Sign in

Takeshi Uenaka

@tuenaka.bsky.social
26 followers 20 following 13 posts

🧠 Neurologist 🇯🇵 | Postdoc @WernigLab @Stanford 🧫 iPSC-derived models for studying neurodegeneration 🔬 Former @brainresilience.bsky.social | Current @hdfcures.bsky.social Fellow

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Alex Matia @alexmatia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🚨 New preprint alert!! 🧠🦟🦠 What does West Nile virus actually do to a human neuron? We built an hiPSC-neuron platform, mapped WNV infection by temporal proteomics + RNA-seq, and found LA24, a new strain that is attenuated in neurons. 📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵👇
biorxiv.org
Human iPSC-derived neurons identify West Nile virus neuropathogenesis signatures and reveal strain-dependent neuroattenuation
West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the leading causes of arthropod-transmitted encephalitis in the world, yet its effects on neurons, the principal target of WNV in the brain, remain poorly defined. Here...
154 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
PaquetLab @paquetlab.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
🧵New paper from the lab @isd-research.bsky.social @lmu-klinikum.bsky.social @lmu.de published in @natneuro.nature.com: We developed a highly reproducible 3D human brain tissue model (3BTM) that enables studying microglial phenotypes in health and disease! #OA PDF here: rdcu.be/fxLou Thread👇: 1/11
32312 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Alex Matia @alexmatia.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Excited to share our new review! 🎉 Together with @rhuttenhain.bsky.social, we discuss how emerging proteomics approaches are revealing the spatial and temporal organization of the cellular proteome. Great fun writing this together! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Resolving cellular signaling in space and time: From organelle proteomics to spatial phosphoproteomics
Cellular signaling is inherently organized in space and time, requiring coordinated control of protein localization, molecular interactions, and enzym…
032 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Nader Morshed @morshednader.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Our new paper on a rapid, reliable way to make induced astrocytes for co-culture with neurons is out on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We hope this system will be a useful tool for illuminating the pathways underlying neuron-astrocyte interactions. More to be shared soon!
biorxiv.org
iAstrocytes model cytokine influences on complement expression and neuronal network synchronization.
Astrocytes play essential roles in neuronal development, function, and disease, yet existing methods to derive astrocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are complex and can involve months o...
054 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
brainresilience.bsky.social @brainresilience.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Our Year-End Symposium and Research Showcase is tomorrow! We are excited to host esteemed speakers in the field, including Nir Barzilai (@nirbarzilaimd.bsky.social), Anne Brunet (@brunetlab.bsky.social), Takeshi Uenaka (@tuenaka.bsky.social), Ivan Soltesz, and Katrin Andreasson.
Text: Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience Spring 2026 Symposium.

Photo collage: Top row, from right - Nir Barzilai (Albert Einstein College of Medicine), Anne Brunet (Stanford University), Takeshi Uenaka (Brain Resilience Postdoc Alumni, Stanford University). Bottom row, from right: Ivan Soltesz (Stanford University), Katrin Andreasson (Stanford University), Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience logo (representing both a clock and a brain).
052 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
PaquetLab @paquetlab.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
🧵New paper from the lab @isd-research.bsky.social @lmu-klinikum.bsky.social @lmu.de in STM @science.org! A human #iPSC-derived #Tauopathy model that endogenously develops late-stage Tau pathology. Free personal PDF: www.science.org/eprint/5H5YD.... Here's what we found👇 1/10
13311 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Addgene @addgene.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Only smiles in the tissue culture room from now on 🙂 Find the TK4 plasmids from the Wernig lab here: www.addgene.org/browse/artic...
addgene.org
Addgene: Prevention of transgene silencing during human pluripotent stem cell differentiation.
064 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Have you ever cried in the tissue culture room because your #iPSC transgene got silenced after differentiation? I have. Many, many times. So we built TK4, a PiggyBac vector designed to resist silencing. Now available on @addgene.bsky.social: #239047 / #239046 Would love to hear your thoughts.
031 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Silencing during iPSC differentiation is a major but underrecognized challenge and hard to fund. We are deeply grateful to @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social for supporting this project. Also, thanks to @brainresilience.bsky.social and @hdfcures.bsky.social for supporting my postdoctoral fellow!
011 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Led by Marius Wernig Lab. Thanks to our collaborators 👇 @kampmann.bsky.social @debkrov.bsky.social @florianmerkle.bsky.social @michael-e-ward.bsky.social Ernest Arenas, Andrew Bassett, Birgitt Schuele, Leslie Thompson, & Bill Skarnes labs. Thanks to Margaret Sutherland @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social
120 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
We shared TK4 with six independent labs. Across protocols and cell types (neurons & microglia), the result was consistent: CAG-WPRE (GFP) stays on. EF1α (BFP) turns off. Reproducible.
130 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
What about dCas9? We tested zim3-dCas9 ± WPRE. +WPRE: stable for 48 days. –WPRE: silenced. Small elements. Big consequences.
120 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
With CAG + WPRE, silencing was unaffected by insulators or integration sites. Three novel intergenic safe harbor loci supported stable expression without disturbing endogenous genes.
120 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
We built a fully modular PiggyBac vector — promoters, regulatory elements, insulators, and genomic loci all swappable. During neuronal differentiation: EF1α or loss of WPRE → silencing.
120 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Engineering iPSCs is easy. Keeping transgenes on is not. Many researchers cry when expression disappears during differentiation. That instability kills reporter gene signals, disease modeling, and CRISPR screening.
140 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Losing sleep over #iPSC transgene silencing after differentiation? Same here. Bright in iPSCs. Gone after differentiation. Our paper in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social maps what actually keeps expression on👇 www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce... 🔗 Free access (50 days): www.sciencedirect.com/science/auth...
sciencedirect.com
Please wait whilst we redirect you
All content on this site: Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
11311 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Thrilled to see our paper out in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social!
021 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Our paper on preventing transgene silencing is now online in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social! 🔗 Free access (50 days): www.sciencedirect.com/science/auth...
010 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Martin Kampmann @kampmann.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Our paper is (finally) out in Cell today! CRISPR screens in iPSC-derived neurons reveal principles of tau proteostasis www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... Great collaborative effort - read more from first author @asamelson.bsky.social below:
cell.com
CRISPR screens in iPSC-derived neurons reveal principles of tau proteostasis
CRISPR screens in iPSC-derived neurons reveal that the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL5SOCS4 ubiquitinates tau, that CUL5 expression is correlated with resilience in human Alzheimer’s disease, and that electr...
07421 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Young-Pearse Lab @typlab.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
New TYP lab publication led by PhD student @alexlish.bsky.social out today in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! We present a reproducible neuron-astrocyte-microglia tri-culture model to better reproduce intercellular interactions in Alzheimer's disease. Read more here: www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
Astrocyte induction of disease-associated microglia is suppressed by acute exposure to fAD neurons in human iPSC triple cultures
Lish et al. present a co-culture system of iPSC-derived human microglia, astrocytes, and neurons to investigate intercellular communication across different environmental and genetic contexts. Transcr...
01913 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Michael Ward @michael-e-ward.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Amazing team science effort, led by Marius Wernig’s group, to develop a silencing-resistant transgene cassette that maintains expression following iPSC differentiation. This was major barrier for iPSC-based experiments. Thanks to CZI for funding the research! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Prevention of Transgene Silencing During Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation
While high and stable transgene expression can be achieved in undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells, conventional transgene expression systems are often silenced upon differentiation. Silencing occu...
0111 0
Reposted by Takeshi Uenaka
Martin Kampmann @kampmann.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Silencing of transgenes during iPSC differentiation is a frequent problem. 🧬🫢 Check out the piggyBac system below, which has resisted silencing in many protocols across many labs. 💪 Excited that our lab could contribute to this team effort led by @tuenaka.bsky.social & Marius Wernig!
02712 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Huge thanks to our amazing team: @kampmann.bsky.social @debkrov.bsky.social @florianmerkle.bsky.social @michael-e-ward.bsky.social Ernest Arenas, Andrew Bassett, Birgitt Schuele, Leslie Thompson, Bill Skarnes, Marius Wernig labs Thanks to Margaret Sutherland for support via @cziscience.bsky.social
010 0
Takeshi Uenaka @tuenaka.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Losing sleep over #iPSC transgene silencing after differentiation? Same here — too many times😭 So we built a PiggyBac construct that resists silencing. Expression stays ON, even after differentiation. Our #preprint is out👇 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Supported by @cziscience.bsky.social
biorxiv.org
Prevention of Transgene Silencing During Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation
While high and stable transgene expression can be achieved in undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells, conventional transgene expression systems are often silenced upon differentiation. Silencing occu...
13313 0