Dr. Arnaldo Díaz

As a first-generation college student, building a network was not an easy task. Now that I’ve come a long way, I make it a priority to leverage my network to support other first-generation individuals embarking on their own professional paths. #FirstGen

Some days the walk feels heavier & we are tempted to give up. These moments are more common than we think. We must give ourselves a break & prioritize our well-being. Let’s make sure we rest & seek help, if needed, so we can regain strength & continue with firm steps forward.

I am so happy to join the HHMI Gilliam community, keep working in cancer metabolism, and continuing my passions in scientific outreach and communication!

Huge thanks to all of my current and past mentors!
@lyssiotislab.bsky.social, @ajdiazphd.bsky.social, Dr. Yatrik Shah

Congratulations, Andrew! I am very proud of you! 👏🏽

Chemoprevention for hepatocellular carcinoma using GalNAc-siRNAs The ability to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic liver disease remains an unmet clinical need. We performed a head-to-head comparison of GalNAc-conjugated siRNA mediated ...

ONLINE NOW in @biologists.bsky.social "Disease Models & Mechanisms:" from CRI's @haozhulab.bsky.social about siRNAs for liver cancer prevention ⬇️ read more #relentlessdiscovery 🧪
journals.biologists.com/dmm/article/...

Acknowledging when you don’t have the answer or feel lost is the first step toward growth. We don’t have to do it alone & there’s no shame in asking for help. Being vulnerable & approaching situations with humility makes us stronger.

Mentors also need mentors.

Humility is not a lack of confidence. Humility is a lack of arrogance.

Arrogance says "I can do great things and you can't, so I'm better than you."

Confidence says "I can do great things and so can you, let's work together."

It's possible to own your skills without diminishing those of others.

Acknowledging when you don’t have the answer or feel lost is the first step toward growth. We don’t have to do it alone & there’s no shame in asking for help. Being vulnerable & approaching situations with humility makes us stronger.

Mentors also need mentors.

Taking wellness days to prioritize your mental & physical health is essential, & you should never feel guilty or ashamed for doing so.

Allow yourself time to rest; you are not losing time, you are gaining strength for a solid path forward.

Taking wellness days to prioritize your mental & physical health is essential, & you should never feel guilty or ashamed for doing so.

Allow yourself time to rest; you are not losing time, you are gaining strength for a solid path forward.

Don't limit the size of your dreams based on a scale that isn't defined by you.

Don't limit the size of your dreams based on a scale that isn't defined by you.

Congratulations, @luis840alberto.bsky.social and @kvnforsberg.bsky.social, on your recent publication in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social!

PEX39 facilitates the peroxisomal import of PTS2-containing proteins - Nature Cell Biology Chen et al. show that PEX39 cooperates with PEX7 in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a PTS2 site and uncover an (R/K)PWE motif in PEX39 and PEX13 that binds to PEX7 and facilitates the im...

Our work on new paradigm in peroxisome biogenesis and PEX39 (1st human peroxisomal biogenesis protein (peroxin/PEX) found in > 20 yr) is out in @natcellbio.nature.com! Equal collab w/Tony Rodrigues (Jorge Azevedo lab), @dwendscheck.bsky.social (Bettina Warscheid lab)

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

DeBerardinis Lab discovers first human peroxin in 20 years - Children's Medical Center Research Institute (CRI) | Dallas Texas CRI researchers, international colleagues identify PEX39, which facilitates peroxisomal protein import PEX39 is the first new human peroxisomal biogenesis protein, a peroxin or PEX, to be identified i...

ONLINE NOW in @natcellbio.nature.com: CRI's @rjdlab.bsky.social Lab postdoc @walterwchen.bsky.social & international colleagues have discovered the first new human peroxin in 20 years. Read more ⬇️ cri.utsw.edu/deberardinis... #relentlessdiscovery 🧪

👏👏👏 Congrats to CRI grad student researcher Dylan Calhoon! He'll be presenting about the most recent #relentlessdiscovery from the Garcia-Bermudez Lab. 🧪

Congratulations, @luis840alberto.bsky.social and @kvnforsberg.bsky.social, on your recent publication in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social!

Very proud to have our lab’s first work published in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social!

In this work, we use functional metagenomics to find phage defenses from human and soil microbiomes!

Congrats to first author @luis840alberto.bsky.social !

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

(1/3)

We get to use our curiosity, ingenuity, and drive to learn brand new things about a dizzyingly complex world. How cool is that? Along the way (if we do it right), we can launch careers for some amazing young scientists – how rewarding!

10/10, end.

And when I say ‘we’, outsized credit should go to Luis Rodriguez-Rodriguez (@luis840alberto.bsky.social), the 1st grad student in my lab and 1st author on this paper. Congrats Luis!

So, what did we find?

2/10

Functional Metagenomic Selections for Phage Defense

My lab’s first preprint!

We used functional metagenomics to identify phage defenses in human and soil microbiomes. We scaled these selections while maintaining accuracy, enabling us to examine 9 habitats for defense elements against 7 phages.

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

1/10

🌟Congrats to my colleague and friend, @jenheemstra.bsky.social, on this incredible milestone! 👏🏽

Your journey has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to so many. I’m looking forward to reading your book 📕. I’m sure it will help guide and support others on their own academic journeys.

Sometimes we’re so focused on the wins that we might overlook the lessons hidden in the losses. Every experience teaches us something.

Sometimes we’re so focused on the wins that we might overlook the lessons hidden in the losses. Every experience teaches us something.

🌟Congrats to my colleague and friend, @jenheemstra.bsky.social, on this incredible milestone! 👏🏽

Your journey has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to so many. I’m looking forward to reading your book 📕. I’m sure it will help guide and support others on their own academic journeys.

Picture of a smiling person holding up a copy of a book.

First copies of my book are here!! As a new faculty member, I realized that in addition to my research job, I also had a leadership job…and I wasn’t prepared for that.

This book is the guide I wish I’d had then, with the goal of helping others now.
 
jenheemstra.com/book

Setbacks won’t define us, but how we respond to them will. We’ve got this. Our efforts and sacrifices won’t go unnoticed.

Illustration of a scientist holding her child's hand while talking to colleagues. Text says: Making myself visible as a grad student parent

"Despite my discomfort and the potential for backlash, I need to make myself visible as a single parent and to advocate for change."

On #NationalParentsDay, read about how this researcher has advocated for more support for grad student parents. scim.ag/3UpZSLJ

The weight carried as a first-gen college student can be heavy at times, but I assure you that the reward of paving a path for others to follow makes the journey unique and worthwhile. #FirstGen

Medin drives Aβ40 to adopt Aβ42-like fibril polymorphs in vitro Medin, a vascular amyloid derived from MFG-E8, is the most prevalent form of localized human amyloid and co-localizes with Aβ in Alzheimer’s disease and, in particular, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CA...

🚨New Preprint Alert🚨
Collaborative effort from my post‑doc days at @vib-switch-lab.bsky.social, so many brilliant colleagues came together to show how medin steers Aβ40 toward Aβ42‑like fibril polymorphs. Grateful to have played a part!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #amyloid #Alzheimers