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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA

@schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social
93 followers 30 following 61 posts

We develop tools for imaging cellular spatiotemporal regulation of metabolism in the Department of Chem & Biochem @ UCLA

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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The final version of our paper describing the development of iGlo, a glutamine biosensor, is now available. All plasmids are on Addgene! pubs.rsc.org/cb/article/d...
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
We ended with a group photo and some lab members sang "Happy Birthday" to the lab. We're four! This was a really fun day with a lot of great development and team bonding. Now we're off to watch the USMNT!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Finally, Superlatives were awarded! This was the first year we did superlatives, all voted on by lab members. This was a lot of fun and something we will keep doing.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Our last workshop on the day was about scientific writing. We got some tips on writing, and spent some time thinking about how to re-structure a paragraph of our own writing.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
After lunch, postdoc Cindy led a workshop on developing a 10 min talk. This resulted in a lot of thinking about what the most important information is for everyone's projects.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Then, we had In N Out and watched the World Cup!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Next, we did a goal setting workshop. This year, everyone was asked to research their star sign and find characteristics of their star sign that most vibed with them to help them accomplish a major goal. This resulted in fun conversation and got everyone thinking about their goals and personality.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Then, we had a communications style workshop. Everyone did a styles inventory and discussed in small groups and larger groups their communication style and how they can leverage their style for better collaborations.
A Coachella-themed slide that says communication styles.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
First, we had the State of the Lab, where we discussed funding, fellowships, and papers. It's always a good review of where we are financially and academically.
A slide of all the recent Schmitt Lab papers and preprints.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Today was the 3rd Annual Schmitt Lab Professional Development Day! Here's what we did...🧵
A sign reserving the room for the day.A Coachella-themed flyer for the day.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
🎉 Congrats to Jack, a doctoral candidate in the lab, who received a Dissertation Year Award! This fellowship will support the last year of Jack's PhD. Congratulations! 🎉 www.chemistry.ucla.edu/news/congrat...
chemistry.ucla.edu
Congratulations to this year’s Dissertation Year Award recipients – UCLA
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Congrats to Katarina, who presented her work on developing Meteor at the recent Chemical Biology in the Greater Los Angeles Area Meeting and won a poster prize!
Katarina posing in front of her poster.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Congrats to Michael, the newest PhD Candidate in the Schmitt Lab!! 🎉🥳
A Polaroid photo of Michael, holding a bottle of sparkling lemonade.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Our efforts to engineer Meteor are led by amazing grad student Katarina, with assistance by Arnav, Megan, and Naia, and in vivo imaging was done in collaboration with Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria and his postdoc Gilbert at USC. It’s always fun when we can collaborate with our friends across town!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
☄️New biosensor!☄️ We present Meteor, our GFP-based methionine optical reporter, which can be used to measure methionine dynamics across scales, from subcellular to organisms like C elegans! Plasmids will be deposited with Addgene. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Revealing the spatiotemporal dynamics of methionine metabolism with a genetically encoded single-fluorophore biosensor
Methionine is an essential amino acid, used for protein synthesis, redox homeostasis, and methylation reactions throughout the cell. However, the compartmentalized dynamics of methionine have remained...
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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Today I received a departmental award for excellence in inclusion & mentoring! It really means a lot to me to receive this award, and that all my efforts to be an effective mentor to my trainees, at UCLA, and beyond are recognized. Thank you so much to my lab members who nominated me for this award.
Danielle standing next to Osvaldo Gutierrez, both recipients of departmental awards for excellence in inclusion and mentoring.
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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
📚New review! Led by our amazing post-bac Arnav, we have put together a history of AMPK biosensors & highlighted some cool use cases! We hope this review will help broaden the adoption of biosensors in the field & increase our understanding of dynamic AMPK activity. portlandpress.com/biochemj/art...
portlandpress.com
Illuminating compartmentalized AMPK signaling in single cells
Abstract. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a crucial regulator of cellular energy balance, affecting numerous downstream targets across various subcellular locations. Under cellular energy stres...
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
🍾 Congrats to @charlotteek.bsky.social the 7th graduate student to advance to candidacy in the Schmitt Lab! Charlotte passed with flying colors!
Polaroid picture of Charlotte with a bottle of champagne in front of a sign that says “PhD Candidate”. A series of Polaroid photos of graduate students in the Schmitt Lab who have advanced to candidacy.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
✨New Review✨ Coordinated by Mia Sung, we contributed to a new review about non-invasive imaging of single cell dynamics! Written by leaders in the field, this comprehensive review discusses how we can measure single cell dynamics, with a section on metabolite biosensors. www.cell.com/trends/cell-...
cell.com
Noninvasive methods to monitor dynamic single-cell events
Adaptations to changing environments manifest in various cellular activities across multiple timescales, where single-cell responses can occur asynchronously between individual cells. Hence, accurate ...
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The Schmitt Lab is at ASBMB! Check out our posters over the next few days!
Members of the Schmitt Lab in front of an ASBMB 26 sign.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The Schmitt Lab will be at ASBMB 2026! Check out our posters and learn about what the Schmitt Lab has been up to!
A flyer advertising Schmitt Lab posters at ASBMB 2026 on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
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Addgene @addgene.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
🎇PINK1-SPARK: A phase separation-based biosensor for PINK1 activity! Find the plasmids here: www.addgene.org/browse/artic...
addgene.org
Addgene: Visualizing PINK1 Activity Dynamics in Single Cells with a Phase Separation-Based Kinase Activity Reporter.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Today our paper reporting on our new PINK1 biosensor is out! We are very excited about the future use of this tool to study PINK1 biology. Plasmids are available on Addgene & we are preparing a protocol paper. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Visualizing PINK1 Activity Dynamics in Single Cells with a Phase Separation-Based Kinase Activity Reporter
Phosphatase and tensin homologue-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays roles in mitophagy, cell death, and regulation of cellular bioenergetics. Current approaches for study...
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
We are depositing plasmids with @addgene.bsky.social and will update when plasmids are available!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
This is the work of the Gln Dream Team™️ led by Jack, with Michael & Sid. Many thanks to Teagan, Katie, & Tiffany for their help with/ iGlo, and our amazing collaborators @tarateslaa.bsky.social (w/ Eddy) & Ajit Divakaruni (w/ Nataly) for their help with metabolomics, respirometry & tracing!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
🌟New from the Schmitt Lab!🌟 We have developed a new cpEGFP-based biosensor for glutamine, iGlo. We use iGlo to measure gln uptake and the dynamics of gln production & use in cytoplasm & mito matrix. We also show the temporal crosstalk between gln & glucose metabolism. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Illuminating spatial dynamics of glutamine metabolism with a sensitive genetically encoded biosensor
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in serum, used as a key nutrient by cells for protein synthesis, energy production, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and cellular redox balance. The use of glutamine in the cell is highly compartmentalized, but the dynamics of glutamine metabolism across organelles and individual cells are not fully understood. To illuminate subcellular glutamine dynamics, we developed an intracellular glutamine optical reporter, iGlo. We find iGlo is sensitive and specific for glutamine and can be used to measure glutamine uptake, production, and consumption with high spatiotemporal resolution in multiple cell types. Furthermore, multiplexed imaging of iGlo with a lactate biosensor in single cells reveals temporal crosstalk between glucose and glutamine metabolism to maintain energy homeostasis. Thus, iGlo enables the sensitive and precise study of compartmentalized glutamine dynamics and represents a new and enhanced tool for studying the spatiotemporal dynamics and regulation of metabolism. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88, T32GM145388, P30CA016042, R35GM138003, DP2GM154012 United States Department of Energy, https://ror.org/01bj3aw27, DE-FC02-02ER63421 UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, https://ror.org/0599cs764, Strategic Plan Aligned Grant, Graduate Research Award Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States), https://ror.org/02qenvm24, MET-000000000151
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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Made it to Pacifichem and checked out posters with @jasonzxzhang.bsky.social! My talk on the Schmitt Lab’s recent biosensor work is on Wednesday!
Danielle and Jason standing behind a large sign that reads “Pacifichem 2025”
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
The Schmitt Lab will be at Pacifichem! Danielle is giving a talk on Wednesday, Dec 17 at 2:50 pm on our work developing amino acid biosensors in the afternoon session of “Genetically-Encoded and Chemigenetic Tools for Analysis and Control of Biological Systems” in the Honolulu Convention Center.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Happy Holidays from the Schmitt Lab
A photo card featuring all members of the Schmitt Lab outdoors that says "Happy Holidays From The Schmitt Lab".
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Tonight was the Annual Schmitt Lab Holiday Party! This year Kinase Subgroup cleaned up at charades. We are also big fans of the ThermoFisher Holiday Sweater.
Group photo of the Schmitt Lab
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Plasmids for PINK1-SPARK are now available on Addgene! Find them here: www.addgene.org/browse/artic...
addgene.org
Addgene: Visualizing PINK1 Activity Dynamics in Single Cells with a Phase Separation-Based Kinase Activity Reporter
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
This fantastic work, which highlights the utility of combining single cell imaging with ‘omics, was led by undergrads Kasey & Arnav, in collaboration with @doctorbou.bsky.social @tarateslaa.bsky.social. Special thanks to Alexia, Declan, Teagan, and Eddy for their help with ‘omics!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🔬New Preprint Alert 🔬 How is AMPK regulated by oxidative stress? We use functional imaging to uncover spatial regulation of AMPK activity during oxidative stress by LKB1 & CaMKK2. Combining imaging with proteomics & metabolomics, we find AMPK works to promote the cellular redox response.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Schmitt Lab Photo Day!
The Schmitt Lab peaking out from some columns with Danielle standing in the middle.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
This work is led by Katie, with her partner in PINK1 Alexia, with help from Michael, Anna, and Ethan. Congrats everyone!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
🎀 New from the lab 🎀 We used the SPARK design for kinase biosensors to develop a PINK1 biosensor, PINK1-SPARK. We used PINK1-SPARK to measure PINK1 activity in multiple cell types & when using HaloTag, for multiplexing! Plasmids coming soon, check out the preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Visualizing PINK1 Activity Dynamics in Single Cells with a Phase Separation-Based Kinase Activity Reporter
Phosphatase and tensin homologue-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays roles in mitophagy, cell death, and regulation of cellular bioenergetics. Current approaches for study...
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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
“It backfired,” said one senior administrator at UCLA, reflecting the sense of whiplash felt among many who were interviewed. “Within hours of announcing our settlement, the DOJ was on our back.” www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
Ivy League universities paid hundreds of millions to settle with Trump. Is UCLA next?
President Trump's higher education battle comes to the University of California. After the Department of Justice found that UCLA had violated Jewish students' civil rights, the administration froze hu...
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SD IRACDA @sd-iracda.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Science is foundational to the San Diego region. Cuts in federal funding will harm STEM training and education and threaten this foundation. Call your congress people and demand NO CUTS to science funding!
sandiegouniontribune.com
Opinion: Cuts in federal funding hammer STEM students and San Diego region
This year’s federal funding cuts are severely impacting STEM research and education, threatening the future of innovation and our nation’s health and technological advancement. These cuts hav…
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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
A story from LAist (local LA public radio) about the freezing of funds. I have had my grant frozen, so has nearly everyone else i know. laist.com/news/climate...
laist.com
UCLA tells researchers to 'immediately stop spending' after Trump administration freezes grant funds
The Trump administration cited alleged antisemitism at UCLA as a reason for suspending the funding. Years worth of research could be lost, one UCLA researcher said.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Then, we had a CV workshop to review the differences between a CV and resume, and critiqued some CVs. Then, it was time for cake to celebrate 3 years of the Schmitt Lab! We had a great day spending some time reflecting on our goals and learning some new skills and eating berry Chantilly cake.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Following lunch, we then had a workshop on how to use Illustrator, which is super helpful for all the manuscripts in preparation!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Then, we had a goal-setting workshop. This year, everyone was given the prompt, "What are your goals for the next year? How do you want to achieve these goals? Using graphics, pictures, words, etc to create your vision board." Everyone created vision boards and then shared their goals.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Today the Schmitt Lab had our 2nd Annual Professional Development Day! To start the day, we reviewed the State of the Lab, and discussed plans for current and future funding and publications. Next, we reviewed statistics and what the null hypothesis is.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
🎉Congrats Katarina, who passed her advancement to candidacy today! 🥳
Katarina sitting in front of a banner that says “PhD candidate”.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
🥳 Congrats Alexia, who has advanced to candidacy! Alexia did a wonderful job! 🍾
Alexia holding a bottle of prosecco.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Today at the @uclacb.bsky.social several members of the Schmitt Lab received awards for excellence in research and teaching. 🎉 Congrats, everyone! 🥳
Members of the Schmitt Lab holding their awards. Selfie of the Schmitt Lab.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
🎉 Congrats Teagan, who advanced to candidacy today! Teagan is co-mentored by Danielle & @tarateslaa.bsky.social. Teagan did a great job! 🥳
Teagan holding a wrench symbolizing the tool she is making.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
You should check out Owl Bar if you get a chance!! It’s right around the corner from Brewer’s Art (I lived a block from Brewers Art in grad school). Owl Bar is an old speakeasy!
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
🎉Congrats to Tiffany, who advanced to candidacy today! She did a great job! 🥳
Tiffany, holding a bottle of fancy water, in front of a sign that says PhD candidate.
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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
🎉 congrats Katie, who advanced to candidacy today!! 🍾
Katie opening a bottle of sparkling wine after passing her oral exam.
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