Michal Caspi Tal, PhD's Avatar

Michal Caspi Tal, PhD

@immunofever.bsky.social

Immunoengineer at MIT BE developing predictive diagnostics. Captivated by #inflammation, #SexDifferences #Lyme, #COVID, #IACI, #IACC and #onehealth. Mom of 2. prev/ PhD in Immunology @Yale; PostDoc @Stanford https://talresearchgroup.mit.edu/

10,539 Followers  |  3,808 Following  |  621 Posts  |  Joined: 22.08.2023  |  2.2109

Latest posts by immunofever.bsky.social on Bluesky

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#MicroSky: Clinical Treatments: In Crohn’s disease, gut bacteria may shape response to biologic therapy. Patients with more Fusobacterium were less likely to improve on ustekinumab, hinting that the microbiome could help predict who benefits most. Read Wang et al. doi.org/10.1111/1751...

17.11.2025 11:01 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
LoCITT-T - Long COVID Treatment Trial

The Long COVID Treatment Trial – Tirzepatide (LoCITT-T) is officially open for enrollment for people with Long COVID in:
Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah
longcovid.scripps.edu/locitt-t/?ut...

1/16

30.10.2025 18:24 β€” πŸ‘ 214    πŸ” 141    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 11
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GitHub - aqlaboratory/openfold-3: OpenFold3: A fully open source biomolecular structure prediction model based on AlphaFold3 OpenFold3: A fully open source biomolecular structure prediction model based on AlphaFold3 - aqlaboratory/openfold-3

Looks like OpenFold3 has been formally released in a public "preview". Not quite on parity with AlphaFold3 on a few benchmarks shown, in particular for antibody interactions. All info on the github link. I am sure we will hear more about this from the developers github.com/aqlaboratory...

28.10.2025 09:30 β€” πŸ‘ 50    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Pre-print alert! And this one really is a must read for anyone that does spectral #flowcytometry. It is a complete, fully-automated spectral unmixing pipeline that reduces error up to 9000-fold.

Want to get a tough sample, like lung, looking like this? Read more!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

28.10.2025 08:05 β€” πŸ‘ 89    πŸ” 41    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 4
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1/ This is my first time posting a comment on a bioRxiv manuscript, but since I've been asked my opinion on this one a bunch, and I was actually one of the reviewers and waived my anonymity in review, I decided to post my review as a comment: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

09.10.2025 15:38 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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2/ The TL/DR is that I think this paper is both very informative, and very important. However, it needs to be contextualized as a deep study of blood from a recovery cohort, which is then being compared to public data from tissue from cohorts where many did not recover.
Add your comments to discuss

09.10.2025 15:38 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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1/ This is my first time posting a comment on a bioRxiv manuscript, but since I've been asked my opinion on this one a bunch, and I was actually one of the reviewers and waived my anonymity in review, I decided to post my review as a comment: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

09.10.2025 15:38 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
&udm=14 | the search engine Konami code A quick way to get an AI-free search without any extra work.

It should be noted that Google has noticed the backlash enough that they quietly published a code that would removed AI results for their searches.

An enterprising person built a default site to search without AI, and the results are goddamn refreshing as hell.
udm14.org

05.10.2025 09:36 β€” πŸ‘ 56    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Half of Heart Attacks in Younger Women Aren't From Clogged Arteries Traditionally, most heart attacks have been blamed on clogged arteries causing atherothrombosis – where blood clots block flow to the heart.

Sex differences matter!
www.sciencealert.com/half-of-hear...

29.09.2025 12:02 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Epstein–Barr Virus Uses Desmocollin 2 to Infect Cells | Virus World In a groundbreaking advancement in virology, scientists have unveiled the elusive mechanism by which Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), a pervasive human herpesvirus, infects epithelial cells. This discovery c...

Epstein–Barr virus exploits desmocollin 2 as the principal epithelial cell entry receptor | @natmicrobiol.nature.com

sco.lt/6i4kd6

27.09.2025 10:56 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My cousin died from a vaccine preventable illness, and that's part of why it's so important to me to work on the immunology of infectious disease. I know what's on the line.

20.09.2025 12:10 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post about my decision to vaccinate my baby ahead of schedule during a measles outbreak

Post about my decision to vaccinate my baby ahead of schedule during a measles outbreak

What if this was your kid, you ask? I'll tell you. As an infectious disease immunologist, I protect my kids through vaccination. A measles outbreak reached my county when I had an infant. Knowing the risk for severe outcomes, I read the literature, vaccinated him EARLY and then rejoined the schedule

19.09.2025 10:36 β€” πŸ‘ 70    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 2
Immune Booster #2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal
YouTube video by MicrobeTV Immune Booster #2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal

Immune Booster 2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal

19.09.2025 19:05 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Vaccines save lives
YouTube video by MicrobeTV Vaccines save lives

"If you're not vaccinated...there may not be any time."-Michal Tal

From Immune Booster 2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal (@immunofever.bsky.social )

Hosts:
@cindyleifer.bsky.social @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

19.09.2025 19:05 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Doubling down as a Toxicologist. The benefits far outweigh the harms.

19.09.2025 12:41 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Linking to my full post from that time when I was faced with a measles outbreak with a kid that was below the recommended age for MMRV. I'm so sorry for the parents who will lose access to lifesaving vaccines for their babies.

19.09.2025 11:15 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post about my decision to vaccinate my baby ahead of schedule during a measles outbreak

Post about my decision to vaccinate my baby ahead of schedule during a measles outbreak

What if this was your kid, you ask? I'll tell you. As an infectious disease immunologist, I protect my kids through vaccination. A measles outbreak reached my county when I had an infant. Knowing the risk for severe outcomes, I read the literature, vaccinated him EARLY and then rejoined the schedule

19.09.2025 10:36 β€” πŸ‘ 70    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 2

The only question now is what huge problem do YOU (reader) want to address with this incredible data set? The world's sequences are your oyster. Go make pearls!

03.09.2025 10:46 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸŒŽπŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬ For 15+ years biology has accumulated petabytes (million gigabytes) of🧬DNA sequencing data🧬 from the far reaches of our planet.πŸ¦ πŸ„πŸŒ΅

Logan now democratizes efficient access to the world’s most comprehensive genetics dataset. Free and open.

doi.org/10.1101/2024...

03.09.2025 08:39 β€” πŸ‘ 218    πŸ” 118    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 16
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Earth’s genetic diversity is a heritage of humanity. It has been an honour to explore this data with a team of dedicated scientists who shared our vision of making this data free and accessible to all 🌍🧬❀️ Thank you!

Updated preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2024...

03.09.2025 08:39 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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All Logan data is freely-available (cc0) right now. We show how Logan-Search (www.logan-search.org) can be used to uncover viral reactivation (HHV-6) in cell therapy products (TIL and CAR-T).

03.09.2025 08:39 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
An illustration from JAMA's review on adrenal insufficiency, dated June 16, 2025, showing normal and impaired hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis physiology with mechanisms leading to adrenal insufficiency.

An illustration from JAMA's review on adrenal insufficiency, dated June 16, 2025, showing normal and impaired hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis physiology with mechanisms leading to adrenal insufficiency.

Adrenal insufficiency is a syndrome of cortisol deficiency.

This Review summarizes the pathophysiology of adrenal insufficiency and approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of adrenal crisis.

ja.ma/3HKk9Jr

01.09.2025 11:00 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American."

It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

01.09.2025 11:23 β€” πŸ‘ 11896    πŸ” 5165    πŸ’¬ 325    πŸ“Œ 263
Frustrated little dude gripping a pencil saying β€œhow do I pack this down into something I can actually share?” While swirling rainbows labeled β€œINFINITE POTENTIAL” float around them.

Little dude frowns at a tiny grey box, exclaiming β€œall that work for THIS?!”

Little dude shoves the grey box into another little guy’s hands; Frowning, stomping off, and saying β€œHere you go, I made this, it sucks.”

Second little dude cracks open the box, swirling rainbows project out onto their face.

Second little dude stares in awe at all the swirling rainbows now floating around them.

Frustrated little dude gripping a pencil saying β€œhow do I pack this down into something I can actually share?” While swirling rainbows labeled β€œINFINITE POTENTIAL” float around them. Little dude frowns at a tiny grey box, exclaiming β€œall that work for THIS?!” Little dude shoves the grey box into another little guy’s hands; Frowning, stomping off, and saying β€œHere you go, I made this, it sucks.” Second little dude cracks open the box, swirling rainbows project out onto their face. Second little dude stares in awe at all the swirling rainbows now floating around them.

Sometimes we’re unsatisfied with a thing we made because when it only existed in our head, we saw all the things it could have been and when it’s done we know all the things that it isn’t, but we can’t see the way it expands into a million new things when someone else unpacks it in their head. πŸ–ŠοΈπŸ¦‘

31.08.2025 09:04 β€” πŸ‘ 25927    πŸ” 8943    πŸ’¬ 153    πŸ“Œ 206
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Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change. Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.

β€œOver the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major physical transformation, trading automotive arteries for bike lanes, adding green spaces and eliminating 50,000 parking spaces.

Part of the payoff has been invisible β€” in the air itself.”

Leadership, strategy, real action, common sense. #Paris

29.08.2025 16:57 β€” πŸ‘ 4115    πŸ” 1470    πŸ’¬ 40    πŸ“Œ 161
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The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.

A federal-state partnership that monitors for foodborne illnesses quietly scaled back its operations nearly two months ago.

As of July 1, the critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight, a spokesperson for the CDC says.

26.08.2025 15:20 β€” πŸ‘ 455    πŸ” 344    πŸ’¬ 42    πŸ“Œ 139

The year I was born. we basically had no idea why cancers happened and now we understand the underlying force behind it with 100% clarity and the molecular forces behind it with many orders of magnitude more resolution.

We were entirely in the dark, and now the room is lit.

24.08.2025 01:40 β€” πŸ‘ 6136    πŸ” 476    πŸ’¬ 137    πŸ“Œ 37
Need for awareness and surveillance of long-term post-COVID neurodegenerative disorders. A position paper from the neuroCOVID‐19 task force of the European Academy of Neurology

Need for awareness and surveillance of long-term post-COVID neurodegenerative disorders. A position paper from the neuroCOVID‐19 task force of the European Academy of Neurology

Important paper by members of the European Academy of Neurology. "Healthcare systems should be aware of, and be prepared for a potential increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in the upcoming years." What has been the state of surveillance and awareness so far? #NeuroCovid

08.08.2025 17:15 β€” πŸ‘ 142    πŸ” 91    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 24

Shared Immune and Epigenetic Pathways in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Melanoma Immunotherapy: A Cross-Disease Analysis with Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.19.671053v1

24.08.2025 06:15 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social Pediatric long COVID Is characterized by myeloid CCR6 suppression and immune dysregulation @sarmoronlo.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

24.08.2025 02:05 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

@immunofever is following 20 prominent accounts