Ontario Chapman’s ice cream plant.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 15/03/2025
NIH “is expected to cut between 3,400 and 5,000 positions from its workforce of 20,000 in coming days.” Story by @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/03/14/n...
statnews.com
At NIH, ‘everyone is on edge’ as they brace for deep cuts and more centralized control
As the NIH braces for cuts of up to 5,000 of its 20,000 positions, “people are scrambling and freaking out,” a researcher said.
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Emma Slack @mucosalimmunology.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
We are recruiting @ox.ac.uk @dunnschool.bsky.social for a joint project between Kevin Foster's group and mine! Cluster hire of two postdocs interested in: 1) Mucosal immunology and oral vaccine development my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... 2) Microbiology my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... Please share!
my.corehr.com
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Thanks you @charite.bsky.social and especially Francesca Ronchi for hosting me today for a fantastic visit. Seeing the Berlin spring start to emerge was an added bonus!
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Mother-son March break trips starting on the airport train to YYZ. 2025 = Berlin; 2017 = Paris. Where did the time go?
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Happy #internationalwomensday. I spent the morning on a sunny walk with 2 women I admire and love.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Hi friends - leaving tomorrow for Berlin for spring break with my youngest son - an 18 y.o. aspiring jazz musician. We love history, music and art. We have some plans but curious to hear your recommendations. And I’m visiting the Charite too which will be awesome!
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Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
🔬 "CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS" – PhD Positions in Infection Research at HZI! We are looking for the next generation of pioneers in infection research! 🧬🦠💊 Explore exciting projects - from host-pathogen interactions and novel antiinfectives to molecular mechanisms of infection and immunity.
Ankündigung des PhD Programms "Curiosity is Infectious" des HZI. Der Titel des Programms steht oben im Bild, im Hintergrund sind verschiedene Viren und Bakterien abgebildet. Über einen QR-Code unten in der Mitte kann die Stellenanzeige aufgerufen werden.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
7/ I do feel for all US students right now. My own son is waiting to hear back from PhD programs in the US where he hopes to do work in a specialized area of math. A whole cohort of students is being shafted. The same generation who suffered during Covid during high school. This really sucks. /fin
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
6/ US students should consider "U15" research universities. Admissions are not standardized across sites. My program goes through an admissions committee, some Uni go through direct supervisor solicitations. Deadlines are all over the map, some with rolling deadlines. Check websites.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
5/ I hate to be negative, but I do want to make sure that US trainees are aware of the competitive landscape. Canadian scientists should be lobbying @governmentofcanada.bsky.social for more funds to bring talented international students and post-docs into Canada at this moment of crisis.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
4/ We do accept international student into our programs. However, transfer funds to @ontuniv.bsky.social that keep programs running are prioritized for domestic students - thus international students usually make up a minority of a cohort. In these strange times, maybe #ontario could step this up.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
3/ While things are much better here in Canada than in the US - thankfully our granting agency #CIHR is not under DOGE attack - our grants have not kept up with the long overdue increases in PhD stipends. Consequently many PhD programs are shrinking. Trump tariffs will reduce grant buying power.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
2/ While the deadline for PhD applications for Immunology @uoftmedicine.bsky.social has passed, prospective US students needs to know the Canadian graduate landscape for reference as there are rolling deadlines in other Canadian programs.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
1/ @nabroderick.bsky.social and @harmitmalik.bsky.social have posed questions asking how to US students may seek opportunities outside the US (EU and Canada). As a Department Chair in Canada in #immunosky, I offer my perspective in this "bluetorial".
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Caetano Reis e Sousa @reisesousalab.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Join us on Thursday 25th April to celebrate World Immunology Day 2025. This year, we will discuss “The immune system and your brain”. Please register using the link to the event below www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/wor...
crick.ac.uk
World Immunology Day 2025 | "The immune system and your brain"
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Real deal. Don’t turn back. Rip The band aid off.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Don’t underestimate the comfort of popcorn and white wine for dinner whilst enjoying the latest W&G (Oscar nominated!).
en.wikipedia.org
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Wikipedia
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
thanks! @escolanolab.bsky.social any ideas?
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Hi #immunosky. Looking for VI10YEN mice (Igh-Jtm1(VDJ-VI10)Zbz) that express a BCR heavy chain knock-in and light chain transgene specific for VSV. If you know where to get them, I would appreciate the tip. Thanks!
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Alexander Dent @follicular.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
So THAT'S what Granzyme K does-- cleave complement and promote inflammation in the airway. Fascinating! #ImmunoSky #AsthmaSky #InflammationSky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
GZMK-expressing CD8+ T cells promote recurrent airway inflammatory diseases - Nature
Comparing T cells in nasal polyps from repeated surgeries shows that effector memory-like persistent clones colonize the mucosal tissue during disease recurrence and promote inflammation by producing ...
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Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · 14/02/2025
🎖️ Proud of our Managing Director, Yasmine Belkaid, named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur! A well-deserved honor for her pioneering work in immunology, microbiota & nutrition. Her research embodies the Pasteurian spirit of science for humanity! 👏 #Science #Immunology
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Ali Abdul-Sater @aabdulsater.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
#PsACAREHub #PsoriaticArthritis #AutoimmuneResearch #Immunology #AcademicHiring #ScienceJobs #Rheumatology
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Ali Abdul-Sater @aabdulsater.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
🚨 Exciting Announcement! We are thrilled to launch the Psoriatic Arthritis Collaborative and Applied Research Excellence (PsA CARE) Hub, the first research initiative in Canada dedicated to advancing the basic science of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
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Science Magazine @science.org · 08/02/2025
The National Institutes of Health plans to severely cut the percentage of its grant money that can be used for overhead costs rather than research.
scim.ag
NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage
Move to cut indirect cost rate to 15% could cost universities billions of dollars
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Well you DID add my one of my 2 suggestions for peripheral tolerance so I can’t complain, but there is a conspicuous lack of a certain Canadian band in your list.
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Jen Gommerman @jengommerman.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
6/ All together this study provides important information into how virus-specific IgA plasma cells are generated in the gut. Well done Kei! This was a heroic set of experiments that was a pleasure to watch unfold.
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