iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 3h

NEW: The anterior hypothalamic nucleus acts like a volume knob for stress, scaling the brain’s response to threatening events 🧠 Read the Cai Lab's latest paper, led by @zachtpennington.bsky.social, in @nature.com 🎉 www.nature.com/articles/s41... More: bsky.app/profile/did:...

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 2h

I'm excited to share that I've been selected as a 2026 Cardinal Family Scholar by Cure Alzheimer's Fund. This funding will help build on our recent Cell study here @scbrmmountsinai.bsky.social to develop therapies targeting APOE4-driven vascular damage in Alzheimer's. curealz.org/news-and-eve...

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Stellate is a 2026 Top Agency! 🎉 Ragan PR Daily's Top Agencies Award is the industry's most competitive recognition program, honoring the agencies & workplaces shaping where public relations & communications are headed next. See the entire list: www.ragan.com/awards/event...

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Steve Ramirez @okaysteve.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

🚨 new work from the lab! "Dissociable cortical-hippocampal dopamine dynamics support memory-guided behavior" by @albitc.bsky.social et al. congratulations whole-heartedly to the team and we're excited to hear everyone's thoughts on the work! 👇🏽 www.cell.com/current-biol...

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Blood vessels in the brain deteriorate in Alzheimer’s, especially in APOE4 carriers. But what drives this damage? Our new study, out now in @cellpress.bsky.social, uncovers a mechanism linking APOE4 to vascular fibrosis and amyloid accumulation in the brain. 🧠🧬

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 23/09/2026

Many important bacterial non-coding RNAs and structural elements remain undiscovered. To help, David Li, Garyk Brixi, Michael Fischbach, @brianhie.bsky.social & team introduce Minerva, which uses a genome language model to predict RNA base pairing, repeats, & other interactions from sequence alone.

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How does a signal that guides our choices shape what we remember? See our recent preprint for an examination of the relationship between reward learning and memory directly in the human brain. Congrats to first author, @qasimetal.bsky.social!

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 08/09/2026

Loss of function for 1 gene can make a cancer cell resist a DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitor, while another gene can make it easy to kill. Arc Core Investigator Luke Gilbert and collaborators mapped both across five DDR inhibitors and found loss of PRDX1 sensitizes cells to all five.

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Lin Tian, PhD @lintianphd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Meet the team! Today’s spotlight: @akashpal.bsky.social ✨ Akash is a postdoctoral researcher building genetically encoded sensors that enable real-time observation of neuropeptide signaling in the living brain 🧠

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The human brain is largely inaccessible as diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s develop, limiting our ability to understand the mechanisms that drive neurodegeneration. To address this challenge, we created a multicellular integrated brain tissue, or #miBrain 🧠

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Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

In 2025, nearly 1 in 8 young adults reported daily cannabis use. When paired with highly potent products and a brain that is still developing, the cognitive risks of this record-high use are especially troubling 🧠 Read more here: www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/addi...

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 17/08/2026

Four years ago, a mystery case led Core Investigator @jvpluv to discover a new diagnosis (ABCD). Today his team published one of the largest clinical surveys of unexplained spinal cord disease to date in @JAMANeuro, finding ABCD in roughly half of patients.

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 26/08/2026

Nearly 300 teams have already submitted to the Virtual Cell Challenge leaderboard to see how their initial models rank on this year’s six metrics. Here’s the current standing:

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Lin Tian, PhD @lintianphd.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

It was a joy to attend this year's BRAIN Initiative Conference. Tian Lab member Alessio Andreoni presented our work developing & optimizing genetically encoded indicators and high-resolution microscopy tools to better understand brain circuit functioning 🧠 Thank you to the conference organizers!

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Last year's Memory Hub conference was a total blast! Can't wait for this year's! Shoutout to André and Jayeeta for hosting at NYU!

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Lin Tian, PhD @lintianphd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Looking forward to speaking at the 2026 Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience (MMiN) Meeting in September! I’ll be presenting recent work on developing & using genetically engineered sensors to monitor brain activity in living, behaving animals 🧠 Register by 9/7: monitoringmolecules.org/mmin-2026/

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Lily @lilystellate.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

New website for @suthanalab.bsky.social at Duke. Neuroscience in motion — built by @stellatecomms.bsky.social to match the ambition of the science. suthanalab.com | stellatecomms.com/creative-portfolio

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Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

If insights from neuroscience can improve AI – e.g., by achieving low-power computing, continual learning, or enhanced cognition – the capital unlocked from the AI industry would drive clinical and scientific breakthroughs. I discuss this funding landscape here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSPd...

youtube.com

Sean Escola | Funding Brain Science @ Vision Weekend UK 2026

YouTube video by Foresight Institute

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 14/08/2026

The same method that teaches an LLM which answers people prefer can teach a protein model which sequences are more stable. This is the basis for ProteinDPO, developed by Innovation Investigator @brianhie.bsky.social, Talal Widatalla, and team.

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Congrats to Saez Lab grad student @emanuelmcoleman.bsky.social for presenting our work at the #GRC-FrontalCortex & GRS! By examining intracranial recordings in the hippocampus & amygdala across longitudinal timescales, Manny is exploring electrophysiological markers of fluctuations in wellbeing 🧠

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 20/08/2026

The 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge has begun! Submissions and the leaderboard are now open. This year's task: multi-context generalization and zero-shot prediction. Models will need to predict perturbation responses in cellular contexts with no training data. arcinstitute.org/news/virtual...

arcinstitute.org

The 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge: predicting perturbation responses in cell contexts a model has never seen | Arc Institute

Registration for the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge is open at virtualcellchallenge.org. This year the task is zero-shot: we are not releasing a training set, and the evaluation dataset is far more expan...

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Classes start today at @utaustin.bsky.social! The lab is back to a full house, our RAs are back on the schedule, and we've got a semester's worth of questions we're excited to start answering. Welcome back, y'all! 🤘🧠

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Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Huge congratulations to former Hurd Lab member Dr. Gabor Egervari on being awarded his first R01 🎉 The Egervari Lab explores the metabolic-epigenetic mechanisms associated with alcohol use. Excited to follow this important work in the years ahead! Learn about his work: sites.wustl.edu/egervarilab/

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Using a multicellular human brain model, our latest study, now published in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social, identifies APOE4 astrocytes as key drivers of α-synuclein pathology, uncovering a new mechanism linking genetic risk to neurodegeneration. www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce...

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 06/08/2026

One of our most popular preprints of 2025 is now published in @science.org. Congrats to @brianhie.bsky.social, @samuelhking.bsky.social, and team on establishing a framework for generating and evaluating AI-generated genomes. - Access the paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Generative design of bacteriophages with genome language models

Many important biological functions arise not from single genes but from complex interactions encoded by entire genomes. We report the first generative design of complete bacteriophage genomes using g...

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Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

(1/8) Our approach for untangling brain-wide interactions is out today in @cp-neuron.bsky.social! Current-Based Decomposition (CURBD) uses RNNs constrained by real neural data to reveal the input driving neurons, uncovering how brain regions talk to each other. doi.org/10.1016/j.ne... 🧵👇

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Joel W. Blanchard, PhD @joelwblanchard.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This week the Blanchard Lab turns 5! 🎉 Together, we've built increasingly sophisticated human brain models, uncovered new disease biology & even began the process of taking our #miBrains to space. I'm so grateful for this team & everyone who's been part of the journey so far.

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 04/08/2026

Pre-registration for the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge opens today. Start building your team and say hello in our Discord. The full competition launches August 20. virtualcellchallenge.org

virtualcellchallenge.org

Virtual Cell Challenge

The competition, hosted by Arc Institute at virtualcellchallenge.org and sponsored by NVIDIA, 10x Genomics, and Ultima Genomics, is focused on accelerating progress in AI modeling of biology. Entrants...

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Attending #CCN2026 in NYC? Be sure to visit Gelana Tostaeva's poster on Thursday! Gelana will be presenting our recent work exploring how the human hippocampus can track locations in abstract social space 🧠 Read her full abstract here: 2026.ccneuro.org/poster/?id=y...

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Yasmin Hurd, PhD @neurovoice.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Today’s potent #cannabis products pose a risk to the mental health of adolescents. To the brave parents turning their pain into advocacy, thank you for all you do at Johnny's Ambassadors & for inviting me to speak at your conference ♥️ Learn more here: johnnysambassadors.org/research/

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Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Congratulations to @jenbussell.bsky.social and the whole team on this work! I'm so happy to see it out in the world 🎉 @ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social

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Kanaka Rajan @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Heading to #CCN26? Stop by and see what the Rajan Lab has been working on! Don't miss presentations from John Vastola, Satpreet Singh, and Nathan Wu. Drop by their sessions to chat about our ongoing projects and say hello to the team! @purpleantelope.bsky.social @satpreetsingh.bsky.social

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Dr. Cate Peña @cate-cholamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Excited to share this paper led by two undergrads in the lab, out now in Neurobiology of Stress! Temporal reorganization of maternal care during early life stress in mice doi.org/10.1016/j.yn...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

We're hiring professional track faculty in Psychology at UT Austin! Two Asst/Assoc Professor of Instruction positions & one Clinical Asst/Assoc Professor position for a licensed clinical psychologist. Instruction: apply.interfolio.com/188637 Clinical: apply.interfolio.com/188633 Please share!

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Future BCIs could provide treatment for widespread disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. Thanks to @neurosciencenews.bsky.social for covering the key takeaways and open questions from my recent review on the emerging field of cognitive BCIs. neurosciencenews.com/bci-depressi...

neurosciencenews.com

How Closed-Loop BCIs Will Treat Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD - Neuroscience News

A new study outlines closed-loop cognitive BCIs for depression, PTSD, and OCD.

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Lin Tian, PhD @lintianphd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Meet the team! Today’s spotlight: Erin Scott ✨ Erin is a PhD student working to characterize a family of dopamine sensors for the dLight 3.0 series. She is also developing a sensor for alpha-synuclein, a toxic protein heavily implicated in Parkinson’s disease.

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 21/07/2026

We are hiring a number of AIxBio positions across the organization, including Directors of Machine Learning for each of our Institute Initiatives and postdoctoral fellows focused on ML for Biology and Biological Design in Patrick Hsu's Lab. Learn more or apply here: arcinstitute.org/jobs

arcinstitute.org

Jobs | Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

What’s holding us back from developing a clinical BCI for mental health? My new review in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social outlines a roadmap to overcome the unique hurdles facing cognitive BCIs by integrating & expanding on existing neurotech methods. Read here: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nSLK4sIRv...

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 17/07/2026

Complex I is the largest complex of the electron transport chain and the entry point for electrons that power ATP production. New work from Core Investigator Isha Jain and team identifies THAP12 as a dedicated transcription factor controlling how much Complex I a cell builds.

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Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Behavior-trained AI captures what we do but not the mental process behind it. @patrickmineault.bsky.social & I call that gap cognitive dark matter & think it explains a lot about where today's models could be improved. Enjoyed this chat with Jan Witkowski at CSHL. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4t6...

youtube.com

Interview with: Sean Escola

YouTube video by CSHL Leading Strand

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Looking forward to this webinar! 🤓 Thank you to AFAR and MBRF for hosting it for World Brain Day! Register to watch it here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Thanks to @bipolardiscoveries.org for supporting our work on the circuit-level basis of bipolar disorder! By uniting neurosurgery, neuroscience, and psychiatry, our unique multidisciplinary team is unlocking vital new insights into how the human brain works. More to come soon!

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Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Thoughtful insights from Michael Mager of @precisionneuro.bsky.social on what finally made commercial neural interfaces viable, and the potential future impact of BCIs on mental health. Read the interview at Rebellion Research: www.rebellionresearch.com/precision-ne...

rebellionresearch.com

Precision Neuroscience Co-Founder & CEO Michael Mager Sits Down With Rebellion Research

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Alison Preston @aliprestonphd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

We'll be at @umlaufsculpture.bsky.social Family Day this Sunday! Stop by our table to explore hands-on science activities & learn more about our work. Whether you're a curious kid, a budding scientist, or love learning something new, we want to meet you! Join us for a day of art, nature & STEAM!

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Arc Institute @arcinstitute.org · 08/07/2026

Effective treatments for mitochondrial disease are scarce. A new paper in Nature Metabolism from Core Investigator Isha Jain and team offers one, showing that breathing low-oxygen air nearly triples lifespan in a mouse model of HTRA2 deficiency.

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Sean Escola @seanescola.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

AI models are trained on the outputs of human cognition, like behavior, but miss the underlying processes. It was great chatting about this “cognitive dark matter” with Annelies Gamble and how it could be key to improving the cognitive capabilities of AI. www.mixtureofexperts.co/p/the-though...

mixtureofexperts.co

The thoughts that never become behavior

A conversation with Sean Escola, Dan Wetmore, and Tom Griffiths

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

🤔 Why does prior stress make future stress hit harder? In new work led by @zachtpennington.bsky.social, the Cai Lab discovered a brain circuit that controls stress vulnerability, reshaping how the brain reacts to the next stressor. I'll be speaking about at @fens.org. Come check it out!

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Biswas Family Foundation @biswasfamilyfdn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

We just wrapped our first cycle of Fast Grants: we’re funding 37 projects across diagnostics, AI scientists, phage therapies, and more. Global demand for fast, flexible research funding is even larger than we expected, and it’s shaping how we’re building Cycle 2 this fall. More to come soon.

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Stellate Communications @stellatecomms.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Big congrats to @rhienhare.bsky.social on her promotion to Account Supervisor this month! ✨

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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

🎉 Congratulations to @zachtpennington.bsky.social on receiving this year's Banting Discovery Award! I worked closely with Zach when he was a postdoc in my lab and I know he is incredibly deserving of this award. Read more about his award here: psych.ubc.ca/news/zachary...

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