Nellie Kwang

Phosphorylated tau exhibits antimicrobial activity capable of neutralizing herpes simplex virus 1 infectivity in human neurons - Nature Neuroscience The authors found that the Alzheimer’s disease-associated protein tau, widely considered pathogenic when hyperphosphorylated, has a natural function as part of the innate immune system in the brain an...

I really liked this paper - data supporting super interesting idea that Alzheimer's disease pathology may have evolved as part of an innate immune defense response to microbial infection.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Incredible by @odedrechavi.bsky.social...an AI-thingy that reviews your manuscript with a very high bar and takes no prisoners. But you can do this in your pajamas and no one gets to see it. Takes a while but once you get the results you'll know why: www.qedscience.com

New landscape of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease involves a drastic departure from the cognitive, functional, and behavioural trajectory of normal ageing, and is both a dreaded and highly prevalent cause of disability to individu...

New landscape of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... by @thelancet.com

#Alzheimers #dementia #biomarkers #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence

Response of spatially defined microglia states with distinct chromatin accessibility in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease - Nature Neuroscience The dynamics of microglia states adjacent to or far from amyloid-beta plaques are unclear. Here the authors show that non-plaque-associated microglia modulate the cell population expansion in response...

Response of spatially defined microglia states with distinct chromatin accessibility in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease | Nature Neuroscience

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

In this blog post, I use #RStats to analyze ICE detention data. #Datavisualization shows record numbers of detainees without any criminal records. Further more/bigger ICE facilities are popping up far from the border.

Code along and take a look for yourself: jef.works/blog/2025/07...

#CodeTutorial

Why We Still Need Animal Research in a World of AI and Organoids The portrayal of uncaring scientists without any thought for the animals being used in their research is far from the truth.

While I’m a big fan of new technologies that help us study human biology…there’s still no replacement for animal research! See my article in Gen News. www.genengnews.com/topics/trans...

The R136S mutation in the APOE3 gene confers resilience against tau pathology via inhibition of the cGAS-STING-IFN pathway The Christchurch mutation (R136S) in the APOE3 (E3S/S) gene is associated with attenuated tau load and cognitive decline despite the presence of a cau…

🚨Our new paper is out!🚨 We uncover a protective mechanism of the rare APOE3 Christchurch (R136S) mutation against tauopathy—by suppressing microglial cGAS–STING–interferon (IFN) pathway, a key inflammatory axis triggered by tau. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Myelin–axon interface vulnerability in Alzheimer’s disease revealed by subcellular proteomics and imaging of human and mouse brain - Nature Neuroscience In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), disruptions in myelin and axonal structures occur, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here the authors show that, at the myelin–axon interface, axon–glial ...

At the myelin-axon interface, axon-glial signaling, paranodal architecture, and β-amyloid aggregation are altered in Alzheimer's disease, implicating myelin-axon disruption in disease progression

@jgrutzendler.bsky.social @yifeicai.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Heat shock proteins function as signaling molecules to mediate neuron–glia communication in C. elegans during aging - Nature Neuroscience Glia–neuron interactions are highly complex. Glial cells can sense and modulate different aspects of neuronal activity. Here in Caenorhabditis elegans, the authors show that early aged sensory neurons...

Heat shock proteins function as signaling molecules to mediate neuron–glia communication via extracellular vesicles during aging in C. elegans

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Mutations in the human CSF1R gene impact microglia’s maintenance of brain white matter integrity - Nature Immunology Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by pathogenic CSF1R mutations. Here the authors find that microglial loss is linked to r...

Mutations in the human CSF1R gene impact microglia’s maintenance of brain white matter integrity
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Emerging connections between myelin and Alzheimer’s disease - Nature Cell Biology Recent literature has explored the contributions of oligodendrocytes and myelin dysfunction to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we discuss emerging evidence that oligodendrocytes may directly contribute to ...

Emerging connections between myelin and Alzheimer’s disease

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Excited to share our new paper out in @cp-neuron.bsky.social today! We discovered the neuroanatomical route that myeloid cells use to enter the brain parenchyma. Check it out here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lCYs3BtfH...

Exploring Iron Deposition Patterns Using Light and Electron Microscopy in the Mouse Brain Across Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology Conditions (Figure created with Biorender.com. Publication license has been obtained with Biorender).

Exploring Iron Deposition Patterns Using Light and Electron Microscopy in the Mouse Brain Across Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology Conditions

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Balloon wall art inspired by the ggplot2 hex sticker. The display features a hexagonal frame made of black balloons, filled with white balloons inside and surrounded by a background of light and dark blue balloons. A line graph with black balloon segments and round coloured nodes runs across the centre, and the word “ggplot2” is spelled out in black balloon letters below the chart.

Happy 18th birthday ggplot2! #rstats

Cross-regulation between the nervous system and type 2 immunity The nervous and type 2 immune systems regulate each other via cytokines and neurotransmitters, suggesting previously unidentified therapeutic avenues.

We're now appreciating how the immune and nervous systems communicate across body & brain, and there's still more to explore!

Had a fun time co-writing this with some amazing immunologists and neuroscientists @nickmroz.bsky.social @arimolofskylab.bsky.social @annamolofskylab.bsky.social 😎🧠

APOE4 reshapes the lipid droplet proteome and modulates microglial inflammatory responses Excess lipid droplet (LD) accumulation is implicated in various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the mechanisms underlying this accum…

What does the APOE 'lipid droplet-ome' look like???

Check out our new paper to find out!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Thanks to first authors @cassifriday.bsky.social and @iostephens.bsky.social

+help from Scott Gordon @morganti.bsky.social and @cohenlaboratory.bsky.social labs

Evidence suggesting that microglia make amyloid from neuronally expressed APP: a hypothesis - Molecular Neurodegeneration While APP is largely neuonally expressed, Aβ amyloid is largely produced by microglia as the clearance mechanisms for damaged membranes becomes overwhelmed.

Evidence suggesting that microglia make amyloid from neuronally expressed APP: a hypothesis

molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

CLU alleviates Alzheimer’s disease-relevant processes by modulating astrocyte reactivity and microglia-dependent synaptic density Genetic studies implicate clusterin (CLU) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet its precise molecular impact remains unclear. Through u…

Thrilled to share my first first-author paper is out
@cp-neuron.bsky.social! We show that Alzheimer's disease protective CLU alleles upregulate CLU in response to neuropathology, dampening inflammatory signaling between microglia and astrocytes.

Read here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Harnessing human iPSC-microglia for CNS-wide delivery of disease-modifying proteins Widespread delivery of therapeutic proteins to the brain remains challenging. To determine whether human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-microgli…

Exciting work from @blurtonjoneslab.bsky.social + Spitale labs -- new examples of how iPSC-microglia can be used as a long-term, in vivo platform for a therapeutic protein payload in models of Alzheimer’s disease

@cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1934590925000992

Microglia heterogeneity, modeling and cell-state annotation in development and neurodegeneration - Nature Neuroscience Microglia have key roles in CNS development and neurodegeneration. Here, the authors provide an overview of microglia heterogeneity, cell-state annotation and model systems.

A Review on #microglia heterogeneity, modeling and cell-state annotation in development and neurodegeneration

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Why women experience Alzheimer’s disease differently from men Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.

"We have far to go and more to do" - thanks Katherine Bourzac @bourzac.bsky.social at @nature.com for including me in this thoughtful piece and highlighting our work on the X chromosome. Why women experience #Alzheimer’s disease differently from men www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Alzheimer disease seen through the lens of sex and gender Nature Reviews Neurology, Published online: 14 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41582-025-01071-0Sex and gender influence the entire healthcare ecosystem of Alzheimer disease (AD). In this Review, Castro-Aldrete et al. present a holistic view of sex and gender in AD, and discuss how these factors affect research and policy efforts to improve AD prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

New online! Alzheimer disease seen through the lens of sex and gender

Neurofilament proteins (fire) and tau (cyan) are shown in two primary hippocampal neurons.

For #FluorescenceFriday, tau (cyan) and neurofilament proteins (fire) are shown in these primary hippocampal neurons 🔬 #Neuroscience #Microscopy

The Science Brain Drain How Trump's Cuts Are Crippling American Innovation and Ceding the Future

The Trump administration’s war on science is slashing funding, shutting down labs, and driving top researchers overseas. The cost? Medical breakthroughs, technological innovation, and America’s future. My latest

adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

Removing the top leadership at NIAID, NIH and other health agencies, including the CDC and FDA, will damage America’s position as a leader in groundbreaking research in disease prevention and treatment. That puts us all at risk. Read our statement: asm.org/Press-Releas...

HHS starts layoffs of thousands of workers across its agencies Layoff notices began arriving early Tuesday for thousands of employees of HHS and its subsidiary agencies, with as many 10,000 workers potentially expected to be hit by the cuts.

How I will remember April Fools' Day 2025.
Reckless.
My heart is out for these dedicated folks at NIH, FDA and CDC
www.statnews.com/2025/04/01/h...

The CDC Has Been Gutted Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.

NEW: The CDC has been gutted this morning. Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.

from me, @makenakelly.bsky.social, @knibbs.bsky.social:

It’s stunning to me that the New York Times did not put the story on the bloodbath at the NIH, CDC, and FDA on its front page this morning.

YouTube video by UCI GenPALS UCI GenPALS 01/23/25 FlowSig for single-cell and spatial transcriptomics

Here's another great talk on #FlowSig, a useful tool for inferring pattern-driving intercellular flows from #scRNA-seq and #spatial-transcriptomics data.

This talk was given by Axel Almet, postdoc from the Nie lab, whose work was published in Nature Methods. www.nature.com/articles/s41...