Sign in

Meera Sundaram

@meera-sundaram.bsky.social
1.3K followers 499 following 292 posts

Worms, Tubes, Matrix. In Philly #Celegans #aECM Editor at GENETICS

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Excellent summary of two preprints showing how extra-embryonic apical ECM ( #aECM ) shapes development. Maybe this will finally connect the roles of the zona pellucida (ZP) protein family in fertilization with its roles in tissue morphogenesis! @jovinelab.org @meera-sundaram.bsky.social
163
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 14h
In trying to track down Jonathan Hodgkin's Wormbreeders Gazette masterpiece "A modest Proposal" (still not found I did find this related gem by @wyomingwormboy.bsky.social helpimascientist.com/wp-content/u...
Names Given to Children of C. elegans Scientists
Will Now Require Jonathan Hodgkin’s Approval
(Oxford UK). In a move widely viewed as a gross
overreach on the part of the C. elegans Genetics
Center and WormBase, Jonathan Hodgkin has been
authorized to oversee the naming of all human
progeny spawned by C. elegans researchers. The
apparent last-minute power grab follows in the wake
of the announcement that Tim Schedl of Washington
University will soon be taking over for Hodgkin.
AlthoughAlthough initial reports suggested that all children would be categorized by
three- or four-letter names, followed by a number, recent statements from
Hodgkin suggest at least some degree of flexibility. “We’re not trying to
dictate everything,” said a conciliatory Hodgkin, “however, basic standards
must be maintained for the sake of the field.” “For example,” he continued,
“this practice of christening all of one’s offspring with the same first letter,
like ‘Kylee’, ‘Kaleb’ and ‘Kirsten’, simply must stop.” “Also,” added a visibly
frustrated Hodgkin, “enough of the weird spellings for common names
already. There is no bloody ‘y’ in Alex. The pillars of our field all have boring
traditional names like Bob, Barbara, John, Sydney, Judy, and Marty. It didn’t
stop them from distinguishing themselves, did it?” “It’s what’s on the inside
that counts,” went on Hodgkin, forcing a smile and speaking more calmly.
“But if you’re thinking of naming your daughter McKayla or Micalya or some
such nonsense, think again. Maybe that’s okay for a Drosophila geneticist, but
not in my house and not on my watch dammit!”
0113
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 16h
Autumn fungi! This one is phenocopying an insect
161
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Last call for Boston-area grad students & postdocs. We are hosting a one-day #scicomm & public engagement workshop on Tuesday, Oct 20. This is made possible by faculty sponsors at Brown & Harvard, and will be hosted at MIT. Application closes Friday - apply ASAP at bit.ly/ENGAGE-Bosto...
Promotional flyer. 
Text says "SOLVING FOR SCIENCE Presents: ENGAGE WORKSHOP FOR TRAINEES
Join us for an intensive 1-day workshop and ongoing community of practice on science communication designed to help scientists become more ambitious, strategic, and efficient in their public engagement.
October 20th, 2026 8:30AM - 4:30PM
FOOD AND COFFEE PROVIDED!
MIT Hacker Reactor
292 Main St | MIT Building E38
7* Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
01617
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Maureen Barr @barrlab.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
The Hobert lab (Chien-Po Liao and Hongzhu Ji) created yet another tool/resource for the C. elegans community! Super useful to study sexual dimorphisms in the nervous system and in animal physiology. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Genome-engineered C. elegans strains with sex-transformed neurons and gut
The sexual identity of specific tissues can be altered through cell-autonomous manipulation of the sex determination pathway in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . Previously described sexually mosa...
0135
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Please find 5 minutes today to draft your response to this drastic change in NIH Peer review. The deadline is October 13. I pasted my own response below as an example--please share widely 🧪
I am an NIH-funded scientist who has run a lab for 34 years.  I have served on literally dozens of NIH peer-review study sections, most recently this past June.  I also have served in Council for both NIGMS and for CSR.  I thus am very familiar with the current review process from both the prospective of an applicant and a reviewer.  I strongly oppose the proposed changes.  While NIH peer review is not perfect, it is the best system thus far devised, and is the envy of colleagues in other countries. Three experts in the field spend hours reviewing each proposal, using their knowledge of important issues to rank proposals by signficance, feasibility and impact.  Then they present their opinions to a panel of 20 or more expert sin the broader field, and a spirited discussion ensues.  Thus each proposal is put through  very stringent process, and the resulting ranking has substantial value in times when funding is limited.  Having review many times, I know that the proposed binning would provide equal "scores" to proposals that were greet with substanailly different degrees of enthusiasm.  Further, grants binned just bowl and just above the 25% cutoff would be subsequently viewed as if the enthusiasm for them quite divergent, certainly not an accurate summary.  The current fine-grained system avoids these issues.  Removing it will  make the task of NIH Program officers more difficult.   Binning also allows non-scientific issues to take on disproportionate weight in funding, an issue that will be accentuated if political appointees are making the ultimate decisions.  Please retain the current system.
23229
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Javier Irazoqui @javierira.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This is a BIG DEAL Large transgene arrays cause aberrant transcription and synthetic molting defects - PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42837616/
001
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Brian Kelley @briankelleynj.com · 05/10/2026
Demolition of the building that once housed the infamous/legendary City Gardens in Trenton, N.J., is scheduled to begin Tuesday... www.trentonian.com/2026/10/05/s...
trentonian.com
Saying goodbye to Trenton’s legendary music venue, City Gardens [PHOTOS]
The legendary underground music venue opened at 1701 Calhoun St. in 1979 and hosted an estimated 4,000 bands before ending a 15-year run
011
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Pujol lab @pujol-lab.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
👉 4th aECM club TODAY 10 am NYC-4 pm Paris #aECM aECM Development and Evolution Bernard Moussian IRNA chitin matrix and cuticle lipids Gavin Rice Kansas State U aECM and cell shaping Cheng-Ming Chuong USC feather development and evolution @keck.usc.edu 👉 join our Slack forms.gle/Y6UjbnXPH1pD...
201
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
An extraordinary exploration of the extracellular environment In This Editorial, @amjeve.uk, @hugheslabpenn.bsky.social & @rashmi-priya.bsky.social summarise the contents of our Special Issue #DevSIextracellular. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Screenshot of the Editorial 'An extraordinary exploration of the extracellular environment'
063
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Our Special Issue on the Extracellular Environment is now complete! #DevSIextracellular. Guest-edited by @hugheslabpenn.bsky.social & @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, it contains 34 articles in total. Explore more here: tinyurl.com/bdr4ymvr
Special Issue

The Extracellular Environment in Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells

Edited by Alex Hughes and Rashmi Priya
1106
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Apical extracellular matrix development Read this Spotlight from our special issue #DevSIextracellular by Maxwell Heiman @heiman.bsky.social and Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Composite figure showing the diversity of apical extracellular matrices (aECM) across animals. Arthropod examples include a butterfly wing and electron micrographs of butterfly scales, crab cuticle, and layered spider cuticle. Drosophila examples show sensory structures, olfactory nanopores, tracheal cuticle, and larval denticles. Vertebrate examples include crocodile scales, a bird feather, hamster zona pellucida fibrils, and cracked elephant skin, illustrating wide variation in aECM structure and function.
063
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Imperial moth fifth instar? Gigantic!
010
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For those in the mood for some seriously well-done gallows humor, I heartily recommend this... inpreparation.substack.com/p/nih-simpli...
inpreparation.substack.com
NIH Simplifies Grant Scoring To 👍 🤷‍♂️ 😂
BETHESDA, MD—The National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday that it would replace its 50-year-old numerical scoring system with a streamlined three-emoji format, in which grant applications will ...
711440
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Koen Van Dijck @koekoeksjong68.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
318930
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Tobias Warnecke @tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Who needs chromatin anyway...? NOT THIS GUY! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
biorxiv.org
Chromatin is dispensable for bacterial life
Inside cells, DNA is intimately associated with proteins, forming chromatin. The protein constituents of chromatin vary across the tree of life: histones are the principal building blocks of chromatin...
3231104
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Calling all #aECM fans (cuticle, glycocalyx, mucus, cell wall, biofilm!) - please sign up and share with colleagues working in this area!
000
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
aECM Club sign-up: forms.gle/DDJUxGLkcSRb... **New this year - trainee-only aECM journal club to discuss papers from the upcoming session, with the goal of helping trainees build their peer network and become more confident asking questions of speakers the next day. Please join!
forms.gle
aECM Club 2026-27
Dear aECM researchers, Thank you for your interest in aECM Club! Feel free to forward this brief survey to any colleagues and trainees who may be interested.
002
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Finally, we outline some of the enormous future potential for aECM research, from drug delivery to microbiome engineering, emphasizing that "we firmly believe – and history has demonstrated – that the path to medical and societal impact starts from basic insights, often in model systems."
101
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
‧ "Landing pads" - the idea that fixed sites built into aECM capture diffusible factors secreted by far-away cells or tissues or at later times. ‧ "Transient aECM" - the idea (from work by @meera-sundaram.bsky.social) that early, transient components are key to patterning later, stable components.
101
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
We also discuss concepts that have been a focus of aECM Club discussions: ‧ "Self assembly" - the idea that apparently complex aECM patterning can emerge from simple biophysical processes ‧ "3D printing" - the idea that aECM is patterned in successive layers, one at a time.
101
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
‧ aECM is not homogenous within a tissue, but rather has discrete local structures down to the nanoscale. ‧ aECM is also not constant over time, but rather undergoes dynamic turnover and programmed cycles of renewal.
101
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Key points we highlight: ‧ aECM is the interface between an organism and its environment ‧ aECM differs from basal matrix in its proteins, glycans, lipids, and more. ‧ aECM is highly diverse and specialized in its form and function, from hoofs and scales to mucus and lung surfactant.
101
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social and I summarized key ideas and open questions from Season One of aECM Club in this Spotlight, now out in Development @dev-journal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1242/dev.... Many thanks to Alex Eve @amjeve.uk for editorial guidance and contributions!
doi.org
Apical extracellular matrix development
Summary: This Spotlight highlights the blossoming field of apical extracellular matrix development, discussing emerging ideas from a growing community of researchers.
188
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
For the last year, aECM Club seminars have brought together researchers working on apical ECM in diverse species and tissues - yeast cell wall, C. elegans cuticle, Drosophila lens, mammalian inner ear and pancreatic lumen, and many others. Sign up for 2026-27: forms.gle/DDJUxGLkcSRb...
forms.gle
aECM Club 2026-27
Dear aECM researchers, Thank you for your interest in aECM Club! Feel free to forward this brief survey to any colleagues and trainees who may be interested.
157
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Structural color can be so dazzling, and it's one of those cases where the physics of the very small (Bragg gratings) produces changes detectable as animal coloration.
0464
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
billypenn.com/2026/07/30/a...
billypenn.com
Beyond the President’s House: How to explore Black history in Philly
There is lots of African American history in Philly – here is where you can find it
000
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Fun fact about avocados!
010
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Alejandro Montenegro @aemonten.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
"We show here that the protein sequence is insufficient for the biogenesis of fully active IDR-containing transcriptional regulators in cells, suggesting that mRNA 3′ UTRs control their activity by preventing co-translational misfolding" doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
1157
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Another damning admission on the Trump administration’s weaponization of government: the administration terminated grants of perceived political enemies. We all knew this was happening, but the admission and documentation in court is validating. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
14023
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Andy Vaughan @vaughandy.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Thank God! Also the fact that not giving the government a list of Jewish people at Penn was something we had to fight for is crazy??? What a world. Huge props to @aaup-penn.bsky.social and the ACLU and associated groups for taking on this fight. www.inquirer.com/education/up...
inquirer.com
Trump administration drops its subpoena seeking names of Jewish people at Penn
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also agreed not to seek the information in the subpoena in alternative ways.
084
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
bioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Conformational dynamics of exopolysaccharides underlie biofilm matrix mechanics in Vibrio cholerae www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
021
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
For neuroscience PhDs with a strong interest in teaching and mentoring: MIT is hiring a scientific program manager to support activities around a new NIH neuroscience PhD training grant. Salary range $91k - $129k #NeuroJobs careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/cl...
careers.peopleclick.com
Scientific Program Manager
MIT - Scientific Program Manager - Cambridge MA 02139
01319
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 22/07/2026
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality last week cut dozens of grants, affecting multiple programs at Penn and CHOP. 🔗 www.inquirer.com/health/cho...
0157
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Can Alphafold help predict protein-protein interactions in the #aECM? Our initial results seem promising! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A Lipocalin and a Hedgehog-related protein are partners in the C. elegans pre-cuticle apical extracellular matrix
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) line exposed body surfaces to shape tissues and protect them from the environment. These aECMs often organize into complex patterns and structures, but how such m...
0103
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Oh come on! @heiman.bsky.social @pujol-lab.bsky.social @gotworms.bsky.social we’ve been dissed (all but dismissed!)
160
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Reviewer #2:
Screenshot of the Spelling Bee game saying that LUMENAL is not a word.
271
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
The Meshwork @themeshwork.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
A special newsletter is here🏳️‍🌈🌺 🌈Pieces on Pride, Inclusion and Belonging in academia by our K. Kyriakopoulou and E. Gutseit 🏆 #MBE2026 recap / 1st Meshwork award 🔬 Spotlight on Lorena Alvarez 🧬 Latest publications + event updates For the full issue: themeshwork2020.wixsite.com/info/ecm-ini...
042
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Abraham Gutman @abgutman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Park rangers fined Sandra Shachar for vandalism this morning at the President’s House, hours after the Trump admin installed its version of history. The 72 year old has been posting news articles on the site’s walls since the slavery exhibit was removed. If she does it again, she’ll be arrested.
40994398
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Abraham Gutman @abgutman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
🚨BREAKING: President Trump’s administration installed overnight a new exhibit at the site of George Washington’s Philadelphia home instead of the memorial to the 9 people kept in bondage at the nation’s first White House. National Park Service dismantled the original slavery exhibit in January. 🎁 🔗
share.inquirer.com
Slavery exhibits at the President’s House have been swapped for the Trump administration’s version
The change at the President's House happened overnight, allowing the government to switch out the displays and shutdown the television screens while avoiding public scrutiny during the takedown.
18491327
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
bioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
A Male Expressed Copulatory Plug Increases Female Fertility in Caenorhabditis Nematodes www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
011
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Pujol lab @pujol-lab.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
getting ready for #EWM26 ceneuroeuro2026.sciencesconf.org/resource/pag...
042
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
well put! "...while Development's IF is modest, researchers in our field trust papers published in our journal as interesting, valuable and robust science that stands the test of time... It is our Academic Editors and the Development name that define our standards, not a number."
1197
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Caroline Bartman @cbartman.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Just passed the most existential door
Door says “not an entrance, not an exit”
50887183
Meera Sundaram @meera-sundaram.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Another reason to support your non-profit society journals!
095
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Ishmail Abdus-Saboor @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Great visit back to UPenn today for distinguished lecture series. Saw so many old friends and mentors. Doing your PhD and postdoc at the same school also means you can go to dinner with your grad school advisor (Meera Sundaram) and postdoc advisor (Wenqin Luo).
1252
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
There is a straightforward mechanism for the public to comment. Former NIH program office Elizabeth Ginexi has written an exceptionally helpful guide on how to so, with detailed suggestions. 3/n elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-ne...
elizabethginexi.substack.com
What We Need to do NEXT: OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB-2026-0034)
What OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule Means in Practice
18364
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Russell Vought, Director of the OMB, has issued a set of proposed changes that would dramatically alter federal grant funding. However, we can each take action to prevent these from taking effect. Here's how, a 🧵 🧪 1/n www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
White House seeks to tighten political oversight of grantmaking
Sweeping proposed rule, now open for comments, would also restrict foreign collaborations and remove federal funding for open-access fees
4192167
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
C. Brandon Ogbunu @cbo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
The current moment is one of the most consequential for science since World War II. Join us this afternoon. I have the privilege of moderating the panel that follows.
1116
Reposted by Meera Sundaram
National Academy of Sciences @nasonline.org · 02/06/2026
TODAY at 3 pm ET, don't miss NAS President Marcia McNutt deliver the third annual #StateoftheScience address, where she will explore the status of the U.S. research enterprise, global science leadership, and economic competitiveness. Join here: www.nationalacademies.org/events/1133
276