Miguel Soares

Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells Single-cell transcriptomics is transforming biology, uncovering hidden cell states, dynamic transitions, and intricate interactions across systems from immunity to cancer. Yet as these technologies s…

@EMBO Practical Course

Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells

18 – 23 May 2026 | Oeiras/Lisbon, Portugal @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

Registration open!

Homeostatic control of energy metabolism by monocyte-derived macrophages
@elmiguelche.bsky.social and colleagues show that macrophages sense dysregulated iron metabolism in parenchymal cells and respond by sustaining mitochondrial function in affected cells
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

Read the full story in @embojournal!
🔗 www.gimm.pt
#CellBiology #Immunology #Metabolism #Mitochondria #IronMetabolism #Homeostasis #OpenScience
(9/9)

Thanks to @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, specially Rui Martins and Birte Blankehaus for leading this work. David Sancho @sancholab.bsky.social and Stefanie Wculek @swculek.bsky.social for critical mouse models (TFAM and UQCRQ deletions) that unlocked the mitochondrial biogenesis mechanism!
(8/9)

This work reveals macrophages as "ferrostats" - sensing iron dysregulation and cross-regulating iron and energy metabolism. Metchnikoff's vision of macrophages as central homeostatic regulators extends beyond immunity to fundamental control of organismal metabolism.
(7/9)

The impact is profound: FTH-competent macrophages rescued mice from lethal metabolic collapse, restoring cardiac function, thermogenesis, and energy balance. They're not just immune cells - they're metabolic orchestrators maintaining whole-body homeostasis.
(6/9)

This "transmitophagy" allows damaged tissues to outsource the energetically demanding process of clearing dysfunctional mitochondria. Macrophages act as cellular recycling centers - but only if they express FTH to handle the iron load from incoming mitochondria.
(5/9)

Here's the surprising part: we discovered intercellular mitochondrial transfer - but in the OPPOSITE direction of what we expected! Stressed parenchymal cells transfer their dysfunctional mitochondria TO macrophages, not the other way around.
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How do macrophages "know" tissues are in trouble? They detect mitochondrial dysfunction in stressed parenchymal cells. In response, FTH-competent macrophages activate a unique transcriptional program centered on mitochondrial biogenesis, controlled by TFAM.
(3/9)

When we deleted ferritin (FTH) - the master iron storage protein - in mouse tissues, something remarkable happened: monocyte-derived macrophages sensed this disruption and mounted a rescue response to restore energy metabolism and prevent organ failure.
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Homeostatic control of energy metabolism by monocyte-derived macrophages | The EMBO Journal imageimageMacrophages play critical roles in the homeostatic control systems that maintain vital parameters within physiological ranges. This study characterizes how mouse monocyte-derived macrophages...

🧵 Thrilled to share our new work in @embojournal! Over a century after Metchnikoff recognized macrophages as central to organismal homeostasis, we reveal how they act as metabolic guardians through an unexpected mechanism.
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
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of the influenza vaccine is low (against infection). What is forgotten is the protection from non-communicable diseases.

What if you could reduce your risk to heart disease by 40%?
What is you could reduce you risk to dementia by at least 10%?

That is what vaccines do!
3/10

Food for thought from:
‪@lferreiramoita.bsky.social‬ in JCI - Biological and clinical implications of a model of surveillance immunity www.jci.org/articles/vie...

Obrigado!

Bilirrubina, pigmento amarelado natural do corpo, pode combater a malária Substância controla doença de várias maneiras; pesquisador espera que, no futuro, seja possível usar descoberta em terapias

At Folha de São Paulo: folha.com/38iy72bz
@gimmfoundation.bsky.social

Could have not said it better!

Beautiful new work from Maz Divangahi lab about the enhanced anti-tumoral activity of β-glucan + BCG trained neutrophils leading to tumor eradication.

#freshoffthepress @cp-immunity.bsky.social

A recent study based on observations in humans and experiments in mice proposes that induction of bilirubin production in response to Plasmodium spp. infection is an evolutionary conserved mechanism against malaria. 🧪 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Rewring lipid metabolism to sustain thermoregulation during sepsis. Don’t let it get cold! A very interesting piece from Miguel Soares lab @elmiguelche.bsky.social @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

The future of heart health: AI, immunity, and personalized prevention

The future of heart health: AI, immunity, and personalized prevention | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/webi...

Call for our new PhD program is open. Come join one of our labs at Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine - Lisbon-Oeiras, Portugal. Help us spread the word

A bioenergetic basis for multiorgan dysfunction in sepsis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.12.659280v1

Check out the paper from our latest collaboration with Miguel Soares's lab:
🦠A metabolite-based resistance mechanism against malaria
Now out in Science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social @turkubioscience.bsky.social @inflames-flagship.bsky.social @utu.fi

Rethinking jaundice A buildup of unconjugated bilirubin may be a protective response to malaria

Rethinking jaundice | Science

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social

A metabolite-based resistance mechanism against malaria Jaundice is a common presentation of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which arises from the accumulation of circulating bilirubin. It is not understood whether it represents an adaptive or maladaptive r...

A metabolite-based resistance mechanism against malaria | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social‬

@gimmfoundation.bsky.social

There is a price tag for everything…..

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Evolutionary medicine in action: Sickle hemoglobin fuels tumor progression - ScienceDirect

Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron Nature - Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 04 June 2025

Latest from the Nature Podcast 🔊 Male mice can grow female organs — if their mothers lack iron

https://go.nature.com/3SY8I2V