Ana Maria Porras, Ph.D.

I'm very happy to share our latest manuscript published today in @nature.com !!
➡️ doi.org/10.1038/s415...
We analyzed data from over 34,000 participants in the US and UK, revealing strong associations between specific gut bacteria and markers of cardiometabolic health and dietary habits.

It focuses on models that have a host and a microbial component. It is centered on 8 key #engineering challenges that often arise when developing these types of models and examples of current solutions. We hope both the biomedical engineering and #microbiome communities find it useful!

In light of recent national conversations on the need for more human-relevant models, our lab wrote a review on "Innovative engineering approaches to model host-microbiome interactions in vitro," now published in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. #PorrasTMILab

authors.elsevier.com/a/1lnF%7E,3s...

Names, photos, and institutions of 2025 BME UNITE Future Faculty Fellows. Text seminar details with link to presentation schedule.

We are excited to announce our 2025 cohort of BME UNITE Future Faculty Fellows! The BME UNITE seminar series is designed to showcase future faculty candidates from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in BME. Register here: tinyurl.com/bmeunite25

When public media disappears, so do the stories that bring us together.

With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.

If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq

all conservatives are bots

Archaea and Us: Heroes or Villains? | Podcast Episode on RSS.com Welcome to ArchaeaCast! In our sixth episode, our hosts Priyanka Chatterjee and Dr. Connor Hines discuss the archaea that are very close to home–the ones that can live in and on us! In the second part...

Distraction from *all of this*, a podcast about Archaea by Archaea scientists and enthusiasts. This particular episode is about how Archaea contribute to farts (and shape the microbiome). It's informative and lighthearted!

rss.com/podcasts/arc...

I currently have a Ph.D. student and an exchange visitor ready to join is in the next 1-3 months. All they need now are their visas. They were the most qualified candidates. Like mine, many many labs will be affected. Making scientific progress is really hard right now!

If people of means are interested in establishing a 2025 “Institute for Advanced Study” for displaced/defunded biomedical scientists, I know many people who will help, including myself.
@mcuban.bsky.social
@arcadiascience.com
@arcinstitute.org

The wellness industry is so out of control that someone could argue cancer is good for you, actually, sort of a make cancer great again strategy, and A LOT of people would believe them.

The devaluation of expertise has real consequences, and belief in nonsensical remedies is one of them.

LOVE this! I also read it at first: "see a manatee at noon" and bc I live in FL, where you can indeed go see manatees at noon. I was like - that sounds AMAZING 🤣

I am so sorry to hear this. Your team’s science is so thorough and important

The Story Collider 15 Year Anniversary Show This June 3, 2025 The Story Collider will be celebrating its 15 Year Anniversary!

NYC friends and #StoryCollider fans - we will celebrate the 15th anniversary this June 3rd with an amazing show and wonderful storytellers! You don't want to miss it! Tickets on sale now to attend in person OR virtually: events.humanitix.com/the-story-co...

Bravoooooo

Yes, lots of cats and rodents (squirrells, hamsters, mice, etc..) on mine but I just realized I don't think I have ever clicked on the "Discover" feed before so I'm not sure if it is abnormal? I also think this might be my first Saturday on here

Moving from genome-scale to community-scale metabolic models for the human gut microbiome - Nature Microbiology In this Perspective, Deiner, Gibbons and colleagues describe the current strengths and limitations of microbial community-scale metabolic models in microbiome research.

Microbial community-scale metabolic models (MCMMs) map gut microbiome composition & dietary context to functional outputs, at scale.

Here, we describe these emerging tools & their utility to both basic & translational microbiome research. @natmicrobiol.nature.com

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

I'm delighted to share a useful FREE web-based app portal of powerful bioinformatics tools for microbial genomes and shotgun microbiome sequences!

It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com

If you aren't watching this show, what are you waiting for?!

Should be required viewing for anyone remotely close to the biomedical sciences

I am pretty sure department Chairs don't have access to the SEVIS portal - but International Centers do and many are indeed checking one or twice a day now :(

Terrific paper by post-doc @aclark.bsky.social in @plos.org
Comp Biol. This tutorial enables students and biologists to simulate biological networks with our tool Netflux, no programming required! #sysbio #cardiosky 🧪

Welcome to the home of #labdaptations ! My name is Kat and I am a Genetics PhD student, navigating science with a disability. Early in my grad school journey, I discovered that accessible lab equipment/tools were lacking, making it difficult for me to perform experiments.

Excited to see what you are going to share! Always looking to learn how I can make my lab more accessible

Five years ago, early career researchers needed help to survive the pandemic. Now they need it again A generation of scientists and their future work will be lost if the U.S. doesn’t act now.

Opinion: Five years ago, early career researchers needed help to survive the pandemic. Now they need it again www.statnews.com/2025/03/24/e...

YouTube video by Presidencia de la República - Colombia La otra historia, esa que no le han contado - En Santander forman nuevos héroes de la salud

Me enorgullece TANTO saber que el legado de mi papá en la #UIS siempre será el de haber dignificado lo público: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zeS...

What is tuberculosis (TB)?

Today is #WorldTBDay.

#Tuberculosis - or TB - is caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis that mainly affects the lungs.

Common symptoms include
❗️ Cough
❗️ Chest pains
❗️ Weight loss
❗️ Fever
❗️ Night sweats

Learn more about TB 👉 bit.ly/3yYNwzx #EndTB

Sublethal systemic LPS in mice enables gut-luminal pathogens to bloom through oxygen species-mediated microbiota inhibition Nature Communications - Acute systemic immune activation may affect gut-luminal colonisation dynamics. Here, the authors show that LPS exposure in mice elevates gut-luminal oxygen species levels,...

I am very excited to share our latest publication on the effect of systemic #endotoxin on intestinal #microbiota spearheaded by the brilliant Sanne Kroon at the Hardt lab @eth-dbiol.bsky.social @ethzurich.bsky.social @naturecomms.bsky.social

👉🏼 rdcu.be/eelLn

Today I lost an NIH grant training clinicians to do research about intimate partner violence with perinatal women.

More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.

I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.

How far could Trump’s NIH funding cuts set medical innovation back? By decades, UW researchers warn The Trump administration has cut NIH funding levels and paused new and existing grants from the agency, which totalled $35 billion in 2023. That’s left critical studies of various illnesses and drugs ...

Many families including mine have been impacted by Alzheimer's disease. NIH funding delays and cuts could set research back by decades, including key funding for Alzheimers's disease research centers across the US. Almost half of these centers are up for renewal now! www.kuow.org/stories/how-...

Getting a grant is freaking hard.

Getting a grant - or not - can make or break a career.

The shock of getting a grant TAKEN AWAY must be like a shotgun blast in the face.

Research on R&D Funding: Grant Funding and Talent Migration | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

www.aaas.org/news/researc...