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Judi Simcox

@judisimcox.bsky.social
1.2K followers 761 following 47 posts

Associate Professor @UWBiochem studying lipid signaling and regulation | HHMI FHS| co-Director Biotechnology Training Program | opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer

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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Canonical cold sensing begins at the skin with TRP channels. A new paper suggests it can also begin in the lung, through TREK-1; an entirely different organ and channel family. My student Andrew Tu wrote a nice piece in Developmental Cell describing the impact. www.cell.com/developmenta...
cell.com
Pulmonary cold sensing through Club cells triggers adipose thermogenesis to ameliorate obesity
While cold exposure is known to stimulate thermogenesis, the contribution of the lung to this process remains unclear. This study identifies a pulmonary pathway that enhances Irisin production and adi...
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Amy Weeks @amyweeks.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Now online @pnas.org: We developed a simple, scalable, and accessible platform for deep profiling of phosphoeraser specificity using human phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels!) 🧪👩‍🔬https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523183123
pnas.org
Phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries for deep specificity profiling of phosphatases and phospholyases | PNAS
Protein phosphorylation is dynamically regulated by the opposing activities of phosphowriter enzymes (kinases) and phosphoeraser enzymes (phosphata...
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edenchang.bsky.social @edenchang.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Excited to share our new bioRxiv preprint! We introduce RIPPLE, a synthetic platform that couples reaction–diffusion signaling with protein condensation to generate tunable intracellular architectures. Grateful to @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social and @cellraiser.bsky.social. It’s been a rewarding journey.
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Scott Coyle @cellraiser.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
@zjmaggiexu.bsky.social's story on suctorian trap structure adaptation is now online in @currentbiology.bsky.social , with new evolutionary analyses and modeling! This fall, Maggie will keep exploring predatory protists as a PD in @nbellono.bsky.social group; keep an eye out for her she's amazing!
sciencedirect.com
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Join us for Isabella James's Ph.D. thesis defense on June 19. Her research in the @judisimcox.bsky.social Lab focused on ceramides, a class of lipids, investigating their synthesis and how they move among tissues. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/05/29/i...
ipib.wisc.edu
IPiB Thesis Defense June 19, 2026: Isabella James
James’s research in the Simcox Lab explored the role certain lipids play in energy expenditure.
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Join us for Jess Davidson's Ph.D. thesis defense on April 16! Davidson's research in the @judisimcox.bsky.social Lab explored how lipids are regulated under conditions of metabolic stress, such as cold exposure and disease. Learn more: ipib.wisc.edu/2026/03/30/i...
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Lamming Lab @lamminglab.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Please enjoy the latest publication from our lab "Restriction of Individual Branched-Chain Amino Acids has Distinct Effects on the Development and Progression of Alzheimer's Disease in 3xTg Mice" advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Restriction of Individual Branched‐Chain Amino Acids has Distinct Effects on the Development and Progression of Alzheimer's Disease in 3xTg Mice
Protein restriction (PR) slows Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mice, and other benefits of PR are due to decreased branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). We show that restricting any BCAA has benefits, with...
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Natalie Niemi @nieminm.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Really thrilled to have our work on mitochondrial presequence strength out today @jcb.org. We establish quantitative parameters to better define "strong" and "weak" presequences both in vitro and in vivo. This work was spearheaded by the ever talented Youmian Yan, a BBSB graduate student in my lab.
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Jason Cantor @jasonrcantor.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
For ~century, we’ve asked: why do proliferating cells ferment glucose even when O2 is around? I’m thrilled to share our latest work @natmetabolism.nature.com, led by @thebiokimist.bsky.social. By leveraging conditional essentiality in HPLM, we propose a provocative new answer to this classic Q. 🧵
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Amy Weeks @amyweeks.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
New preprint! We found that the flavin-dependent halogenase RebH catalyzes sequence-tolerant Trp bromination in peptides 🧪https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.17.694899v1
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Scott Coyle @cellraiser.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926
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Nature Cell Biology @natcellbio.nature.com · 16/11/2025
☕ @mikelangelipid.bsky.social @olzmannlab.bsky.social & co identify a #LipidDroplet quality control pathway in which FSP1 safeguards stored neutral lipids from lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing the induction of #ferroptosis. @berkeleymcb.bsky.social bit.ly/49mTeyF
bit.ly
FSP1-mediated lipid droplet quality control prevents neutral lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis - Nature Cell Biology
Lange et al. identify a lipid droplet quality control pathway in which FSP1 safeguards stored neutral lipids from lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing the induction of ferroptosis.
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Daniel Drucker @danieljdrucker.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Here the authors propose that inhibition of the serine threonine kinase FAM20C in adipocytes may serve as a potential therapy for #T2D by restoring adipocyte health www.jci.org/articles/vie...
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Daniel Drucker @danieljdrucker.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Here the authors further support the link between #leptin signaling and tissue #fibrosis demonstrating that a leptin-neutralizing antibody may be a promising therapeutic approach for reducing fibrosis in the kidney, liver, lung, heart, and blood vessels www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Leptin as a key driver for organ fibrogenesis
Neutralizing leptin reduces inflammation and fibrosis in mice, suggesting a potential treatment for fibrotic diseases.
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The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology @thelancetendo.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Familial hypercholesterolaemia is still inadequately diagnosed and undertreated, with many affected people remaining at high risk of early cardiovascular disease www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #familial #hypercholesterolaemia #ASCVD #MedSky #EndoSky #CardioSky
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Luis Cedeño-Rosario, PhD @luisci22.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Are you attending SACNAS NDiSTEM 2025!? Don't miss this awesome session about "How to Identify the Right Mentor for You" hosted by @greisha-ortiz.bsky.social @neuro-explorer-lc.bsky.social @luisci22.bsky.social and @joele-r.bsky.social. #NDiSTEM2025 #SACNAS #STEMResearch #PLI @sacnas.bsky.social 🧪🔬🥼
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The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology @thelancetendo.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Published in @lancetgh.bsky.social Classifying a distinct form of #diabetes in lean individuals with a history of undernutrition: an international consensus statement www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #OpenAccess #MedSky #EndoSky
thelancet.com
Classifying a distinct form of diabetes in lean individuals with a history of undernutrition: an international consensus statement
Since 1955, a form of diabetes in lean, young (BMI <18·5 kg/m2, age <30 years) individuals with a history suggestive of undernutrition from before birth and throughout childhood has been described in ...
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Daniel Drucker @danieljdrucker.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Use of GLP-1 medicines in patients with HFrEF and implanted cardiac devices. Caution please www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...
jacc.org
Effects of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist Initiation in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction and Implantable Cardiac Devices:
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Amy Weeks @amyweeks.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
New preprint: we developed a method that uses phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels) for deep specificity profiling of phosphatases and phospholyases www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Position-specific frequency matrices can be used to calculate z-scores comparing enzyme-treated and control samples. The z-scores are plotted as heatmaps that represent an enzyme specificity profile.
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Jeff Martell @jeffmartell.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Excited to share our new preprint, which was years in the making! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr... New reactions are typically developed by trial and error. How can we speed up this process? Read on to learn how we used DNA scaffolding to perform >500,000 parallel reactions on attomole scale. 1/n
chemrxiv.org
DNA-Scaffolded Ultrahigh-Throughput Reaction Screening
Discovering and optimizing reactions is central to synthetic chemistry. However, chemical reactions are traditionally screened using relatively low-throughput methods, prohibiting exploration of diver...
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Maria Mihaylova @mihaylova.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Excited to share new work led by outstanding former grad student Kübra Akkaya! We show that Stearoyl-CoA Desaturases (SCDs) regulate intestinal stem and progenitor cell proliferation by balancing fatty acids, sustaining epithelial homeostasis and regeneration.
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Maria Mihaylova @mihaylova.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Special thanks to all co-authors and collaborators at OSU and Wisconsin, including @judisimcox.bsky.social , for their valuable contributions. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Mark Huising @huisinglab.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Very proud to see the main thesis work of the intrepid Dr. Mohammad Pourhosseinzadeh come out in @pnas.org today! In this paper, Mohammad assesses how crosstalk between insulin-secreting beta and somatostatin-secreting delta cells in the islet actually happens, in near real-time. A quick thread 1/10
a schematic of pancreatic beta and delta cells that explains how they turn glucose into activation and how these cell types signal to each other via gap junctions and G protein coupled receptors. The image has two stills of islet cells expressing fluorescent sensors for calcium and cAMP and of the same islet cells stained for the presence of the hormones insulin and somatostatin.
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Rebecca Mosher @rm0sher.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Three Associate Professor (or Professor) positions available at Oxford Biology. Come be my colleague! www.biology.ox.ac.uk/article/we-a...
biology.ox.ac.uk
We are hiring! Oxford biology has three associate professorships available as we move to new state-of-the-art facilities
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Lamming Lab @lamminglab.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
We have a thesis defense to celebrate today, but first - we need to celebrate the publication of former student Dr. Michaela Trautman's opus, "Dietary isoleucine content modulates the metabolic and molecular response to a Western diet in mice" now in Mol Metab! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Muir Lab @muirlab.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Super excited to share our new preprint from @cssheehan.bsky.social on how the tumor microenvironment causes drug resistance in pancreatic cancer: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Tumor nutrient stress gives rise to a drug tolerant cell state in pancreatic cancer
Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard-of-care treatment for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, chemotherapy only has modest effects at improving patient survival due...
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Alex Guseman @alexguseman.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
How the fuck am I supposed to plan my lab finances if my grants keep getting terminated and reinstated and terminated again? End rant.
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Niladri Sinha @2primehydroxyl.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
I am delighted to share that I have started my lab in the Dept. of Biochemistry @uofubiochem.bsky.social at the University of Utah @utah.edu. My laboratory will study key aspects of protein synthesis and translational control in healthy and diseased states. #RNAsky sinha.biochem.utah.edu
sinha.biochem.utah.edu
The Sinha Lab
The Sinha lab studies key aspects of protein synthesis and translational control in healthy and diseased states. We study the multifaceted roles of ribosomes as critical sensors of cellular stress.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
It was nice to see our lab’s retreat volunteer project be featured in the arboretum newsletter. We should all work to be stewards of the land we inhabit. arboretum.wisc.edu/news/arboret...
arboretum.wisc.edu
People Caring for the Land: Volunteers, Communities, and Connection | UW Arboretum
Spring brought abundant blossoms, greening of the prairie, songs of migratory birds, and many volunteer groups active on the land. In just thirteen weeks, nine different organizations carried out serv...
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Jeremy Baskin @jeremybaskin.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
We are proud to be a founding contributor to lipidinteractome.org, a repository developed by @tafesselab.bsky.social & Schultz lab to increase accessibility to proteomics data from multi-functionalized lipid analogs! Check out the website & preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2507.23101 #lipidtime
lipidinteractome.org
The Lipid Interactome Repository – Lipid Interactome Repository
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Congratulations to @uwbiochem.bsky.social Alumni Brian Carrick for receipt of the Shurl and Kay Curci Fellowship from the LSRF!! Well deserved!
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Great opportunity, the metabolism community in Utah is amazing. I miss my former colleagues daily! Killer research, collaborations, and investment in technology.
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Amy Weeks @amyweeks.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Excited to share our latest: we engineered the reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme for ATP-driven modification of C termini. Our tool mimics the logic of peptide bond formation in biology for precision modification of proteins in vitro. 🧪https://rdcu.be/ewN7C
rdcu.be
Engineered reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme enables ATP-driven modification of protein and peptide C termini
Nature Chemistry - In living systems, ATP provides an energetic driving force for protein synthesis and modification. Now, an engineered enzymatic tool has been developed for high-yield, ATP-driven...
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Dequina Nicholas @quinascience.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Receiving an @endocrinesociety.bsky.social Early Career Investigator Award has been a highlight of my year. Thank you to the #Nicholaslab and all of my supporters, especially my gradschool and postdoc PIs. #ENDO2025 is my scientific home and I look forward to sharing our progress each year
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Congratulations to Professor Alan Attie on being recognized as the Henry & Annrita Lardy Professor of Biochemistry, a @warfnews.bsky.social Named Professorship. Attie has devoted his career to advancing our knowledge of metabolism. Read more: biochem.wisc.edu/2025/06/26/a...
biochem.wisc.edu
Attie Honored with WARF Named Professorship
Attie, a dedicated mentor and educator, has devoted his career to advancing our knowledge of diabetes and metabolism.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
#ENDO2025 has been the renewal of hope I needed. I feel the joy in seeing mentors including @intmedabel.bsky.social and Barbara Kahn, meeting up with friends, and seeing the transformation of the metabolic disease space. Onward to new discoveries. Thanks to #NIDDK for organizing our session.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Officially tenured. Thank you to all the mentors who guided me, and to the trainees who made this possible with your ideas, hard work, and scientific joy.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Great work by Mugagga, Lainy and Jess from the Simcox Lab! SCD1 is known to regulate the production of monounsaturated fatty acids and development of diabetes in response of high carbohydrate diet. We showed loss of SCD1 also controls acylcarnitine levels.
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Research from the James Ntambi and @judisimcox.bsky.social Labs reveals an enzyme’s important role in maintaining a healthy balance of lipids in our bodies. More on their latest research: biochem.wisc.edu/2025/07/02/r...
biochem.wisc.edu
Research in Brief: The What, Why, and How
Research from the Ntambi and Simcox Labs reveals an enzyme’s important role in maintaining a healthy balance of lipids in our bodies.
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Congratulations to Integrated Program in Biochemistry graduate student Gina Wade and Biochem postdoc Jericha Mill, who we recognize for their excellence in teaching and mentorship! Wade and Mill work in the @judisimcox.bsky.social Lab. Read more: biochem.wisc.edu/2025/06/30/s...
biochem.wisc.edu
Simcox Lab Grad Student and Postdoc Recognized for Exceptional Mentorship and Teaching
Graduate student Gina Wade received the Denton Award and postdoctoral researcher Jericha Mill received the Leirmo Memorial Award.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Congratulations Gina and Jericha for the well deserved recognition of their teaching and mentorship!
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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Research from the @judisimcox.bsky.social Lab uncovers new details about the relationship between metabolic disease, cells' energy expenditure, and how cells regulate the breakdown of a lipid. Learn more: biochem.wisc.edu/2025/06/17/r...
biochem.wisc.edu
Research In Brief: The What, Why, and How
Researchers in the Simcox Lab identified an enzyme that helps to break down lipids that control energy expenditure.
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Eddie Rashan @edreesrashan.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
AND IT'S DONE! A 🧵 on our recent article now out in @natsmb.nature.com! Co-led with @abbybartlett.bsky.social, Pagliarini Lab, @judisimcox.bsky.social, we find ACAD10/11 are NOT like other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases and instead catabolize atypical lipids called 4-hydroxy acids 🤯 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org
ACAD10 and ACAD11 enable mammalian 4-hydroxy acid lipid catabolism - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Rashan, Bartlett and colleagues show that mammalian 4-hydroxy fatty acids are primarily catabolized by ACAD10 and ACAD11 (atypical mitochondrial and peroxisomal acyl-CoA dehydrogenases, respectively) ...
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tafesselab.bsky.social @tafesselab.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
It’s finally out! Started this project as a PhD student in the @holthuislab.bsky.social lab & finished by my PhD student. Full-circle moment and the end of an era. 😊 Thanks to Gaelen and everyone who made this happen. @ohsummi.bsky.social @ohsunews.bsky.social pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40473211/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Characterization of C. elegans sphingomyelin synthases through heterologous expression - PubMed
Sphingomyelin (SM) is a major component of mammalian cell membranes and particularly abundant in the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. Its production is catalyzed by SM synthases SMS1 and SMS...
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Proud of the Simcox and Parks labs, at our annual retreat we spent the afternoon volunteering to remove invasive plants from the arboretum and making beds for shelter cats.
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Natalie Niemi @nieminm.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Very excited to share our latest work, “Mitochondrial presequences harbor variable strengths to maintain organellar function,” led by the fantastically talented @washubbsb.bsky.social graduate student Youmian Yan. A 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Mitochondrial presequences harbor variable strengths to maintain organellar function
Hundreds of mitochondrial-destined proteins rely on N-terminal presequences for organellar targeting and import. While generally described as positively charged amphipathic helices, presequences lack ...
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
May was a whirlwind of Simcox lab celebrations. Congratulations to @hunger4science for a successful thesis defense and starting her new position at Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD, Thermofisher)! Andrea obtained the WISL Award for Communicating PhD Research to the Public.
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Judi Simcox @judisimcox.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Excited for Simcox lab member Jericha Mill to give her talk at #ASMS2025 Ballroom I 9:30am. Jericha will talk about metabolomics in age-related disease and the impact of rapamycin treatment in mice and humans. She also received an ASMS postdoc career development award: www.asms.org/about-asms-a...
asms.org
Postdoctoral Career Development Awards
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James Olzmann @olzmannlab.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Thrilled this paper is out! We solved the first cocrystal structure of FSP1 with an inhibitor (FSEN1), providing mechanistic insight & a foundation for medchem. Led by Amalia Megarioti & Sitao Zhang. A terrific collaboration with Da Jia. Brief Skytorial! 1/9
pnas.org
Cocrystal structure reveals the mechanism of FSP1 inhibition by FSEN1 | PNAS
FSP1 is an FAD-dependent oxidoreductase that uses NAD(P)H to regenerate the reduced forms of lipophilic quinone antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10 ...
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Rushika M. Perera @rushika-perera.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Online today in @nature.com - our latest study led by superstar postdoc Gilles Rademaker detailing the role of PSCK9 in driving sterol dependent metastatic organ choice in pancreatic cancer nature.com/articles/s41... full text available here 👉 rdcu.be/em0VG and thread 👇
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