iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

have ppl encountered any IP problems getting to use any of the tools we've made? GCaMP? RCaMP, SnFRs, AAVretro, etc.? we tried to make access trivial and cheap. but if there are problems, please let me know. we could try to break patents on all those to make shareware versions, if this is a problem

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

hey team! I need advice! If there were theoretically an organization whose sole purpose was to systematically identify and break nuisance and stupid IP in the biomedical space, creating shareware equivalents, what would be the highest value targets? e.g., AAV serotypes, antibodies, CRISPR, 1/n

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Spencer LaVere Smith @spencerlaveresmith.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Nice! Thanks @lintianphd.bsky.social @loogerl.bsky.social @michaelzlin.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social Eric Schreiter + many other engineers for in vivo neuro. Also: Thanks to the virus and transgenic engineers, like @hongkuizeng.bsky.social Viviana Gradinaru, Josh Huang, etc. 1/2

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Lin Tian, PhD @lintianphd.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Thanks to @nature.com for featuring our work in this piece on genetically-encoded sensors. The article does a great job highlighting their importance for both basic research and translational impact, such as in our lab's research on serotonin. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

How genetically encoded sensors have lit up neuroscience

Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology — although important caveats remain.

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Homeworld Collective @homeworld.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

On the latest ep of the Climate Biotech Podcast, hear how synthetic biology legend @loogerl.bsky.social is turning his protein engineering expertise to developing tools to study methane monooxygenase, an enzyme that could unlock methane removal. Listen in: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

what do ppl think is going to happen to this 6 NIH grant app maximum? will it stick? how are people interpreting the whole co-PI vs MPI thing?

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Homeworld Collective @homeworld.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Thanks to Garden Grant co-funders @sparkclimate.bsky.social sky.social and @granthamcsf.bsky.social, and to Quadrature Climate Foundation for making this possible through programmatic and regranting support.

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

so proud of this team!!! they're changing the way grants are sought, written, and funded. and such critical work - greenhouse gases this cycle, focused on methane. they funded us (+ Michael Konopka, USNA) to study methane monooxygenase (pMMO), potentially the key to remediating methane pollution.

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

ok rumors were true all along: www.nature.com/articles/d41... steady slide into fascism. what are ppl hearing about US-based researchers with foreign citizenship? I am hearing rumors that they are being targeted now. Sounds laughable but all too real in this hellhole

nature.com

Exclusive: NIH to suspend funds for research abroad as it overhauls policy

Move by US biomedical agency threatens thousands of projects on infectious diseases, cancer and more.

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

GABA imaging classifies amacrine cell types in mouse retina! Aki and @keisukeyonehara.bsky.social are amazing! future goals include Gly imaging, 2-color Glu/GABA, more complete scRNA-seq/MERFISH mapped onto functional classes. Super-fun collaboration! @janeliagenie.bsky.social

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

hey, what are ppl hearing about NIH/NSF grants with international collaborators? A colleague has their NIH grant withheld bc it had intl collabs. are other ppl hearing this? any place to find info on this? thanks!

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I think about this map a lot. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/201...

This is a cartogram map of the United States depicting land use by different categories. The map distorts state shapes to represent proportional land usage. Key land use types include cow pasture/range (covering much of the central U.S.), private and federal timberland in the Pacific Northwest, corporate timberland in the Southeast, and urban housing/commercial areas in the Northeast. Other categories include agriculture (livestock feed, wheat exports, ethanol/biodiesel, cotton), protected lands (national parks, federal wilderness, state parks), and infrastructure (railroads, airports, highways). Additional specialized land uses include wildfires, golf courses, Christmas tree farms, and maple syrup production.

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Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Critical ocean current AMOC weakest in 1,600 years and even without an imminent collapse its weakening will have a devastating impact on billions Prof Niklas Boers "in the short term, it doesn’t really matter if we have a strong weakening, say 80%, or a collapse.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Wondering if your study section cancelled? I update this sheet daily. As of today, 56/124 study sections that should have met since Jan 2, 2025 have "not met as scheduled." docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

2025 Study section tracking

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

does anyone have a gut feeling on when NIH/NSF grant reviews will resume? do ppl think they will? what are ppl doing - focusing on foundations and international opps right now? going into cost-saving mode? dos anyone have any advice for navigating this brave new world?

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

holy shit this seems real, posted by many ppl. It seems that @hhmi.bsky.social just killed its IE3 program. Does that kill Gilliam Fellows? lab member just applied. Freeman Hrabowski Scholars? is it all gone? I don't understand why @hhmi.bsky.social would be doing this; I look fwd to their statement

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

“unis will freeze all non personnel spending at 5pm today, place orders in ASAP." "Note that some university policies require orders to be delivered by the deadline to be covered, in which case a bulk order this afternoon might not do any good unless shipping is remarkably fast." god help us all

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

does anyone have any ideas how we're going to survive this? $ from state, companies, foundations? What can we do to support each other during this shit time? how can we fight back? it all feels so hopeless right now, I'm srsly looking into alternative careers.

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Another epic announcement from the Homeworld team! Come look at Problem Statements, make a plan, and solve the world's most serious problem: greenhouse gas-driven warming and climate change. The grant process is easy, and creativity is encouraged! Spread the word!

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

have ppl found any funders that support toolmaking? I want to keep making tools for people, but there is a seemingly irresistible force pushing us towards hypothesis-driven research. In my experience, funders don't want to hear about tech dev. Any insights? for both neuro & climate would be great tx

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

hey who has big-picture knowledge about trees? specifically vaccinating them against various pathogens. what are regulations and economics on large-scale tree vaccination programs? for tree planting efforts, can saplings be easily vaccinated, vs. large adults that require deep injection? are GMO 1/

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

help please! anyone know good grantwriters to help with R01s, etc.? idea is start with 1 grant per person/entity to see how we work together, then long-term deals/employment options. open to any working arrangement. need help framing things in fundable fashion. will pay well for good stuff. thanks!

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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 19/09/2024

Tune into the latest episode of "Synaptic," and hear more about @lintianphd.bsky.social, the optimization of the GCaMP calcium indicator, and the lessons Tian's father taught her. Available wherever you stream podcasts. By Brady Huggett www.thetransmitter.org/synaptic/bio...

thetransmitter.org

Biosensors and being fearless with Lin Tian

Tian discusses protein function and structure, and the historic city in China where she was born.

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 13/09/2024

Excited to talk at the 1st Gene Therapy Initiative Symp at @ucsandiego.bsky.social next week! genetherapy.ucsd.edu/symposium-20... #gtiUCSD Will be talking about AAV engineering - 2.0 #AAVretro variants and other designed serotypes for basic research and human gene therapy!

genetherapy.ucsd.edu

Symposium 2024

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 24/08/2024

This is that preliminary in vivo polyamine signaling data i was hinting at! we'll really tighten it up but there are pretty clearly some cool signals in the mouse brain

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Loren Looger lab @loogerl.bsky.social · 22/08/2024

Paper alert! So happy to share the 1st paper entirely from our new home at UCSD Neurosciences- sensors for polyamines: spermidine, spermine, etc. What are those, you ask? (Autocorrect suggested "trampolines.") Polyamines (PAs) are ubiquitous: redox buffers, part. in endo/lysosomes.. 1/

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Addgene @addgene.bsky.social · 08/08/2024

pHW581 Depositor: Paul Sternberg Purpose: In vivo calcium indicator. Presence of calcium (Ca2+) increases reporter signal intensity. Based on GCaMP7, improved SNR, fast kinetics www.addgene.org/198818/

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