🧬🧫🚅🏗️

Chicago River Swim Announced for September, and This Time Organizers Have the City’s Approval The event will mark the first open water swim in the Chicago River in nearly 100 years, according to organizers.

For the first time in nearly 100 years, the Chicago River will host a sanctioned open water swim.

The 2025 Chicago River Swim was announced, and this time organizers made sure to obtain the necessary city approvals first.

Funding cuts ripple across Northwestern, as faculty urge no deal with Trump Northwestern University faculty say their work has been pummeled by a $790 million funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration.

Nearly four months have passed since the Donald Trump administration abruptly froze $790 million in federal funding at Northwestern University, and the school’s fragile research infrastructure has been pummeled by cuts.

Made-to-order DNA goes big: new tech doubles size of custom genetic sequences Enzyme-based techniques and refinements in organic chemistry ease the generation of extended DNA sequences.

A technology feature in Nature describes how enzyme-based techniques and refinements in organic chemistry are easing the generation of extended DNA sequences. 🧬 🧪

Cool

Cool

We traveled to DC to talk to Congressional Staffers about the impact of NIH and NIBIB funding. It enables us to develop synthetic biology tools to advance cell & genetic medicines for patients in need. REPOST to deliver the message that SCIENCE saves lives & makes America GREAT!

Lots of work was presented at ASGCT this year about engineered AAV capsids that are liver detargeted. It makes me think this is a challenge that can be overcome!

Boston Public Works Department crews raising castings on School Street

What'd you do over the weekend? Public Works began resurfacing the street in front of the Chipotle where Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense

So happy that this is out in the world! Josh gives a great primer on the story. More details in the preprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social!

Summary Table of the massive defunding of biomedical research in the United States
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Precision gene editing medicine makes history, and it’s just getting started - Nature Biotechnology Despite their astounding success, custom-made base editors and prime editors will need time to broaden their clinical impact.

Despite their astounding success, custom-made base editors and prime editors will need time to broaden their clinical impact www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@synbio1.bsky.social

This kind of smart, walkable, mixed-use urbanism is illegal to build in most American cities

the data backs this sentiment up!

In a June Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani received more votes than 22 sitting US Senators received in their most recent general elections.

If you're going to ask someone to bring a burrito to your home by car, it's fair to ask you to chip in $1.50 to help address the Chicagoland transit fiscal cliff and fight climate change. #TaxBurritoTaxis
chi.streetsblog.org/2025/06/21/c...

@stevevance.net

People With Severe Diabetes Are Cured in Small Trial of New Drug Most in a small group of patients receiving a stem cell-based infusion no longer needed insulin, but the drug may not suit those with more manageable type 1 diabetes.

A single infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes. One year later, these 10 patients no longer need insulin. The other two patients need much lower doses.

Having the most T-riffic (and spoiler-free) Day with Pari from Love On The Spectrum. . SO MANY people to thank for making this happen: -Rebecca and @Netflix for reconnecting my with my old train pal. ... TikTok video by WBZ NewsRadio

I loved this video with her from Boston’s NPR station

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8r5UNL3/

In vivo CAR T cell generation to treat cancer and autoimmune disease Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies have transformed treatment of B cell malignancies. However, their broader application is limited by complex manufacturing processes and the necessity f...

🚨NEW - In vivo CAR T cell generation to treat cancer and autoimmune disease @capstantx.bsky.social direct delivery of mRNA-encoded CARs to CD8+ T cells in mouse & NHP models shows tumor control not only in blood, but also tissue. Immune reset seen at B cell recovery www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Public transit is awesome! The New York City subway is a modern miracle. It’s safer than driving

Tuesday Afternoon above Chicago.

Pope Leo XIV wears a Chicago White Sox cap, on the day of his general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican June 11, 2025. Photo by Remo Casilli for Reuters.

Pope Leo XIV reacts wearing a Chicago White Sox baseball team cap as he meets newly wedded couples during the weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on June 11, 2025. Photo by Filippo Monteforte for Getty Images.

Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, stuns in a White Sox cap.

He's right. "Nothing short of devastating"
By @holdenthorp.bsky.social @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Today is the 133rd anniversary of the beginning of the CTA Elevated Trains. On this day in 1892, the first "L" train ran from Pershing & State to Congress & Wabash. Chicago is the only city with elevated trains in its downtown area.

🌈 Rainbow around Chicago yesterday www.instagram.com/p/DKgkHE8uIQ...

In case you needed a smile this Tuesday: 10-month-old baby KJ, who received a bespoke gene-editing therapy after a six month scientific sprint - "graduated" from the hospital @childrensphila.bsky.social today and went HOME!

YAY SCIENCE!

Here's his story: wapo.st/451ZQjT

From No Hope to a Potential Cure for a Deadly Blood Cancer Multiple myeloma is considered incurable, but a third of patients in a Johnson & Johnson clinical trial have lived without detectable cancer for years after facing certain death.

After terminally ill patients tried a last-ditch blood cancer treatment, doctors are talking about a potential cure. https://trib.al/s1XkBk5

The first generative AI drug to get to a Phase 2 randomized clinical trial. The small molecule in pill form, rentosertib, showed signs of efficacy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis @naturemedicine.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

quote on a dark blue and purple background from Sudip S. Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), criticizing proposed cuts to science funding in the FY26 U.S. federal budget. The quote reads: “If enacted, the FY26 budget request would end America’s global scientific leadership. The cuts to science would imperil our nation’s future health, security and prosperity. This budget proposal stands in stark contrast to the President’s call for a renewed commitment to American scientific leadership. Congress has demonstrated a bipartisan commitment to investment in research and must do so again to answer the President’s call.” The quote is attributed to Sudip S. Parikh, CEO of AAAS and Executive Publisher of the Science family of journals. The AAAS logo appears at the bottom right.

I don't think anyone outside of universities, pharma and biotech, independent research institutions have any idea of what is happening right now. If you haven't sounded the alarm among your friends, family and colleagues, now is the time to do it.

Graphs showing 25 years of budgets for the National Institute of Health, NASA, and the NSF. In all cases, the proposed budget for next year is far, far below any year of the previous quarter century.

There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.