iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@elinnjohansson.bsky.social's latest paper is now online in Neuro-Oncology Pediatrics: ACVR1 mutations are shared by DMG and the bone disorder FOP, where hypoxia drives disease. Turns out hypoxia signaling is up in ACVR1-mutant pediatric gliomas too. Open access here: doi.org/10.1093/neup...

doi.org

Hypoxia signaling is elevated downstream of mutant ACVR1 in pediatric high-grade glioma

AbstractBackground. Pediatric diffuse midline gliomas (pDMG) are lethal tumors, with approximately 80% harboring a lysine-to-methionine mutation in histone

021

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Pereira Lab @cellreprolab.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

🔬 Lund University (@lund-university.bsky.social) is hiring 3 Assistant Professors in cancer immunotherapy, immunotechnology & immune cell engineering! ✅ Start-up package | tenure track | world-class infrastructure 📅 Deadlines: 26 May & 10 June 2026 🎥 youtu.be/z-PQU9qknZc Apply links 👇

youtu.be

Lund University programme for excellence – three positions within Immunotherapy

YouTube video by Lund University

122

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Kristian Pietras lab @kpietraslab.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Lund University is recruiting a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Experimental Cancer Immunotherapy, and we want the best in the world to apply 🫵 The position comes with a clear path to tenure and an attractive start-up package. Apply or share with outstanding candidates by 10. June. 🔗 in replies

132

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Jessica Pantaleo @jessicapantaleo.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

New paper out from the @kpietraslab.bsky.social lab. I am happy to share that my first-author paper is now published. We map the spatial and temporal dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer using integrated spatial proteomics and transcriptomics. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.com

Spatial and temporal dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblast niches in breast cancer - Breast Cancer Research

Breast Cancer Research - Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main constituents of the tumor microenvironment. Several studies have delineated CAF heterogeneity in different types of...

0206

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Kristian Pietras lab @kpietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Check this out👇 Our neighbors @pietraslab.bsky.social has just published a new preprint detailing high-resolution profiling of the irradiated GBM microenvironment. ❄️Cool reading for the holidays❄️ Thanks for including us!

082

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Thanks to collaborators @kpietraslab.bsky.social, @jonssonmelanomalab.bsky.social and @erc.europa.eu, Swedish Cancer Society, @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social, Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, and Mrs. Berta Kamprad's Cancer Foundation (L2CancerBridge) for funding!

020

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Targeting reactive astrocyte-like states or their intercellular signaling may represent a strategy to disrupt GBM recurrence after radiotherapy.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

This convergence suggests a new angle on radioresistance: not just intrinsic tumor cell survival, but injury-response states shared across the TME.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Reactive astrocyte programs converge in both astrocytes and tumor cells after radiotherapy, potentially creating a permissive niche for GBM recurrence.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

These reactive astrocyte-like tumor cells engage in receptor–ligand crosstalk with reactive astrocytes, involving known and putative drivers of aggressiveness and therapy resistance.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

After radiotherapy, tumor cells with reactive astrocyte-like programs - enriched for mesenchymal and injury-response signatures - expand and persist in recurrent tumors.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

We found that astrocyte states track with disease stage. We observed reactive non-neoplastic astrocytes as well as tumor cells that adopt reactive astrocyte-like phenotypes.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Across 13 non-neoplastic cell types and 10 tumor cell states, we mapped transcriptional changes during progression from healthy brain → primary GBM → recurrent GBM.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

To dissect this, we used a genetically engineered mouse model of GBM and profiled healthy brain, primary tumors, and post-radiotherapy recurrences using single-cell + spatial transcriptomics and IHC.

100

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Growing evidence suggests radiotherapy doesn’t just affect tumor cells, it reshapes the tumor microenvironment (TME) in ways that may support recurrence.

100

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Kristian Pietras lab @kpietraslab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

New paper alert 🚨 We are delighted to present our latest paper in @natcomms.nature.com through fabulous work from co-first authors Sebastian Braun and Paulina Bolivar! Big thanks to all expert collaborators for taking this long journey with us! Tweetorial in comments 🧵 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Pericytes orchestrate a tumor-restraining microenvironment in glioblastoma - Nature Communications

Improved understanding of the tumor ecosystem in glioblastoma is critical for developing new treatment strategies for the disease. Here, the authors identify pericytes as an active paracrine signaling...

1166

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Really excited to see this new paper from our friends & neighbors in the other Pietras lab @kpietraslab.bsky.social, uncovering surprising (?) roles of pericytes in the GBM microenvironment. Congrats all, and thanks for including us! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Pericytes orchestrate a tumor-restraining microenvironment in glioblastoma - Nature Communications

062

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Marcus Ruscetti Lab @marcus-ruscetti.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

How can senescent cells, which are damaged and growth arrested, both block tumor initiation as well as fuel its growth? A recent study published in Cancer Discovery @aacrjournals.bsky.social from Lin Zhou in the lab uncovered some new insights into this puzzle. aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscov...

aacrjournals.org

P21-positive senescent stromal cells promote prostate cancer immune suppression and progression that can be reversed by senolytic therapy

Abstract. Cellular senescence is a well-established tumor-suppressive cell cycle arrest program. However, chronic inflammation through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) can alternat...

1174

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Had a blast hosting the Brain Tumor Plasticity symposium at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences this week! Here's @leilaakkari.bsky.social with an outstanding talk on the evolving brain tumor microenvironment 🤩

2100

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Monica Olcina @m-olcina.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Thrilled to share our latest work - we describe a novel and therapeutically relevant mechanism underlying dysregulation of innate immune receptor C5aR1 in the tumour microenvironment. Thanks and congratulations to all authors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

073

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

LizdelaGarzaG @lizdelagarzag.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

To this day, even the strongest treatments fail when the brain’s own healing turns against it. Flunarizine, a migraine drug, may help stop astrocytes from nurturing #glioblastoma back to life. Read ⤵️

031

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

bioRxiv Cancer Bio @biorxiv-cancer.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Phenotypic Screening Identifies Flunarizine as an Inhibitor of Radiotherapy-Induced Astrocyte Reactivity with Therapeutic Potential in Glioblastoma www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…

041

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

…the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, Ollie & Elof Ericssons foundation, the Crafoord foundation, the Swedish Brain Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund, Stiftelsen Cancera, @embo.org, and the Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller.

131

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

This work was spearheaded by Pauline Jeannot with crucial contributions from collaborators @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social @lundstem.bsky.social @ahleniuslab.bsky.social , and supported by @erc.europa.eu, Mrs. Berta Kamprad's Cancer Foundation, the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation…

130

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Our findings position Flunarizine as a clinically viable repurposed drug to target RT-induced astrocyte reactivity, delaying recurrence in preclinical models.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Importantly, Flunarizine showed no direct cytotoxicity to tumor cells, emphasizing its unique action on the microenvironment rather than the cancer cells themselves.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

In preclinical mouse models, combining Flunarizine with RT significantly prolonged survival, reduced fibrosis, and mitigated astrocyte reactivity, specifically targeting the irradiated microenvironment.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Mechanistically, Flunarizine reduced astrocytic activation of TGF-β signaling—a key driver of fibrosis—without directly harming GBM cells.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Flunarizine, an existing migraine medication, emerged as a potent inhibitor of RT-induced astrocyte reactivity, working effectively in vitro and in vivo.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

We developed a novel, automated, image-based assay to quantify astrocyte reactivity in human astrocytes and iPSC-derived astrocytes, and screened >1,700 small molecule compounds.

110

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Our goal: Identify compounds that selectively block astrocyte reactivity triggered by radiotherapy, potentially delaying GBM recurrence.

120

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Reactive astrocytes can initially protect brain tissue but, when chronically activated (as seen after radiation), they alter the microenvironment by promoting fibrosis and inflammation.

120

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

GBM remains one of the deadliest cancers due to inevitable recurrence after standard treatments, including radiotherapy (RT). We believe that microenvironmental adaptations to RT, including astrocyte reactivity, fosters a tumor-supportive environment.

120

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

🌍 Join us in a supportive, international lab within a vibrant cancer research hub! Strong local bioinformatics community + a high quality of life in the Malmö/Lund region. Great science, great people, great place to live. 💻🧬🏡

022

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Silvia Remeseiro Lab @remeseiro-lab.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

📣 New pre-print from the lab: 👉 “Gene regulatory networks linked to GABA signalling emerge as relevant for glioblastoma pathogenesis” #Glioblastoma #GB #GRNs #multiomics #GABA #CancerNeuroscience #ML #GBM 📝 Read the #BioRxiv here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

2319

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

🚨 We’re hiring a bioinformatics-focused PhD student for our ERC-funded project on recurrent GBM! Focus: tumor-supportive microenvironment 🔬 Experience with scRNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics & Python/R a plus. Must be self-motivated & driven. DM for details! Repost=❤️ lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

lu.varbi.com

Doctoral Student in Tumor Biology

Description of the workplace The research group conducts experimental research on brain tumors and is led by Associate Professor Alexander Pietras. The group consists of a bioinformatician, two postdo

11411

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

022

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

lu.varbi.com

Doctoral Student in Tumor Biology

11411

Alexander Pietras Lab @pietraslab.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Just a few spots left for this exciting symposium on brain tumor plasticity—grab yours (free of charge!) before they're gone! 🚨

032

Reposted by Alexander Pietras Lab

Ulvmar lab @ulvmarlab.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

👋We have 2 amazing projects: A) basic molecular regulation of the LN lymphatic vasculature & B) lymphatic metastasis with new models & human samples describing completely new phenomena - both projects with solid preliminary data to build on. Open for interested postdoctoral scientists 📩

001