Ajith Vasanthakumar

NR4A2 & RGS16 promoters support delivery of cytokines (e.g. IL-12) directly to the tumor site, leading to enhanced antitumor efficacy and long-term survival of mice in both syngeneic and xenogeneic models @nature.com @paulbeavis4.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Clinician Scientist Fellowship - Parkville, Melbourne (AU) job with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre – Parkville | 12839522 Peter Mac is launching Australia’s first clinician-scientist fellowship to advance cancer care, fostering innovation and global collaboration.

Australia completely lacks a dedicated training program for clinician scientists. With the vision and support of VMIAL
@petermaccc.bsky.social is extremely proud to announce the first clinician-scientist fellowship. If you meet the eligibility criteria PLEASE APPLY!
www.nature.com/naturecareer...

I am so excited to share our new publication on Nature Metabolism about the metabolic reprogramming in gamma delta T cells in response to inflammation.
#gdt #immunometabolism
Thanks for my research team in groups of @timsparwasser.bsky.social in Germany and Princeton @lydialynch.bsky.social 🙌🏻

CCR8+ decidual regulatory T cells maintain maternal-fetal immune tolerance during early pregnancy Decidual CCR8+ dTreg cells, with a highly activated and immunosuppressive phenotype, are crucial for maternal-fetal immune tolerance.

CCR8+ decidual regulatory T cells maintain maternal-fetal immune tolerance during early pregnancy | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

LCK–co-receptor association ensures T cell lineage fidelity and maximizes epitope-specific TCR diversity LCK-mutant mice help define the role of LCK–co-receptor association in T cell development and immune responses.

Our paper is out!
LCK–co-receptor association ensures T cell lineage fidelity and maximizes epitope-specific TCR diversity | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Someone awesome in my circle shared some terrific news with me today but was hesitant to do so because of all that is going on in the science world.

It may appear insensitive that you are celebrating when other colleagues are struggling but I entreat you to celebrate & share good news. 1/

If any American immunologists want to write an op-ed for @immunolcellbiol.bsky.social on the impact of the new executive orders, please contact me

One More Time: Why Diversity Leads To Better Team Performance Discussions on diversity in the workplace can be heated and contentious. But the data still shows more diverse teams outperform their less diverse peers. Here's how.

www.forbes.com/sites/roncar...

Very excited about this collaborative study between @petermaccc.bsky.social @danielutzschneider.bsky.social and Kallies lab

Cool new study from the lab of my friend and collaborator @danielutzschneider.bsky.social in #ScienceImmunology showing that a common ID3+ precursor gives rise to stem-like memory and Tpex cells. Congrats to everyone involved!! @rickyjohnstone.bsky.social @petermaccc.bsky.social @onjcri.org.au

@ozsinglecell.bsky.social #OzSingleCell25 has a new website www.ozsinglecell.com See the current list of invited speakers and stay tuned for registration details. Sponsors reach out to ozsinglecells@gmail.com

The meninges host a distinct compartment of regulatory T cells that preserves brain homeostasis Meningeal regulatory T cells restrain local interferon-γ–producing lymphocytes, thereby safeguarding parenchymal brain homeostasis.

Exciting new study from the Mathis group showing the features and functions of meningeal Tregs now in Science Immunology!!@https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adu2910n

An atlas of transcription initiation reveals regulatory principles of gene and transposable element expression in early mammalian development Mapping transcription start sites across five mammalian species before, during, and after embryonic genome activation unveils widespread transposable element-driven transcription and co-option of evol...

Tour de force! @metorrespadilla.bsky.social & team develop Smart-seq+5′ to map TSS in single embryos with unprecedented res revealing plethora of TE-driven transcripts in 5 mammal species. Some surprisingly old & conserved. Treasure trove of new biology for yrs to come!
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Bile acid synthesis impedes tumor-specific T cell responses during liver cancer The metabolic landscape of cancer greatly influences antitumor immunity, yet it remains unclear how organ-specific metabolites in the tumor microenvironment influence immunosurveillance. We found that...

Interested in how T cells are regulated in a tissue-specific manner? Karthik Varanasi’s exciting work shows Bile Acid synthesis impedes tumor-specific T cell responses during liver cancer @science.org Huge THANKS to all the amazing collaborators + @salkinstitute, SBP
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Nutrient-driven histone code determines exhausted CD8+ T cell fates ACLY-deficient CAR T cells targeting the tumor-associated antigen disialoganglioside GD2 (GD2 CAR T cells) also resisted acquiring TEX-like properties, exhibiting reduced CD39 expression when co-cultu...

Here is link to Shixin's new paper: www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....

Nutrient-driven histone code determines exhausted CD8+ T cell fates ACLY-deficient CAR T cells targeting the tumor-associated antigen disialoganglioside GD2 (GD2 CAR T cells) also resisted acquiring TEX-like properties, exhibiting reduced CD39 expression when co-cultu...

The fate of T cells, such as seen in exhausted T cells, is tied to nutrients. This introduces the potential of therapies directed at keeping T cell identity and function intact. (And the infamous Krebs cycle makes a comeback to my brain)

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Jobortunities: Shortly advertising for 2 positions, both working on the Breast Cancer Atlas, in Sydney.
- Wet lab research assistant: mol bio +/- pathology desirable
- Comp. Research Assistant: scRNA-Seq, spatial transcriptomics and ML
Details to follow, DM or email if you are a great fit.

ChIP-DIP maps binding of hundreds of proteins to DNA simultaneously and identifies diverse gene regulatory elements - Nature Genetics ChIP-DIP (ChIP done in parallel) is a highly multiplex assay for protein–DNA binding, scalable to hundreds of proteins including modified histones, chromatin regulators and transcription factors, offe...

Gene regulation involves thousands of proteins that bind DNA, yet comprehensively mapping these is challenging. Our paper in Nature Genetics describes ChIP-DIP, a method for genome-wide mapping of hundreds of DNA-protein interactions in a single experiment.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Remodeling of Il4-Il13-Il5 locus underlies selective gene expression www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We have a new position for a bioinformatician / computational biologist exploring genomic and epigenomic features of #cfDNA to uncover new cancer biology.

careers.petermac.org/job/MELBOURN...

Peter Mac is excited to join BlueSky! 🦋 We look forward to sharing ideas, fostering positivity, and connecting with you all as we work together to advance cancer care and research. Let’s inspire, collaborate, and make a difference!

Vascular mural cells protect the adult brain from haemorrhage but do not control the blood-brain barrier in developing zebrafish The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from circulating metabolites and plays central roles in neurological diseases. Endothelial cells (ECs) of the BBB are enwrapped by mural cells includin...

Latest preprint from the lab!

Vascular mural cells protect the adult brain from haemorrhage but do not control the blood-brain barrier in developing zebrafish

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

Keystone Symposia conference in 2026 for B cells and plasma cells, in Keystone Colorado

Save the date! It may be a while to go yet, but I’m very excited for our B-cellapalooza in 2026!