From the Labs at Baylor College of Medicine

Drs. R Chen, HMJ Hussain et al have identified C19orf44 as a novel inherited #retinalDisease-associated #gene jmg.bmj.com/content/jmed... @bcmhouston.bsky.social @bcmgenetics.bsky.social #JMG_BMJ

Dr. I. Rosas et al investigated the long-term clinical outcomes of adults hospitalized for #COVID19 #pneumonia idse.net/Covid-19/Art... @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMDeptMedicine #IDSE_Online

Understanding what makes some bladder cancers resistant to chemotherapy About one quarter of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) may be treated and derive a benefit with the current standard chemotherapy. To...

Drs. S Lerner, M Holt, Y Dou et al found markers in muscle-invasive #bladderCancer tumors that would help predict which patients were most likely to benefit from #chemotherapy. #bcm_urology @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMCancerCenter @cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social www.bcm.edu/news/underst...

Scientists answer a 20-year-old question in epigenetics A study has uncovered new insights into what leads to lasting differences between genetic twins.

#DNAMethylation set randomly during early embryonic development, (#metastableEpialleles), are not as common as previously suggested. R Waterland, C. Gunasekara, U. Maduranga @ccoarfa.bsky.social et al. #GeneticTwins @oxunipress.bsky.social @bcmhouston.bsky.social blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/31/f...

Proteogenomic characterization unveils biomarkers associated with chemoresistance in muscle-invasive bladder cancer Holt et al. perform proteogenomic characterization of 46 pre- and 14 post-treatment muscle-invasive bladder tumors. Multi-omics clustering separates chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistant tumors. In-de...

Drs. S. Lerner, M Holt, Y Dou et al made strides toward a better understanding of what makes some #bladderCancers resistant to #chemotherapy. #bcm_urology @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMCancerCenter @cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social cell.com/cell-reports...

YouTube video by Baylor College of Medicine TRISH (Translational Research Institute for Space Health) Overview

Interested in learning about improving human performance in #space and on #Earth? Check what @bcmspacehealth.bsky.social is doing @bcmhouston.bsky.social @doritdphd.bsky.social youtu.be/kzexQHSsHUY?... via
#YouTube #HealthInSpace

Liver cancer cases are projected to double, but more than half could be preventable Obesity-related liver cancers are the fastest-growing cause of the disease.

#Alcohol- and #obesity-related #liverCancers are on the rise, but many cases could be prevented and treated through early detection and #weightloss, according to a study co-authored by #BCMDeptMedicine Chair Dr. H. El-Serag @bcmhouston.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

How does metformin lower blood sugar? Although metformin has been the go-to medication to manage type 2 diabetes for more than 60 years, researchers still do not have a complete picture of...

How does #metformin lower #bloodSugar? Dr. #MaFukuda explains how the #brain is involved. #ScienceAdvances @bcmhouston.bsky.social #diabetes www.bcm.edu/news/how-doe...

How the common fungus Candida albicans colonizes the gut About 80% of people have the fungus Candida albicans in their gut. Although most of the time it persists unnoticed for years causing no health problems,...

Dr. D Corry, K. Mauk et al uncovered this common fungus's strategy to colonize the gut. @bcmhouston.bsky.social www.bcm.edu/news/how-the... #Calbicans

Getting to know soft ticks better, one chromosome at a time Researchers have assembled the first genome for a soft tick, Ornithodoros turicata.

Drs. #JobLopez, P. Teel et al have assembled the first #genome of a #softTick, a major step toward better #surveillance and control strategies. #HumanRelapsingFever #AfricanSwineFever
@bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCM_TropMed #txresearch @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/29/f...

A molecular bridge helps disordered proteins work properly The findings reveal that despite their disordered nature, the protein interactions that drive gene expression are surprisingly modular and even have an underlying organization.

Drs. HC Hodges @hodgeshc.bsky.social, #chanyuensan, K Cermakova @cermakova.bsky.social et al discovered a molecular bridge that facilitates interactions among disordered proteins involved in regulating #geneExpression. #BetaCatenin @bcmhouston.bsky.social #MolecularCell blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/24/f...

Can psychedelic mushrooms slow down aging? Once validated in human studies, the findings could offer new options for healthy aging and potentially age-associated diseases.

Drs. L. Hecker, K. Kato et al found an unexpected function of #psychedelicMushrooms. #aging @bcmhouston.bsky.social @emoryuniversity.bsky.social #BCMDeptMedicine #Nature_NPJ blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/22/f...

Revealing the path from heartburn to Barrett's esophagus The findings deepen our understanding of how the disease develops and offer new ways of identifying people at risk and potentially preventing the condition from progressing to cancer.

#Heartburn is not to be taken lightly. R. Jin, J. Mills et al found a path from heartburn to #BarrettsEsophagus, a prelude to #cancer. @bcmhouston.bsky.social @washumedicine.bsky.social blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/17/f...

An unexpected potential benefit of blood stem cells Until now blood stem cell mutations have primarily been associated with promoting disease progression. This is the first time that these two mutations have been shown to influence disease in different...

Research by @thekinglab.bsky.social, K Matatall et al shows an unexpected potential benefit of #bloodStemCells #AlzheimersDisease @bcmhouston.bsky.social #TCHResearchNews #CAGTHouston @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/15/f...

Handy ‘MasSpec Pen’ collection could help detect opioids from the skin This technology for rapid, non-invasive toxicology screening could allow for earlier intervention for patients at risk for drug overdose or in need of substance use treatment.

#EberlinLab, W. Clarke lab et al developed the #MasSpecPen to collect molecules from the #skin that can be screened for #opioids. #ACSPublications @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCM_Surgery @jhu.edu blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/01/f...

How Houston scientists helped save two elephants at Cincinnati Zoo from a deadly virus A new vaccine made in Texas is offering hope for one of the world’s most endangered species.

Learn how the mRNA vaccine for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus created at @bcmhouston.bsky.social shows promise by helping young elephants Sanjay and Kabir test negative for the disease at the Cincinnati Zoo. bit.ly/44tkS8Z #ElephantEndotheliotropicHerpesvirus

Dr. Wylie W. Vale, Jr. Memorial Lecture celebrates and inspires research The event celebrates the life and research of Vale, who received a doctorate in physiology and biochemistry from Baylor in 1968, by inviting renowned scientists in the field of metabolism to present t...

Check out the highlight's of this year's #ValeMemorialLecture! #BCMIntegrPhys @bcm-mstp.bsky.social #BCMGradSchool #BCM_MSTP
#metabolism as a language, J Rutter @utah.edu
blogs.bcm.edu/2025/07/10/f...

3 Out of 5 Liver Cancer Cases Are Preventable, Study Finds

Dr. H. El-Serag is one of the authors of a just-published study in @thelancet.com showing that 3 out of 5 #LiverCancer Cases are Preventable, and offer ways to reduce the risk. nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w... #AmerGastroAssn @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMDeptMedicine

A panel of the poster: Origins of astrocyte diversity - developmentally defined diversity and environmentally defined diversity.

In this 'Development at a Glance', @m-r-williamson.bsky.social, Sanjana Murali and Benjamin Deneen @bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social give an overview of astrocyte ontogeny and morphogenesis, highlighting mechanisms that regulate the development of astrocytes: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

Check out the upcoming presentation of Dr. A.H. Samee
@hassan-samee.bsky.social at The Festival of #Genomics & Biodata in Boston this June! Join his spatial analysis workshop and learn more! Register now: hubs.la/Q03kB-zx0 #FOGBoston @bcmhouston.bsky.social @flgenomics.bsky.social

Happy to welcome 2 new lab members! Lily and Baoqi are PhD students in the Cancer & Cell Biology Graduate Program, and we are thrilled that they have joined our medulloblastoma research team! @bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social

Thrilled to share our latest in @NeurosurgeryCNS t.co/EDCZVG3ltP led by @McDonMalcolm & @abkhan_md. Meningiomas with hyperostosis exhibit more severe clinical courses and overexpress secreted pro-osteogenic factors. @bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social @bcmneurosurgery.bsky.social

Check out the upcoming presentation of Dr. A.H. Samee
@hassan-samee.bsky.social at The Festival of #Genomics & Biodata in Boston this June! Join his spatial analysis workshop and learn more! Register now: hubs.la/Q03kB-zx0 #FOGBoston @bcmhouston.bsky.social @flgenomics.bsky.social

Study reveals impacts of Alzheimer’s disease on the whole body Researchers provide a new understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease affects different tissues across the entire body. The findings, published in Neuron,...

#Alzheimers disease not only affects the #brain. HongjieLi, Belen lab, YeJin_Yeah, TzuChiaoLu et al show it also impacts the whole body. NeuronCellPress @bcmhouston.bsky.social @bcmgenetics.bsky.social BCMGradSchool TCHResearchNews www.bcm.edu/news/study-r...

AI tool helps identify ‘who’s talking’ in the cerebellum The new AI tool is allowing researchers to understand the cerebellum's role across many behaviors.

#AI helps identify ‘who’s talking’ in the #cerebellum. J Medina et al are using this tool to understand the cerebellum’s role across many behaviors. @bcmhouston.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social blogs.bcm.edu/2025/05/15/f...

Measles in the Sewers? Wastewater Surveillance Offers Early Warning for Outbreaks A closer look at our wastewater could help us stay ahead of the next viral pandemic, and keep an eye on measles outbreaks.

#Measles in the #Sewers? #WastewaterSurveillance Offers Early Warning for #Outbreaks. #Houston #BCMTailorLabs #saracregeen @miketisza.bsky.social @bcmhouston.bsky.social #TEPHITexas #RiceU @uthealthsph.bsky.social @apha.org www.discovermagazine.com/health/measl... @discovermag.bsky.social

Let-7 is a key guardian of healthy lungs that keeps pulmonary fibrosis in check Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have uncovered a key molecular player that is involved in lung repair and in the...

Drs. @micrornax.bsky.social #MJSeasock, @ccoarfa.bsky.social et al identified a protein, #Let7, that keeps #pulmonaryFibrosis in check. @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMDeptMedicine @natcomms.nature.com #BCMGradSchool www.bcm.edu/news/let-7-i...

An innovative outbreak detection program that tracks viruses in #wastewater identified the #measles virus in #Houston in early January 2025, before cases were reported. #TailorLabs #saracregeen @miketisza.bsky.social @bcmhouston.bsky.social #TEPHITexas #RiceU @apha.org www.bcm.edu/news/measles...

Stay tuned: Next week we'll be chatting with Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Goodell from Baylor College of Medicine (@bcmfromthelabs.bsky.social)!

🩸 Check out the original @jem.org paper on her discovery of a side population of HSCs: bit.ly/4iUOH7S

Nolan Ryan Foundation donates $2 million for skin cancer research and prevention Baylor College of Medicine has received a $2 million gift from the Nolan Ryan Foundation to support groundbreaking work in skin cancer and melanoma education,...

#NolanRyanFoundation donates $2 million for #skincancer #research and prevention @bcmhouston.bsky.social #BCMDrmatology www.bcm.edu/news/nolan-r...