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Zerina Kurtovic

@justzeri.bsky.social
1.2K followers 351 following 14 posts

☮️👩🏻‍🔬🛤👩🏻‍🌾 Postdoc studying peripheral neuroimmune interactions in arthritis pain at Svensson lab, Karolinska Institutet Amateur urban gardener & traveler

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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Now out in Journal of Neuroscience Methods www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
A novel method to sort and enrich sensory neurons
Peripheral sensory neurons, residing in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), relay sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system. Alt…
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Ewan St. John Smith @psalmotoxin.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
In collaboration with Nora Bourbia @ukhsa.bsky.social we have a fully funded (UK/home fees) PhD studentship available @phar.cam.ac.uk: "Radiotherapy induced nerve damage and pain: can we prevent it?" Naked mole-rats will be involved!
A naked mole-rat
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Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Oh yes she did! Nancy Hopkins & other female scientists at MIT experienced sexism. One night in 1994, she carefully went into each lab WITH A TAPE MEASURE & calculated the area. It turned out that even a JUNIOR faculty member had more sq footage. MIT admitted fault. 🧪 news.mit.edu/2023/measuri...
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Camilla Svensson's research group @molecularpain.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
We can finally share our latest findings and technical advances in the human DRG. For those who want to get the most from staining the human tissue, we are happy to share our last preprint! 🔬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Exciting science in a genuinely supportive lab ⬇️
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
Excited to finally share this story with you! We generated a temporal atlas of the joint-DRG axis during arthritis-induced pain to probe neuroimmune interactions. This revealed OSM and SEMA4D as mediators of neutrophil-neuronal signaling. Many thanks to all coauthors! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Neutrophil-neuronal crosstalk drives arthritis-induced pain
Pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often persists despite effective control of inflammation, suggesting distinct mechanisms driving nociception. In both patients and animal models, pain severity does n...
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Judi Allen @profjudiallen.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
theguardian.com
Why we have to continue with animal testing for medical research | Letters
Letters: Dr Robin Lovell-Badge and Prof Emma Robinson respond to an editorial on using new technologies to reduce the reliance on animal experiments
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Want to flow-analyze or FACS your sensory neurons without relying on reporter mice? Check out our new short report 👇https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.688847v1
biorxiv.org
A novel method to sort and enrich sensory neurons
Peripheral sensory neurons, residing in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), relay sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system. Although single-cell transcriptomic studies have iden...
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
”As our approach in this process is a holistic one, we have everything in place to make sure that a researcher’s decision to come to KI and Sweden is the best they’ve ever made” ♥️
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Johanna Joyce @johannajoyce.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Not long after I started my lab, a prominent scientist told me it was “impossible” to be a successful PI and a mother Don’t ever let the naysayers tell you it can’t be done - of course it can! #HappyMothersDay this weekend to all the amazing scientist mamas raising their wonderful kids 🥰
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Sten Linnarsson @sten.linnarsson.org · 01/04/2025
Are you an established (”distinguished”) researcher outside Europe? Thinking of moving here for some reason? Grant opportunity just dropped: www.vr.se/english/appl...
vr.se
Grant for recruiting international visiting researcher to Sweden
The purpose of the grant is to provide higher education institutions and other research organisations the opportunity to develop and strengthen a research field by recruiting a distinguished researche...
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emds2025.bsky.social @emds2025.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Abstract Submission Open!! As we slide into the weekend, it's the ideal time to think about your abstract for #EMDS2025. Lots of opportunities for #ECRs to present...and prizes up for grabs! 👉 www.emds2025.com @britsocimm.bsky.social @cytokinesociety.bsky.social @societymucosalimm.bsky.social
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Waggoner Lab @labwaggoner.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Nociceptor neurons promote PDAC progression and cancer pain by interaction with cancer-associated fibroblasts and suppression of NK cells www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Nociceptor neurons promote PDAC progression and cancer pain by interaction with cancer-associated fibroblasts and suppression of natural killer cells - Cell Research
Cell Research - Nociceptor neurons promote PDAC progression and cancer pain by interaction with cancer-associated fibroblasts and suppression of natural killer cells
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Sara Torstensson @saratorstensson.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
My dear colleague Gustaw Eriksson has just published a comprehensive cellular atlas of the endometrium in women with PCOS, showing cell-type-specific disease signatures. This reveals new promising therapeutic targets for PCOS-related endometrial dysfunction. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Single-cell profiling of the human endometrium in polycystic ovary syndrome - Nature Medicine
A transcriptomic atlas of the endometrium of women with polycystic ovary syndrome uncovers both disease signatures and potential therapeutic targets.
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Andres Hidalgo @drusqui.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Excited to post for the first time to present our exciting new paper @Nature. The fruit of massive work by Tommaso Vicanolo, @alazozcan.bsky.social and Jackson Li, and our superb collaborators Laiguan and Stefan Uderhardt. True teamwork! Free link: rdcu.be/eeeA2 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
rdcu.be
Matrix-producing neutrophils populate and shield the skin
Nature - A population of neutrophils in the skin produces extracellular matrix, providing a defence strategy by reinforcing the barrier properties of the skin and helping to block the entry of...
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Waggoner Lab @labwaggoner.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Review Pain signaling by G protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases www.cell.com/trends/pharm...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Who funds biomedical research? @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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Camilla Svensson's research group @molecularpain.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Yesterday, Sven from our lab shared his beautiful immunos of human DRG at our department seminar @ki.se 🤩 Here’s a snap!
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Johan Duchêne @johanduchene.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
The new and emerging field of peripheral neuroimmunology is revealing how unique interactions between neurons and immune cells in various organs can profoundly impact mammalian health. Nice review in JLB. The peripheral neuroimmune system academic.oup.com/jleukbio/art...
academic.oup.com
The peripheral neuroimmune system
The peripheral neuroimmune reflex arc illustrates how immune cells can simultaneously respond to both motor and sensory nerves but also transmit signals to
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Camilla Svensson's research group @molecularpain.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
🚨 Paper Announcement🎉 🥂 Read about our fascinating discoveries around the pain-relieving effect of the JAK inhibitor baricitinib in an arthritis context ! Our pre-clinical study highlights exciting findings and is now available in the prestigious journal ARD: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 08/02/2025
What do Europeans think of science and technology? - 83% believe science and tech have a positive impact, - 67% say science makes life easier, healthier and more comfortable, - 58% want to learn more about scientific advances. Find out more in the new Eurobarometer. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu
Europeans strongly support science and technology according to new Eurobarometer survey
The latest Eurobarometer survey on ‘European citizens' knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology' released today shows more than 8 in 10 citizens (83%) think that the overall influence of...
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Adrian Liston @labliston.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Twelve unique stories from the #lab, each illustrated by the amazing Yulia Lapko. For anyone finishing up #school and wondering what to do next - #STEM is a great next step, whatever your start in life.
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
EPS2022 was one of the best science meetings that I have been to. Great scientific discussion for both junior and senior PhD students!
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Camilla Svensson's research group @molecularpain.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Many members of our lab are proud alumni of the European Pain School, and we cannot recommend this conference highly enough to all PhD students and postdocs in pain research!
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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 12/01/2025
In-depth article on chronic pain, with my friend @robgereau.bsky.social and Allan Basbaum heavily interviewed as scientists studying pain: ‘We die in pain, we don’t die of pain.’ www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/m...
nytimes.com
Chronic Pain Afflicts Billions of People. It’s Time for a Revolution.
As many as two billion people suffer from it — including me. Can science finally bring us relief?
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Ece Eksi, PhD @eksiece.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Neurosignaling is recognized as a key factor in cancer progression, yet current spatial profiling approaches are unable to detect neuronal innervation in the TME. www.cell.com/heliyon/full...
cell.com
AxonFinder: Automated segmentation of tumor innervating neuronal fibers
Neurosignaling is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in cancer progression, where neuronal innervation of primary tumors contributes to the disease's advancement. This study focuses on segmenting individual axons within the prostate tumor microenvironment, which have been challenging to detect and analyze due to their irregular morphologies. We present a novel deep learning-based approach for the automated segmentation of axons, AxonFinder, leveraging a U-Net model with a ResNet-101 encoder, based on a multiplexed imaging approach.
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Eduardo Villablanca @ejvillablanca.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Beyond classical immunity: Mast cells as signal converters between tissues and neurons: Immunity www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
cell.com
Beyond classical immunity: Mast cells as signal converters between tissues and neurons
Mast cells act as “signal converters,” translating immunological and tissue signals into host-protective behaviors. They sense antigen and possibly toxins driving avoidance behavior, which can prevent inflammation and tissue damage. Beyond classical immunity, mast cells rapidly activate antigen expulsion responses and initiate nociception. These reflexes promote host-protective behavior and maintain tissue integrity.
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Johanna Joyce @johannajoyce.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
"If talent and opportunity were equally distributed, the average winner would come from a middle income background. The reality? The average laureate grew up in a household just below the top 10%. More than 50% come from the top 5%" By Torsten Bell www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The science behind winning a Nobel Prize? Being a man from a wealthy family | Torsten Bell
A lot of talent is wasted in a world where more than half of laureates come from households in the richest 5%
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Waggoner Lab @labwaggoner.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
The oestrous cycle stage affects mammary tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/d41... www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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CLaE @claeneuro.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Nature Organ-specific sympathetic innervation defines visceral functions www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Organ-specific sympathetic innervation defines visceral functions - Nature
Multi-modal transcriptomic analyses of the sympathetic nervous system reveal organ-specific neural innervation and modular regulation of visceral functions.
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Gustavo Monasterio Ocares @gamonasterioo.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
“Negative reinforcement, such as receiving overly harsh criticism or being scolded by a research mentor, and being held to unreasonable expectations were two of the most detrimental aspects of research affecting student mental health.” #ImprovingAcademia 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Behind the graduate mental health crisis in science - Nature Biotechnology
Survey results identify how scientific research and teaching contribute to the graduate student mental health crisis.
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Lucy MacDonald @drlucymac.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
So happy to (finally!!) announce that our paper studying synovial tissue dendritic cells in joint health and rheumatoid arthritis is now out in Immunity! 🚨 doi.org/10.1016/j.im...
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Excited to attend the #EMDS2024 meeting at this stunning venue in Vienna! Come by to see my poster (23) later if you are interested in peripheral neuroimmune interactions 🔬
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John Lukens @lukensjohnr.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Macrophages and nociceptor neurons form a sentinel unit around fenestrated capillaries to defend the synovium from circulating immune challenge www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Macrophages and nociceptor neurons form a sentinel unit around fenestrated capillaries to defend the synovium from circulating immune challenge - Nature Immunology
Why joints are highly responsive to systemic inflammation is unknown. Hasegawa et al. sought to address this question, developing a whole-mount imaging system of the entire synovium to profile the vas...
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Johanna Joyce @johannajoyce.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Women are under-represented at senior levels in #academia globally, & across all #science 🧪 disciplines, as shown by these "scissor-shaped curves" ✂️ So how can we ever achieve #gender #equality? We discuss various strategies in this #Cell Commentary #WomeninSTEM www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... 🧵 1/
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Matthias Nau @matthiasnau.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Imaging intact human organs with local resolution of cellular structures using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography. Amazing technique by Walsh et al: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Hao Yin @haoyin.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Neural Guidance of Lymphatics #SchwannCell CXCL12⏫ Sprouting/Patterning of CXCR4+ #LymphaticEndothelialCell Prox1-CreERT2:Cxcr4f/f🐭 ⬇️ Lymphatic Valve formation ⬇️ VEGF-C-induced #Lymphangiogenesis Xiaolei Liu lab Development 2024 @biologists.bsky.social journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Earlier this year, we published a paper on CD163+ DRG macrophages and their role in monitoring the blood-DRG barrier's permeability. 🎉 This work was co-led by Harald Lund, Matthew Hunt, and me, with contributions from many amazing colleagues! pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
CD163+ macrophages monitor enhanced permeability at the blood–dorsal root ganglion barrier
The blood–DRG barrier is composed of endothelial cells with high permeability and is monitored by a subset of CD163+ perivascular macrophages, a process that is arteriovenously zonated. Vascular monit...
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Zerina Kurtovic @justzeri.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Our lab account is now also on Bluesky. If you want to follow what we are doing ➡️ @molecularpain.bsky.social
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
Doing good science is 90% finding a science buddy to constantly talk to about the project.
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Out today in Nature: "The Human Cell Atlas"! In my News and Views, I compare the cell atlas to early naturalists creating an atlas of South America. Researchers mining this cell atlas can now make big discoveries, just as the next naturalists then discovered evolution. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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Dr. Ali Barry @aliibarry.com · 20/09/2024
📌🧪 Welcome to the Pain Research feed for any and all pain-related research Anyone can post here using #PainResearch. Alt Text + CamelCase required.
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Siegenthaler Lab @siegenthalerlab.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Be still my scientific ❤️.... @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social high resolution spatial transcriptomics on human meninges 🤩 work from Kevin Petrecca group at McGill University led by Theresa Degenhard - www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧪 #Neuroscience
MERFISH confirms the spatial arrangement of meningeal cell types in situ.

(A) Annotated schematic of meningeal anatomy using a representative H&E image and MERFISH panel. Primary neuroanatomical features of the meninges include: periosteal and meningeal layers of the dura; dura border cells; arachnoid barrier cells, subarachnoid space; trabeculae; blood vessel (BV)-covering pia; brain-covering pia; and astrocytic end feet of the glial limitans superficialis. H&E scale bar = 200μm; MERFISH scale bar = 100μm. (B) Two representative MERFISH panels from two samples demonstrating the spatial arrangement of primary cell types by visualizing all transcripts associated with cell type signatures. Dotted white boxes B1-4 indicate magnified regions. Each cell type is represented by a different colour. White arrows point to contact points of meningeal fibroblasts and vascular cells. P = Pia; A = Arachnoid; AT = Arachnoid Trabeculae; E = Endothelia only. Scale bars = 100μm. (C) Two representative MERFISH panels from two samples demonstrating the spatial arrangement of primary cell types by visualizing cell types following cluster identification and segmentation. Dotted white boxes C1-4 indicate magnified regions. Each cell type is represented by a different colour. White arrows point to contact points of meningeal fibroblasts and vascular cells. P = Pia; A = Arachnoid; AT = Arachnoid Trabeculae; E = Endothelia only. Scale bars = 100μm.
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Ted Price @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
I started (at @katesadlerphd.bsky.social's suggestion, thanks Kate for pushing me) a pain neuroscience and pain research starter pack. I am sure I have missed many people so if I missed you, I am sorry, but please just ask me to add you in the thread below and I will do that. go.bsky.app/KboKNhg
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John Lukens @lukensjohnr.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Meningeal neutrophil immune signaling influences behavioral adaptation following threat www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
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Anna Molofsky Lab @annamolofskylab.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
go.bsky.app/Eaua5Jk my starter for neuroimmunology
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Rod Rahimi @rodrahimi.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Wonderful to see the #immunology community growing here. The first starter pack is full (they cap at 150), so I created a second one. Let me know if you'd like to be added go.bsky.app/PY5tCas go.bsky.app/FmERUoD
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