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Kat Barnett

@katbarnett.bsky.social
156 followers 121 following 26 posts

Assistant Professor at U Michigan Innate immunity, cell death, virology she/her medresearch.umich.edu/labs-departme…

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Reposted by Kat Barnett
ID Chief @ UMich @adamlauring.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Michigan is HIRING! Please see attached postings for Clinical Assistant Professor and an Open Rank search in the Instructional (Tenure) track. The Division is growing, the people are fantastic, Ann Arbor is great. Check us out!
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
#ChangeTheDogma! #TLRpower! @jkagan1.bsky.social @danielhfisch.bsky.social &co show @nature.com that TRAM, so far believed to control endosomal TLR4 signaling & interferon #IFN production, is essential to release the #myddosome from #TIRAP & the plasma membrane allowing full NFkB signaling!
nature.com
TRAM promotes Toll-like-receptor-free myddosome signal transduction - Nature
TRAM is a regulator of myddosome assembly through dissociating MyD88 from the TLR–TIRAP complex to enable myddosome maturation and durable downstream signal transduction.
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Today, the Toll-like Receptors reveal a new mechanism of signal transduction: Receptor-Free Signal Transduction. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
TRAM promotes Toll-like-receptor-free myddosome signal transduction - Nature
TRAM is a regulator of myddosome assembly through dissociating MyD88 from the TLR–TIRAP complex to enable myddosome maturation and durable downstream signal transduction.
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Beautiful work, congratulations!
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Daniel Fisch @danielhfisch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Out now @nature.com! We report a new means of cell communication: receptor-free signal transduction. TLRs engage MyD88 for minutes, yet myddosomes signal for hours. TRAM releases myddosomes from TLRs, letting them mature and sustain signaling in the cytosol. rdcu.be/jGdKxErXyAsa Details below:
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Abraham lab at Harvard Medical School @abrahamlabhms.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Excited to share our newest publication revealing the structural and biophysical basis for monkeypox virus replisome activation! @hhmi-science.bsky.social @harvardmicro.bsky.social @hc2em.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Structure and operating principles of a monkeypox virus replisome - Nature
During replisome assembly of monkeypox virus, the hexameric helicase–primase E5 undergoes large-scale conformational changes that allow two of its primase domains to interact with the polymerase F8 th...
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Helen Lazear @lazearlab.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
theatlantic.com
The AI Pandemic Isn’t On Its Way
Yet plenty of others might be, thanks to evolution.
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New fantastic story by @granuccilab.bsky.social & friends just out @natimmunol.nature.com showing that #mechanosensing of pathogens precedes pattern recognition receptor #PRR activation, and to some extent competes with it! Check it out 👇👇👇
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Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Change the textbooks. Trans-splicing as a means to diversify the proteome. Many congrats to Ruaidhri Jackson and Olivia Venezia on this remarkable discovery. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
#ChangeTheTextbook! Amazing work @nature.com by Ruaidhri Jackson, Olivia Venezia &co!! So glad to see this finally out!!👇👇👇👉 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
nature.com
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Anthony Vecchiarelli @cellforganized.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
My MCDB Dept is hiring, again! Assistant Professor Faculty Search. Please Repost! Applications Due Oct 1st We welcome applications from all areas of cellular/molecular biology in prokaryotes, plants, and animals. More information can be found HERE: jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/679540/a...
jobs.sciencecareers.org
Assistant Professor - Ann Arbor, Michigan job with University of Michigan - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology | 679540
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FACULTY POSITION IN CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS   The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental B...
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
#DAMPsPower!! Excited to share the 💥new 💥 review @ Science Immunology that @marcodigioia & I wrote about the immunological activities played by host-derived oxidized lipids in controlling infections & tumorigenesis! doi.org/10.1126/scii...
doi.org
Regulation of inflammation by oxidized lipids
Lipids generated by oxidative stress and their effects on immunity and cancer are reviewed.
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Kranzusch Lab @kranzuschlab.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The shared principles of human and bacterial antiviral immunity An honor to highlight remarkable discoveries from many labs over the past 12 years that unite previously disparate fields of how animal cells and prokaryotes defend against viruses. www.nature.com/articles/s41... rdcu.be/fzwyB
nature.com
Shared principles of human and bacterial antiviral immunity - Nature
The Review describes shared ancient, conserved mechanisms between human antiviral immunity and bacterial anti-phage systems, outlining universal principles of pathogen sensing, signalling and effector...
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
#ImmunometabolismPower! Excited to share our review @cp-cellchembiol.bsky.social with super-talented @tristramryan.bsky.social about the activity of immunometabolites of the #TCA #Krebs cycle working as metabolic damage-associated molecular patterns #metaDAMPs in health & disease!
sciencedirect.com
Metabolic danger signals: TCA cycle metabolites regulate immunity and disease
Mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites have emerged as critical regulators of immunity and inflammation beyond their canonical metab…
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Abraham lab at Harvard Medical School @abrahamlabhms.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
We are excited to share two preprints reporting a mosquito-specific receptor for chikungunya virus and other alphaviruses! 🤩 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @harvardmicro.bsky.social @harvardvirology.bsky.social @hhmi-science.bsky.social
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Teresa O'Meara @teresaomeara.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Bacteriology-Focused Assistant Professor Position in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan Application deadline: August 15, 2026 Come be my colleague!
Bacteriology-Focused Assistant Professor Position in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan

Application deadline: August 15, 2026

Applicants are requested to send
1) A cover letter (up to 1 page)
2) A CV
3) A description of research interests and goals (up to 2 pages)
4) A description of teaching experience and philosophy (up to 1 page)
5) Contact information including email to solicit 3 letters of recommendation.
Application materials should be combined into one PDF and addressed to the department chair, Dr. Bethany Moore, and sent via email to Sheryl Smith - sherylhs@umich.edu
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Had so much fun writing this commentary for #msphere! Grateful for the opportunity to write about work that’s shaped my perspective on innate immunity and RNA virus infection journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org
mSphere of Influence: Damage in RNA virus infection—a feature or a bug? | mSphere
How does the body recognize viral infection? How do viruses engage the immune system during replication? These seemingly simple questions led me to study pattern recognition, a concept first proposed ...
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Beautiful work led by Stephanie Ragland and @jkagan1.bsky.social! Love learning something new about STING activation
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Congratulations!! 🥳🥳🥳
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
#InterferonPower #InflammasomePower! Thrilled for our 💥#NewPaper💥 @natimmunol.nature.com spearheaded by Kautilya Jena showing that our #fungal adjuvant #Mannadjuvant prolongs & potentiates protection of mRNA vaccines via #IL1b & #IFNs, broadening it to new variants & overcoming antigenic imprinting!
rdcu.be
A glycan-based adjuvant expands the breadth and duration of protection of mRNA-based vaccines
Nature Immunology - Jena, Qu et al. show that mannadjuvant, a formulation of fungal mannan and aluminum hydroxide, increases the magnitude, durability and breadth of the response elicited by...
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Congratulations!!!
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Congratulations, Margaret!! 🥳🍾
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
John Travis @john-travis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
UNC announced virologist Ralph Baric, accused of starting COVID-19, is retiring but we have the exclusive backstory--HHS wants to debar him and he's fighting it, calling BS on charges related to past work www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Virologist accused of starting COVID-19 will fight U.S. ban on funding
HHS memo says Ralph Baric had a “pattern of deception” in describing virus studies long before pandemic
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Come be my colleague! Our department is looking to hire a tenure-track assistant professor with an emphasis on those studying bacterial pathogenesis.
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Very cool! Congrats!!
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
So well deserved!! Congratulations, Anukul!
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I established these systems during my postdoc at UNC, which are described in this article. www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
cell.com
An epithelial-immune circuit amplifies inflammasome and IL-6 responses to SARS-CoV-2
IL-1β and IL-6 are increased in severe COVID-19. Examining the underlying mechanisms, Barnett et al. show that SARS-CoV-2 E protein primes, and DNA from infected epithelial cells activates, inflammaso...
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Shout out to my co-author, Scott Randell, who helped me optimize media to co-culture primary human airway epithelia with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (and for not thinking I was completely bonkers for doing this!)
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I've gotten lots of questions about our co-culture systems to study epithelial-immune interactions in viral infections, so wrote a step-by-step guide! I hope this will help anyone looking to adapt these protocols for their research. currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Co‐Culture Systems to Study Epithelial‐Immune Interactions During SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection
Robust inflammatory responses to viral infection are mediated by immune cell populations, including monocytes and dendritic cells. However, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2...
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Really enjoyed meeting you and everyone else, too! Here’s to seeing y’all again soon!
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
A fantastic session! So happy to be a part of this group of scientists and learn more about their exciting work at #ASBMB2026
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Too much data, too little thinking. A important essay from Ruslan Medzhitov on the importance of understanding data, not just generating it. A must read. @Yale www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
On the balance of knowledge - Nature Reviews Immunology
Ruslan Medzhitov shares his thoughts on the balance between generating data and developing theories in immunology, with a focus on exploring the rules that govern complex systems.
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Congrats, Margaret! Happy to see this out!
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Ellen Foxman @ellenfoxman.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Rhinoviruses cause common cold & asthma attacks but are also often benign. Using nasal organoids, we learned how the community of cells in the lining the nasal passages coordinates to respond to rhinovirus and which responses lead to excess mucus & inflammation. www.cell.com/cell-press-b...
cell.com
Rhinovirus triggers distinct host responses through differential engagement of epithelial innate immune signaling
Rhinoviruses are the most frequent cause of common colds and also a major cause of respiratory distress in high-risk groups. Using single-cell sequencing of rhinovirus-infected nasal epithelial organo...
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Dr. Sunny Shin @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Thrilled to share our new preprint showing that dietary amino acids license the NLRP3 inflammasome via mTOR-dependent mRNA translation! Congrats to co-1st authors @mikelhaggadone.bsky.social, Brian Goldspiel, co-senior author @metabailism.bsky.social & collaborators! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
💥New paper alert!💥 What’s better than starting 2026 with an @annualreviews.bsky.social #Immunology, often a once-in-a-life honor ❤️?! Check it out if you want to know everything about type III interferons #IFN! Thanks to my wonderful team for their amazing work 🤗 doi.org/10.1146/annu...
doi.org
Molecular, Cellular, Tissue, and Organismal Functions of Type III Interferons
Type III interferons are essential immune mediators playing pleiotropic roles during health and disease. In this review, we highlight the molecular and cellular pathways that lead to the production of...
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Congratulations, Megan!!! 🥳
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Evidence continues building that oxidized lipids drive inflammasome activities in health and disease.  A beautiful study shows a link to multiple sclerosis, with a role for inflammasomes and IL-1 in pathology.  Kudos to the authors on this exciting discovery. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Oxidized phosphatidylcholines deposition drives chronic neurodegeneration in a mouse model of progressive multiple sclerosis via IL-1β signaling - Nature Neuroscience
In this study, Yu et al. found that a positive feedback loop between oxidized phosphatidylcholine and IL-1β promotes chronic neurodegeneration in the central nervous system and could be a contributing...
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
#InflammasomePower! 💥New paper alert💥 How is NLPR3 primed & activated in chronic non-communicable inflammatory diseases? With @oceanedufies.bsky.social &co we show that chronic exposure to oxPAPC drives NRF2 activation that primes & activates NLRP3 sustaining #atherosclerosis in mice & humans! 👇👇👇
biorxiv.org
Chronic sensing of host-derived lipids is an all-in-one signal that primes and activates NLRP3.
Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome leads to the production of bioactive interleukin (IL)-1β fostering atherosclerosis. The current dogma is that NLRP3 must be first primed by microbial stimuli, know...
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Bella Rauch @rauchlab.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Check out our new publication, a collaboration with Giovanni Luchetti and Vishva Dixit @ Genentech. We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!! www.nature.com/articles/s41... Explainer 1/8
nature.com
Enteropathogenic bacteria evade ROCK-driven epithelial cell extrusion - Nature
The bacterial ubiquitin ligase NleL evades host defence mechanisms both by inhibiting pyroptosis and by preventing infected intestinal epithelial cells from being extruded into the lumen and expelled ...
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Chelsey Spriggs @drsprggs.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
It’s #BlackInMicro week! This year’s theme is HARMONY and we have a great program scheduled. You can find more info on our website: blackinmicrobiology.org. Register for free to check it out. Everyone is welcome! 🦠
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
#DAMPsPower! Balachandran, Yin &co show @nature.com that upon influenza #IAV or herpes #HSV1 virus infection, ZBP1 induces cell death by sensing #host-derived endogenous retroelement Z-RNAs produced in response to virulence factors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Client Challenge
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
#LiveForever! Chen, Mao &co show @science.org that not all #cGAS are equals & that naked mole-rats one bears a 4 amino acid mutation which enhances DNA repair & when transferred in aged mice dampens frailty, hair graying, inflammatory & senescence markers! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging
Efficient DNA repair might make possible the longevity of naked mole-rats. However, whether they have distinctive mechanisms to optimize functions of DNA repair suppressors is unclear. We find that na...
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Beth Moore @bmoore-beth.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
It’s Discovery Research Week! Every day, the bold work of our U-M researchers and scientists points the way to life-changing treatments and cures patients and families need. Visit victors.us/researchsep25 Please consider supporting the work of departments like M&I.
victors.us
Support Discovery Research Week at Michigan Medicine!
From September 29 to October 5, 2025, we invite you to join us for Discovery Research Week to celebrate and support our scientists and learners who lay the groundwork for the medical breakthroughs of ...
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Reposted by Kat Barnett
Jordan Jastrab @jordanjastrab.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Thrilled to share my work from the @jkagan1.bsky.social lab! TLDR: O-acetylation and wall teichoic acid compete for space on S. aureus peptidoglycan. This competition regulates DNA release, and thus immune receptor activation, during infection! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #microsky #immunosky
biorxiv.org
Wall teichoic acid is required for DNA-triggered innate immune receptor activation by Staphylococcus aureus
Receptors that stimulate inflammation are commonly activated by ligands that are buried within microbial cells. The mechanisms that facilitate immunostimulatory ligand release from microbes during inf...
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Kranzusch Lab @kranzuschlab.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
The mechanism of STING NF-κB signaling has remained a mystery. An exciting new study from the Paludan lab now uses data throughout animal STING evolution to provide new answers – including isolating white blood cells from turtles and carp! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
STING signals to NF-κB from late endolysosomal compartments using IRF3 as an adaptor - Nature Immunology
Here the authors show how the DNA-sensing cGAS–STING pathway activates NF-κB and inflammatory gene expression with delayed kinetics via post-Golgi endolysosomal signaling.
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Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
An NLRP3 stimulatory universal influenza vaccine. We report an NLRP3 stimulus that generates hyperactive dendritic cells (hDCs). journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org
An NLRP3-stimulatory adjuvant improves the immunogenicity of influenza virus vaccines in mice and non-human primates | mBio
The generation of vaccines that stimulate T cell activities is an unmet need for the scientific community, as T cells are the primary mediators of immune memory. In this study, we report a new vaccine...
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Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
💥 #ImmunometabolismPower! Excited to have this officially out @cp-immunity.bsky.social 💥 We show that pathogens induce the host to produce oxidized lipids which rewire the #metabolism of #macrophages, causing #epigenetic modifications which dampen anti-inflammatory IL-10, exacerbating #inflammation!
sciencedirect.com
Epigenetic silencing of interleukin-10 by host-derived oxidized phospholipids supports a lethal inflammatory response to infections
Phagocytes initiate immunity to invading microorganisms by detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns via pattern recognition receptors. Pathoge…
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Kat Barnett @katbarnett.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
So cool!!! Congratulations, Ivan and co!!
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Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
The recent cuts to federal mRNA research funding are killing our best chance to cure cancer. Read my OP-ED on this topic in BioSpace, linked below. www.biospace.com/drug-develop...
biospace.com
Opinion: Antagonism to mRNA Technology Is Killing Our Best Shot At a Cure For Cancer
The recent announcement of RFK Jr.’s termination of mRNA vaccine contracts is the latest effort to undermine this promising technology at the federal level. Pharmaceutical companies and private invest...
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