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Markus Elsner

@markuselsner.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.3K following 603 posts

Deputy Director of the Institute for Intelligent Biotechnologies at HelmholtzMunich, former editor @naturebiotech.bsky.social, all views expressed here are my own

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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
😂
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Rita Strack @ritastrack.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I got to chair the first session of this fantastic Nature Conference last week. I think my smile says it all, and it was an amazing event! I heard a whisper that the organizers might want to repeat the event in two years. Fingers crossed!
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Leslie B Vosshall PhD @leslievosshall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Transformative opportunity for postdocs @hhmi-science.bsky.social #HannaGray Fellows competition opens 11/3/2026 but you can get started NOW: view application components, establish eligibility, and unlock example applications and other resources www.hhmi.org/programs/han...
hhmi.org
Postdoc-Faculty Transition Program | Hanna H. Gray Fellows | HHMI
The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program supports postdoctoral scientists as they launch careers in academic science, equipping them to pursue scientific research at the highest levels and to recruit, mentor...
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Leah Houri-Zeevi @leahhouri.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🩸🩸🩸TODAY WE SHARE TWO MAJOR DISCOVERIES🩸🩸🩸 1. We peered into genomes and brains of the rare mosquitoes that QUIT feeding on blood and found what biting is built from 2. Humans got rid of isoleucine in their blood, malaria suffers from it, and mosquito proteomes budget for it THREADS>
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If you feel that spelling in your favorite LLM has been going down the drain, it is probably because they use my chats for training.
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Diogo Almeida @typesafeai.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Message from our CEO: After co-inventing ChatGPT, I kept asking myself: why have superhuman chat models not led to AGI? I’ve spent the last 2 years in stealth building a new way to train models (RLCD), and a new type of frontier AI model that we are releasing today: Jev
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Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) @snsf.ch · 22/09/2026
🏆 Biochemist Martin Jinek is the winner of the Swiss Science Prize #MarcelBenoist 2026, considered the Swiss #Nobel Prize. He contributed to the development of molecular scissors, namely CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Read more ➡️ sohub.io/3hs4
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Nature Biotechnology @natbiotech.nature.com · 21/09/2026
In Brief: @fda.gov approves Replimune's #Tudriqev, an oncolytic immunotherapy for treating patients with unresectable advanced melanoma whose disease has progressed after PD-1 immunotherapy www.nature.com/articles/s41... rdcu.be/FJTEwpcN6KUa
nature.com
FDA approves oncolytic virus - Nature Biotechnology
Nature Biotechnology - FDA approves oncolytic virus
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Nature Biotechnology @natbiotech.nature.com · 21/09/2026
A new generation of RNA therapies delivered by lipid nanoparticles takes aim at extrahepatic tissues www.nature.com/articles/s41... [🔓read free with login]
nature.com
Lipid nanoparticles chart path beyond the liver - Nature Biotechnology
A new generation of RNA therapies delivered by lipid nanoparticles takes aim at extrahepatic tissues.
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Martin Pacesa @martinpacesa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
ʙɪɴᴅᴄʀᴀꜰᴛ2 is out, and we're not waiting for the paper. The full code drops today, free for academic and industry use. We're releasing it early so you can start designing right now, and bring its full power to the current Adaptyv competition. github.com/PacesaLab/Bi...
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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 15/09/2026
Want to join Arc? We're hiring experts in disease bio, computational bio, functional genomics, and NGS for our Tech Centers, plus postdocs and research associates in our Core Labs. All roles are based in Palo Alto, and are on-site or hybrid. Learn more or apply here: lnkd.in/gyfgqR3n
arcinstitute.org
Jobs | Arc Institute
Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Come on @wellcometrust.bsky.social, why do you need to know this for a scientific grant application:
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Somehow missed this when it came out. Sounds interesting: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A viral-based individualized neoantigen vaccine as adjuvant treatment in resected head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a randomized Phase I trial - Nature Communications
Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have limited sensitivity to immunotherapies. The authors report the development of TG4050, a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus-based...
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Michael Baym @baym.lol · 13/09/2026
Ten years ago Tami, Roy, and I released a movie we made of antibiotic resistance evolving in real time. I thought maybe a couple thousand people tops would see it. I couldn't have imagined it would be seen millions of times, and be taught from middle school through the graduate level worldwide
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Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I made a presentation to other faculty about recent progress in general AI, to facilitate the discussion around the impact for research and teaching in biology. It could be that the slides are useful for others trying to do that same. Feel free to re-use. docs.google.com/presentation...
docs.google.com
generalAI_for research_intro.pptx
Recent AI developments and what they mean for us Quick primer on general AI models* State-of-the-art in AI agent capabilities AI agents in biology (examples) Discussion - what does this mean for our r...
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Watching a random episode of The West Wing as politics goes from bad to worse in reality
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Nozomu Yachie @nzmyachie.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to UMAP and other low-dimensional embeddings (at least in many single-cell analyses). We developed MILK to encode single-cell populations into tree representations at unprecedented scales. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Here’s what MILK is: 🧵
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Just in time for the 2026-2027 vaccines, a new review shows that COVID19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization across all age groups, including kids. Pregnant women were also protected, as were their babies. Don’t forget to schedule your vaccination!
jamanetwork.com
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety for the 2026-2027 Respiratory Season
This Special Communication aims to identify and summarize the most recently published evidence evaluating the effectiveness and safety of US-licensed COVID-19 vaccines and report on the epidemiology o...
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The more I read about the Hugging Face incident, the more worried I get. This is really spooky: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/t...
nytimes.com
Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I.
The attack by an aggressive “collective” of OpenAI agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves.
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Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Long COVID is not a mystery anymore. The field is finally moving from “What is happening?” to “How do we fix it?” 🧬 A must-read Nature feature on where the science is heading: www.nature.com/articles/d41... #LongCovid
nature.com
When do infections lead to long COVID? Scientists close in on triggers and treatments for post-viral syndromes
Hundreds of millions of people have long-term conditions as a result of an infection. Researchers are working out how to help them.
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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery @natrevdrugdiscov.nature.com · 03/09/2026
For readers interested in the opportunities and pitfalls for CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases, here's a recent comprehensive Review www.nature.com/articles/s41... rdcu.be/97VgTv2SaRTa
nature.com
Roads and detours for CAR T cell therapy in autoimmune diseases - Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Following on from its success in eradicating malignant B cells in cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been extended to treat autoimmune diseases. This Review discusses the precl...
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European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 03/09/2026
📣 Good news! 📣 Results of the ERC 2026 Starting Grant call are out! Funding worth a total of €705 million will go to 421 early-career researchers across Europe. Discover who, what and where 👉 link.europa.eu/9M3MmN 🧪 #ERCStG #FrontierResearch #HorizonEurope 🇪🇺 @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Not sure if I find this mind-bogglingly surprising, but still interesting to see that this happens: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Functional chimeric mRNAs encode proteins in mammalian immunity - Nature
Inflammation induces interchromosomal DNA interactions that bring parent genes into close proximity, facilitating the formation of chimeric mRNAs that encode physiologically relevant, functional prote...
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Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Our paper is now published at @pnas.org! Fantastic follow-up from the @marlenecohen.bsky.social group. This story started 5 years ago when we first developed a novel monkey model of Alzheimer's based on Tau pathology (paper on the right). #Alzheimer
Paper at PNAS: Loss of neuronal population organization links pathologyto behavior in a model of Alzheimer’s diseaseFirst paper on the model published in 2021: A novel tau-based rhesus monkey model of Alzheimer's pathogenesis
Danielle Beckman, Paramita Chakrabarty, Sean Ott, Amanda Dao, Eric Zhou, William G. Janssen, Kristine Donis-Cox, Scott Muller, Jeffrey H. Kordower, John H. Morrison
First published: 18 March 2021
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Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
New RECOVER-VITAL trial: 15–25 days of Paxlovid did not improve #LongCOVID symptoms compared with placebo.☹️ An important negative trial, but it does not disprove viral persistence. It shows that prolonged antiviral treatment did not improve symptoms in this population.
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Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Had an amazing time in Amsterdam! Thank you to everyone who made the first @islc-pais.bsky.social meeting happen! So special to bring together scientists, physicians & patient advocates working hard for better science & treatments. And I even got a surprise award 🥹🏆 Grateful to be part of this. ❤️
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EMBL Australia @emblaustralia.org · 28/08/2026
Ready to take the next step in your research career? 👨‍🔬 We're seeking an outstanding researcher to establish an independent research program as an EMBL Australia Group Leader at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) @monashuniversity.bsky.social 🗓️ Apply by 2 October 🔗 bit.ly/4qHYtjb
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Nature Metabolism @natmetabolism.nature.com · 28/08/2026
dlvr.it
Multi-organ proteomic atlas of obesity regression in male mice
Nature Metabolism, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s42255-026-01599-5A multi-organ proteomics resource of diet-induced obesity and its regression in male mice, spanning 15 organs and 4 timepoints, highlights systemic changes as well as impairments in adipose tissue function even under weight loss conditions.
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Nature Metabolism @natmetabolism.nature.com · 28/08/2026
dlvr.it
A proteomic atlas of obesity and weight loss
Nature Metabolism, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s42255-026-01601-0By performing mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of 15 organs during progressive weight loss, Boel et al. have created a multi-organ atlas to interrogate the protein-level changes in response to obesity and weight loss in male mice.
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
great birthday present
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Kevin A. Scott, PhD @sculpturatus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
RAS-ON inhibitor is officially approved www.fda.gov/news-events/...
fda.gov
FDA Approves First in Class Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a RAS inhibitor for the most common form of pancreatic cancer—delivering a new treatment option to patients with advanced ...
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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Today, I would like to honor the memory of Roger Y. Tsien, who died on August 24, 2016. His legacy lives with all who use his technologies, including calcium sensors, fluorescent proteins, the acetoxymethyl (AM) ester, & many more! #FluorescenceFriday www.nature.com/articles/nme...
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Julia Carnevale @juliacarnevale.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Very excited to share my lab's first major paper, led by postdoc Qi Liu @gladstoneinst.bsky.social @ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social executing the first ever genome-wide in vivo screens for genetic modifications to enhance human T cell therapies for solid tumors. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
In vivo genome-wide CRISPR screens of human T cells in solid tumours - Nature
An in vivo model that is able to recover human T cells from solid tumours can identify targets to help improve CAR T cell antitumour activity.
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Erdinc Sezgin @sciezgin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
New paper alert 💥 "Spectral biophysical cytometry with nanosensors reveals remodelling of immune cells in atherosclerosis" Open access paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Spectral biophysical cytometry with nanosensors reveals remodelling of immune cells in atherosclerosis - Nature Nanotechnology
Membrane-permeant, environment-sensitive nanosensors enable high-throughput, multiparametric quantification of membrane order and mitochondrial potential, revealing immune-cell-specific remodelling an...
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Jake Yeston @jakeyeston.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
We are hiring a new physics/photonics editor at @science.org — please spread the word! recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...
recruiting.ultipro.com
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Nature Biotechnology @natbiotech.nature.com · 11/08/2026
Non-invasive nanoparticle barcoding in nonhuman primates - @gtresearch.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Non-invasive nanoparticle barcoding in nonhuman primates - Nature Biotechnology
Simultaneous delivery of several lipid nanoparticles is quantified using snapCodes in a single nonhuman primate.
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
wow, I swore that I wouldn't comment on politics here, but this level of corruption is just too much: www.npr.org/2026/08/01/n...
npr.org
For sale: early access to Trump's Truth Social posts
The president's media company is offering investors early access to his Truth Social feed for up to $100,000 a month. Experts say the service may violate insider trading laws.
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Only 3 spots left ...
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
rain would be great sometime
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
cool!
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Nozomu Yachie @nzmyachie.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
We just posted a new preprint on a microRNA (miRNA)-responsive CRISPR guide RNA: the cuffed guide RNA (cgRNA).   Here’s what we did 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Jonathan Pritchard @jkpritch.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Must-know numbers in human genetics -- As many of you know, I'm writing a free online textbook in human genetics. In this blog post I cover a key skill for genome scientists from that book: how to use mental math to figure out key genome properties. jkpritchard.substack.com/p/on-fermi-p...
jkpritchard.substack.com
On Fermi Problems in Human Genetics
and some very useful numbers about human genomes to get you started!
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
😮
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 06/08/2026
Here's a new kind of virus that scientists have generated with AI. And here's my story about what it means for us to have gotten to this remarkable moment: nyti.ms/4bBhoWB (Gift link) 🧪
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Ewerslab @ewerslab.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Bas and I talked to @focalplane.bsky.social about left-handed DNA-PAINT and Bas recent work to improve it further. No more artifacts due to background binding to one of the >20‘000 binding sites each imager nonamer would have in the genome!
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Barbara Marte @barbmarte.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
new out in @nature www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A tumour-derived organoid biobank maps cancer gene dependencies - Nature
A clinically annotated multi-omic organoid resource with matched tumour samples from 256 patients across 5 cancers maps gene dependencies, reveals subtype-specific vulnerabilities and uncovers treatme...
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Markus Elsner @markuselsner.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Join us in Munich to learn how to do 3D imagine analysis. Shout out to @klaus-tschira-stiftung.de for supporting this!
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Eugene Vinitsky 🍒 @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Fantastic paper demonstrating how LLM editing is gradually distorting our writing and the way we think to write: arxiv.org/abs/2603.18161
arxiv.org
How LLMs Distort Our Written Language
Large language models (LLMs) are used by over a billion people globally, most often to assist with writing. In this work, we demonstrate that LLMs not only alter the voice and tone of human writing, b...
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pen(Taka) @iwatobipen.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Run Openfold3 on my laptop machine #openfold3 #co-folding #informatics Recently several co-folding AI are available, for example AF3, Chai-1, protenix and openfold. This area is hot and growing day by day. Co-Folding AI has potential for taking SBDD approach without determining the target…
iwatobipen.wordpress.com
Run Openfold3 on my laptop machine #openfold3 #co-folding #informatics
Recently several co-folding AI are available, for example AF3, Chai-1, protenix and openfold. This area is hot and growing day by day. Co-Folding AI has potential for taking SBDD approach without determining the target protein-ligand structure. As most of readers know that there are still limitation of using co-folding AI for SBDD but really useful I think. I have an interest in openfold because openfold disclose code and has good open scientific community.
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European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 01/08/2026
Japan has now joined Horizon Europe. Japan’s researchers can now partner with teams across the EU. Together, we will advance global research in health, digital technologies, and climate neutrality ↓ link.europa.eu/YP7MtB
Visual featuring Mount Fuji framed by pink cherry blossoms. At the centre are the overlapping flags of the European Union and Japan, with the text "EU-JAPAN HORIZON EUROPE" overlaid below.
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