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Summer Thyme

@sthyme.bsky.social
2.7K followers 304 following 25 posts

Associate Professor @ UMass Chan Medical School BMB Department; PhD @ UW Baker Lab; PD @ Schier Lab; Down Syndrome, ID, zebrafish, computation, protein engineering. MomX3!

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Reposted by Summer Thyme
Matt Lovett-Barron @mlovettbarron.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our lab's latest paper on the neurobiology of collective behavior is now published www.nature.com/articles/s41... This is the work of a great team in the lab - led by Jo-Hsien Yu, with Geoff Meyerhof, Jimjohn Milan, and Julia Napoli @nature.com @danionella.bsky.social
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UMass Chan Medical School @umasschan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Brandon Bastien, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Summer Thyme, PhD, has received a three-year, $251,000 award from the National Institute of Mental Health to support his research on genes linked to autism spectrum disorder: direc.to/pQBy #autism #ASD #NIH @sthyme.bsky.social
direc.to
Brandon Bastien receives NIH fellowship award to study autism-associated genes in zebrafish
Bastien is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Summer Thyme, PhD.
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Summer Thyme @sthyme.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
A wonderful way to end the week with the first Thyme lab dissertation defense. Congrats, Dr. Ari Ginsparg. What a great presentation! And thanks to UMass Chan Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology for making Ari a part of this community over the past three years. @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social
Picture of Ari Ginsparg and Summer Thyme after his PhD thesis defense
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UMass Chan Medical School @umasschan.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Read about the groundbreaking neuroscience research that UMass Chan faculty are doing: direc.to/o_Hn These interdisciplinary teams have received funding from the Dan and Diane Riccio Fund for Neuroscience. #neuroscience @reboldilab.bsky.social @sthyme.bsky.social @briankelch.bsky.social
Stephanie Puig, PhD, and Andrea Reboldi, PhDSummer Thyme, PhD, and Brian Kelch, PhD
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Alex Schier @schierlab.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Might cerebellar disinhibition underlie Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms? Will Joo found that loss of the RLS-associated gene meis1b perturbs locomotion in zebrafish by disinhibiting cerebellar output. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Oded Mayseless @mayseless.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
1/11 Excited to share my postdoc work from @schierlab.bsky.social and Rainer Friedrich! 🐟👃 How does the brain decide whether an odor is good or bad? In larval zebrafish, we find that odor preference is reflected in spatially cohesive neuronal domains of the olfactory bulb. 🧵
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Robert Kozol @cavefish.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I am happy to announce that my penultimate post-doc paper (Erik Duboue lab/X) is finally out in Science Advances. This work stems from my first cavefish experiments, examining how dark-adapted cavefish larvae respond to changes in illumination. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Evolution of a central dopamine circuit underlies adaptation of a light-evoked sensorimotor response in the blind cavefish
Evolution shifts dopamine neuron responses in cavefish, reversing how light drives their behavior.
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elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
My summary of OMB's proposed Federal Financial Assistance rule was based on 22 years as an NIH Program Official and the damage I saw to science funding would be. I want to widen the lens now: scientists are not the only ones who should be alarmed. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/this-new-o...
elizabethginexi.substack.com
This new OMB Rule Is Bigger Than Science. Much Bigger.
This image was generated by Google AI (Gemini)
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TK (Takashi DY) Kozai @bioniclab.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
🪼 Your tax dollars paid a scientist to squeeze jellyfish through cheesecloth. Osamu Shimomura processed tens of thousands on an NSF grant to understand why they glow. He found a protein that glowed green under UV light. Called it "green protein." Nobody cared. For decades.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Several people have asked for possible content and structure for comments regarding the proposed OMB regulations. With some suggestions from others, I have posted on example (as a Word document) for downloading). jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g... I hope this is helpful.
jeremymberg.github.io
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Wataru Koyama @watarukoyama.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
My PhD paper is out in Science Advances! We found that the adult zebrafish cerebellum encodes both positive and negative valence during GO/NOGO task learning, and teaching signals sent to Purkinje cell update internal models of task rules. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
The cerebellum implements structured representation of valence to support adaptive behavior control
Cerebellar circuits identify danger and safety to guide flexible, adaptive behavior.
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elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Calling all Scientists! Research Administrators! Deans! Fans of Science! No one is coming to save us. Here is your assignment. I have written a step by step, easy to understand "how-to" document to help you comment on the proposed OMB rule. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-ne...
elizabethginexi.substack.com
What We Need to do NEXT: OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB 2026-10817)
What OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule Means in Practice
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elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule. Russell Vought is going destroy American Science. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of...
elizabethginexi.substack.com
Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule
Russell Vought is going destroy American Science
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Dr Kathleen Millen @neurodevkathy.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
🚨🧪🧵URGENT INPUT NEEDED: NIH asks input for next strategic plan-including emphasis on non-animal models (NAMs) to replace animals. Per NIH insider, anti-animal responses now outnumber scientists 200-700x. Please please provide input. Deadline: May 26, 11:59 PM ET. grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
grants.nih.gov
NIH Seeks Input on Framework for Next NIH-Wide Strategic Plan | Grants & Funding
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Ignacio Gallup-Diaz @igallupd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
"Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial: Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later."
nbcnews.com
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial
Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.
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MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
It's out! Happy to present ITEC, a semi supervised algorithm with an extremely low error rate that can track cells in files of any size (think Terabytes!). We used it in many organisms, including zebrafish, to study how organs form and linked it to gene expression www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... +🧪
biorxiv.org
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Jeremy Day @daylab.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
UAB is recruiting neuroscience faculty at two different levels - come join our vibrant neuroscience community!
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Summer Thyme @sthyme.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I'm pleased to share our newest preprint, which was actually the very first project started in my lab. It took a long time to come together! We address the challenge of translating complex psychiatric genetics into biological mechanism. tinyurl.com/4w7hv8d8
Juvenile zebrafish brain stained with filipin to measure free cholesterol.
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Zebrafish Rock! @zebrafishrock.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
New Python-based, modular animal tracking software from @sthyme.bsky.social 🐟 🖥️
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Ellen Hoffman @ehoffmanlab.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
We're hiring! The Hoffman lab at Yale is recruiting for Post-Doctoral Associate and Post-Graduate Associate positions available immediately. Join us! www.hoffmanlab.net/jobs #zebrafish #zebrafishjobs
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Summer Thyme @sthyme.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Drug discovery for nervous system disorders is really challenging. We think early/rapid in vivo testing with zebrafish will accelerate the drug development cycle for conserved targets. Check out our proof-of-principle pilot study and virtual drug discovery pipeline (tinyurl.com/3whr23hs). #Skytorial
Cartoon zebrafish with green lit-up brain, in well of plate responding to hit molecule.
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Patrick Murphy @pjmurphy249.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Pls Repost: I am putting together an edition of “Methods in Molecular Biology” focused on early development, encompassing gastrulation. I am making a list of potential authors for chapters. If interested, please contact me - An excellent opportunity for trainees to co-author with their advisors.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT Please watch the workshop video and COMMENT by 5:00 Monday 7/14 This is the source of the "no more model organism only grants in NIH-funded research" decree.
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Cherish Ardinger, PhD @cherishardinger.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Public comments have been opened back up! Research with animals is critical for providing evidence-based knowledge in the pursuit of human health. Broadly reducing research projects with animals threatens public health and will greatly stall the development of new therapeutics for diseases!
fda.gov
FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing
The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.
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Maureen Johnson @maureenjohnsonbooks.com · 15/03/2025
"There have been many funding cuts to cancer research, and it's playing out many ways. Here are a few stories from people I know. I spend time in cancer circles. I am an recliner advocate nowadays. Brooke is 24 years old, has a baby and a toddler, and has stage 4 B-cell lymphoma..."
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Jeremy Day @daylab.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
UAB Neurobiology is hiring up to 4 new tenure-track faculty as part of 3 new open-rank searches. Come join our vibrant, supportive, and growing neuroscience community! uab.peopleadmin.com/postings/23916 uab.peopleadmin.com/postings/23944 uab.peopleadmin.com/postings/24010
uab.peopleadmin.com
Academic Joint Departments-Open Rank/Tenure-Neurobiology
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine invites applications for 4 open-rank faculty positions in the Department of Neurobiology. We are seeking candidates who apply ...
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
We get news of an apparent breakthrough in pancreatic cancer — usually a death sentence, one of the cancers with the worst outcomes — and Trump and Musk are blowing up NIH and with it future cancer cures. The American people didn’t vote for this. Not even close to 49.8% did.
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Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
THIS IS HUGE! A cancer vaccine developed by Yale University and DFCI shows MAJOR promise. Results of an early-phase trial reveal ALL patients with ADVANCED stage kidney cancer had successful anti-cancer immune responses AND have remained CANCER-FREE approximately THREE years after treatment. 🧪🧵⬇️
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
One of the remarkable things about #NIH is how rigorously its grants, research, and employees are reviewed. NIH science and scientists are held to a high standard by external reviewers — via study sections and councils, or BSC/site visit reviewers. And the reviews have teeth. 🧪
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Guardian story about Federal Register issue is up. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Trump halts medical research funding in apparent violation of judge’s order
Health department orders NIH to hold Federal Register submissions – critical step in process for funding studies
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
New York Times article now up on Federal Register stuff. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/s... 1/n
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling (Gift Article)
Using an arcane law, officials have effectively delayed funding from the National Institutes of Health, leaving medical studies in jeopardy.
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Office of Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 @mayorwu.boston.gov · 20/02/2025
The City of Boston is leading 40+ mayors, cities, and counties in an amicus brief against the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding—cuts that will lead to immediate job losses nationwide.
COALITION OF MAYORS ACROSS U.S. FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DRASTIC CUTS TO FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING
Led by the City of Boston, MA, City of Cleveland, OH, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, TN, the Mayor of Gainesville, FL, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT, over 40 mayors, cities, and counties argue that NIH cuts will cause job losses, economic disruption, and undermine U.S. competitiveness

BOSTON - Thursday, February 20, 2025 - Late yesterday, Mayor Michelle Wu co-led a coalition of Mayors from across the United States in writing and filing an amicus brief in federal district court in Boston to stop the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding and immediate job losses in cities nationwide. Over 40 mayors, cities, and counties from across the country joined the brief. These cities are home to universities and hospitals that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in cutting edge medical and scientific research, and the federally-funded research in these communities has made the United States the global leader in scientific discovery. The brief seeks a temporary restraining order against the Trump Administration, alongside the research universities, medical schools, hospitals, and 22 states that are plaintiffs in the three cases filed last week in federal district court.

“For decades, Congress has made a clear choice to use federally-funded research to invest in cities, build a broadly-distributed infrastructure for scientific discovery, create jobs, and drive economic growth in communities across the United States,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We join with cities across the country – in red states, purple states, and blue states – to stop this illegal action that will cause layoffs, lab closures, and undermine scientific progress in American cities. I thank Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for her leadership on behalf of the research institutions of Boston.”This amicus brief is in response to the abrupt February 7, 2025 announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of an immediate reduction in funding for scientific and medical research institutions across the country. Under the NIH’s new policy, which temporarily went into effect on Monday, February 10, payments for indirect costs reimbursed to research universities would be capped at 15%, down from 30-70%. The brief makes clear that NIH funding cuts would devastate research institutions in cities across the county, cause job losses, create severe economic disruption, and undermine a critical pillar of strength and civic pride in cities across the United States. The cuts would also undermine critical medical and scientific research that residents are counting on, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and jeopardize the cities’ and country’s position of global leadership on scientific advancement.
“The Gainesville community depends on this highly efficient, dependable investment of our tax dollars back into our city’s innovation economy,” said Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida. “I’m glad to join other mayors in highlighting the vital role NIH funding plays in the lives of everyday hardworking American families.” 
“The breadth and diversity of this coalition highlights the devastating and widespread impact of these NIH funding changes, from Alzheimer’s research to cancer clinical trials,” said Jill Habig, Founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “We’re proud to partner with mayors, cities, and counties in opposing this threat to critical federal funding and the health and vitality of our communities.”
On Monday, February 10th, twenty two states and associations of medical schools, hospitals, and universities, filed three related cases, and secured a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump Administration from slashing the reimbursement rates. That initial order will be revisited this week in a hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.The Public Rights Project served as amici counsel. The full list of mayors, cities and counties who joined the brief is below. 



Local Governments and Mayors



City of Boston, Massachusetts
City of Cleveland, Ohio
Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, City of Salt Lake City, Utah
City of Alameda, California
City of Albuquerque, New Mexico 
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
City of Baltimore, Maryland 
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Mayor, City of Burlington, Vermont
Township of Canton, Michigan
Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
City of Chicago, Illinois 
Sandra Welch, Mayor, City of Coconut Creek, Florida
City of Columbus, Ohio
City of Easthampton, Massachusetts
Daniel Biss, Mayor, City of Evanston, Illinois
City of Fairfax, Virginia
Harris County, Texas
Ravinder S. Bhalla, Mayor, City of Hoboken, New Jersey
Quinton Lucas, Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri
Indya Kincannon, Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee
City of Madison, Wisconsin
Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, City of Millcreek, Utah
Anissa Welch, Mayor, City of Milton, Wisconsin
Montgomery County, Maryland
City of New Haven, Connecticut
Dontae Payne, Mayor, City of Olympia, Washington 
Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor, City of Plainfield, New Jersey
Sue Noack, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill, California
City of Pittsburgh and Ed Gainey, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
City of Providence, Rhode Island 
John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado
City of Rochester, New York
City of Sacramento, California 
City and County of San Francisco, California
City of Santa Monica, California
Constantine H. Kutteh, Mayor, City of Statesville, North Carolina
Lisa Brown, Mayor, City of Spokane, Washington
Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor, City of St. Louis, Missouri 
City of St. Paul, Minnesota
Dennis R. McBride, Mayor, City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
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Rick Huganir @rhuganir.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Reaching out to all Americans through the media to explain how decreasing funding of the NIH will have irreversible harm for developing therapies for all diseases. Please spread the word to your families and friends and contact your congressional representatives. www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...
nbcnews.com
Science under siege: Trump cuts threaten to undermine decades of research
Sweeping layoffs, funding freezes and executive orders have provoked outcry among federal researchers and their university partners, who fear that science itself is under siege.
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Elizabeth Head, Ph.D. @elizabethhead.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
This is incredibly stressful to our Alzheimer's community (families and researchers). There are Alzheimer Disease Research Centers that are in limbo now - no council meetings means no notice of awards, means all the research we are doing to slow or prevent this disease is paused indefinitely.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
The court ordered that NIH grant funding be unfrozen, so The Regime found a way around it. For NIH grants to be funded, a review panel must rank them. In order for a review panel to meet, they must post it on the Federal Register. Submissions to the Federal Register are now on hold “indefinitely”.
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Important article. This center was taking new approaches to studying Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Everyone who knows someone with dementia is being hurt by Trump’s cuts to medical research. 🧪
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 19/02/2025
Scientists studying neuroscience, diabetes, autism and bird flu became emotional as they spoke to the Guardian about the possibility of losing their life’s work.
theguardian.com
Trump cuts threaten a ‘generation of scientists’ as many weigh leaving US
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 18/02/2025
The MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles infection. But infants under 12 months old are not eligible for the vaccine, leaving them vulnerable. When measles spreads due to low vaccination rates, it puts our youngest—and most defenseless—children at the greatest risk.
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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
If anyone has been in touch with press covering the NIH situation broadly (firings, funding freeze etc), please encourage them to cover the sinister way in which HHS is preventing grant review and funding from happening, by blocking posting to the Federal Register.
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
We are hearing that Andy Singleton, director of a new and promising Alzheimer's research center at NIH, just announced his resignation. This will disrupt innovative new Alzheimer's work to go beyond the "amyloid hypothesis." Bad news for anyone who's been touched by this disease. 🧪
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Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
the richest man in the world has decided that your kids don't deserve special education programs
A screenshot of an email notifying Spotsylvania parents that funding for a program for youth with disabilities has been canceled
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R. Ross MacLean @rrmaclean.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
I'm #standingupforscience because when I was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in 2018, I was terrified. The survival statistics for my type of melanoma was around 20%. But these statistics did not include the lives saved from the recent NCI and CRI funded studies of immunotherapy drugs. 1/6
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MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your family. Talk to your friends. Tell everyone what is happening and why science matters (this is not a USA-only post, because we know this is happening everywhere)
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Please help NIH: speak to the press, speak to your local TV, tell everyone you know: Trump and Musk are killing cancer research. They’re chasing science out of the US, making the US poorer. Thank you for what you’re doing. /end
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Angie Voyles Askham @avaskham.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Hey neuroscientists: were you, your lab or any of your ongoing projects caught up in any of the latest NIH firings? You can find me on Signal at avaskham.54 if you want to chat. 🧪 #neuroskyence
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think4minute.bsky.social @think4minute.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
The value NIH research provides far exceeds that of trying to get a rocket to Mars. The NIH staff cuts are unconscionable.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
The damage today (actually yesterday) to the intramural program appears to especially bad. It also appears (although I need more confirmation) that most or all of the tenure track investigators in their first 2 years in several, and perhaps all, institutes were terminated. 7/n
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Thanks to all of the NIHers and their friends who reached out to me. I am still here (DM me or Signal jeremymberg.78) I still have a very incomplete picture but based on what I have been told, the damage to NIH and to many wonderful people who work(ed) there is/was impossible for me to imagine 1/n
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