Wyn Firth

We're seeking a motivated postdoc to help us and NovoNordisk generate cutting-edge human cellular models of metabolic disease. For details & to apply (by 6th Oct), see: cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc.... If you think someone in your network might be interested, please share. Thank you!

Insulin evokes release of endozepines from astrocytes of the NTS to modulate glucose metabolism in male rats The central nervous system (CNS) plays a key role in regulating metabolic functions, but conditions like obesity and diabetes can disrupt this balance…

Studies in rats reveals that insulin–dependent release of endozepines from NTS-astrocytes is fundamental to control blood glucose levels www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

PhD:GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP Studentship | University of Exeter   The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP is offering up to 17 funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2026.

Funded PhD studentship at Exeter University!

Unravelling Moral Injury in Eating Disorders in Young Adults.
MRC GW4 BioMed DTP PhD studentship for 2026/27 Entry

www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Mechanism and cellular actions of the potent AMPK inhibitor BAY-3827 The mechanism and unique molecular/cellular features of the potent and selective AMPK inhibitor BAY-3827 are unraveled.

Latest publication from the lab spearheaded by @shoreseashell.bsky.social & in collaboration with @zeqiraj.bsky.social is out. Using structural, biochemical & computational tools, this work sheds light on the mechanism of action of BAY-3827 in inhibiting #AMPK 1/3
www.science.org/doi/full/10....

Immunofluorescence image of iPSC-derived astrocytes. Green: GFAP, magenta: S100b, blue: nuclei (DAPI)

A bit late to the #MicroscopyMonday and #FluorescenceFriday parties - on the microscope at the time!
Fruits of a (very hard) side project: #iPSC derived #astrocytes

Looking forward to some functional testing next!

Green: GFAP, magenta: S100b, blue: DAPI

#neuroskyence #glia #astrocytes
🔬🧫✨🧪

PhD:GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP Studentship | University of Exeter   The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP is offering up to 17 funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2026.

www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Congratulations @neuroendo.bsky.social!!🎉

Astrocyte networks span large swaths of brain The networks are plastic, connect brain regions that aren’t connected by neurons and may enable long-distance communication between astrocytes, a new preprint shows.

www.thetransmitter.org/astrocytes/a...

Astrocyte networks are much larger than previously thought, which “flips the way we think about astrocytes and what their networks may mean,” says @liddelowsa.bsky.social.

By @callimcflurry.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/astrocytes/a...

Now on bioRxiv! Astrocytes in one brain region (cyan) communicate in expansive networks (magenta). Through tool development, tissue clearing, and many hours on our @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social Z1, we now know these networks are repeatable across mice, plastic, and specific.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Converting percepts into actions in the visual cortex and superior colliculus. at University of Glasgow on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Converting percepts into actions in the visual cortex and superior colliculus. at University of Glasgow, listed on FindAPhD.com

🚨Funded PhD studentship co-supervised by me and @matthewwself.bsky.social. Using neuropixels, behaviour, viral tracing and optogenetics you’ll study how visual areas enhance target representations vs background to support goal-oriented actions.

eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali - Blog – Does the research funding process need reforming? Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali questions the fairness of funding processes and explores alternatives that could better support innovation and equity in research.

The research funding process in #academia is highly subjective, decisions are vulnerable to bias, and the process may be actively encouraging bad practice.

In this @dementiaresearcher.bsky.social blog, I explain why it needs reforming. ⬇️

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-does-th...

And a pleasant #fluoresencefriday surprise too. Makes all those hours on the confocal worthwhile!

Huge thanks to the funders @fightforsight.bsky.social for organising an amazing day for #ECR #networking!

Image of human stem cell derived retinal ganglion cells in culture. Green = beta-3-tubulin, neural marker Magenta = gamma synuclein Blue = nuclei

Beyond chuffed to have received “Best Image” at #F4SECR2025 today, for this image. This is one of our batches of patient-derived retinal ganglion cells. A great #ECR #neuroscience day, with amazing advice for #PPI to broaden the horizons of our research - and apply it to the people it benefits! 🔬🧫👨‍🔬

Science minister outlines plans for 10-year R&D funding - Research Professional News Long-term budgets will “provide certainty” and “unlock vital business investment”, says Patrick Vallance

🚨BREAKING🚨

Science minister outlines plans for 10-year R&D funding.

Long-term budgets will “provide certainty” and “unlock vital business investment”, says Patrick Vallance.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

Interested in understanding how neural-pancreas interplay contributes to blood sugar control? We have an exciting PhD project to study galanin regulation of pancreatic #islet hormone secretion in live #zebrafish

www.exeter.ac.uk/research/ins...

Want to know more about how American Football impacts your brain health? I've got a study going and looking to recruit participants!

4 hours of your time and a little bit of blood, ideally in Exeter, but could also do Bristol, UK

Any questions? Please contact me by DM or email

#BrainHealth #TBI

Are you a postdoc or student working on a neuroendocrine research project?

Get up to £8,000 support for consumables/other research costs to enable you to carry out the best possible neuroendocrine research project.

Deadline 2 June 2025

Apply: www.neuroendo.org.uk...

A representative spatial plot of endocrine objects in the pancreas, with the colour change reflecting the size of the endocrine objects

Small things really do matter in type 1 diabetes. Exciting work from the Exeter SMF Grand Challenge team provides important insights into why #T1D in children may differ from T1D in adults. Important implications for screening strategies and future treatments. Check out our new bioRxiv paper 👇

Varicose-projection astrocytes: a reactive phenotype associated with neuropathology Glial cells are fundamental for the pathophysiology of all neurological disorders. Astrocytes, the primary homeostatic cells of the central nervous system (CNS), exhibit species-specific characteristi...

🚨The first #preprint of the #FalconeLab is OUT!🥹🚨

We found that varicose-projection astrocytes are not a physiological type of #astrocytes but they are rather associated with neuropathology.

Read more here, feedback is welcome!!

More details👇👇
1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Seeing the world through the eyes of cultured cells The metabolic environment experienced by cultured cells often differs from physiological conditions. Here, we highlight the effects that the microenvironment can have on cultured cell behavior and advocate for researchers to re-evaluate culture practices…

Online now: Seeing the world through the eyes of cultured cells

Anyone interested in working with me at Institute of Metabolic Science - Metabolic Research Laboratories, University of Cambridge, on how AMGEN's new obesity drug MariTide works? I have a 3 year postdoc position available! Deadline March 31st! please share www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50529/

Beyond the loss of beta cells: a quantitative analysis of islet architecture in adults with and without type 1 diabetes - Diabetologia Aims/hypothesis The organisation and cellular architecture of islets of Langerhans are critical to the physiological regulation of hormone secretion but it is debated whether human islets adhere to th...

Hugely excited to share a truly cross-disciplinary project examining human #islet_architecture in health&in #type_1_diabetes #T1D: combining #machine_learning, elegant #mathematical_modelling in whole section, fixed pancreatic samples stained for all 5 islet hormones:
1/2
🧪🔬🚀
doi.org/10.1007/s001...

Stem cell-derived retinal ganglion cells. Green = B-3-tubulin, red + blue = nuclear markers. Low seeding density to examine networking capacity - look at the size of those neurites! We aren’t yet sure what the green speckles (varicosities?) in the neurites are - questions, questions. Taken at 10X magnification.

Happy #FluorescenceFriday! Here’s one of our stem cell-derived retinal ganglion cells. Low seeding density to assay their networking potential, look at the length of those neurites!
Not yet sure what the varicosities in the neurites contain…🤓🧐🔬🧫
(10X magnification on Leica SP8) #neuroskyence

Recommendations for mitochondria transfer and transplantation nomenclature and characterization - Nature Metabolism This Consensus Statement provides a nomenclature framework and experimental recommendations for studying mitochondrial transfer and transplantation.

CONSENSUS STATEMENT | Jonathan Brestoff, @mitoscientist.bsky.social and colleagues bring us a #ConsensusStatement with a framework and recommendations for studying mitochondrial transfer and transplantation ✍️ 🧑‍🔬 📢

https://bit.ly/3CF0Mii

A great grant opportunity from a wonderful society that massively supported me during my PhD @exeter.ac.uk! This grant took me to present my data at my first international conference

a drawing of a brain with a rainbow and a blue one Alt: a drawing of a brain with a rainbow on one hemisphere and blue on the other

🚨 Job alert 🚨

We have a 1-year post-doc position available at @exetermed.bsky.social with @craigbeall-lab.bsky.social to study the impact of maternal diet on astrocytes during development.

Friendly and inclusive team in a beautiful location.
Application deadline 5th March

tinyurl.com/3zhd8wsm

🧠 Here’s the abstract of our latest paper and the main scheme of the discoveries of this work performed at @espciparispsl.bsky.social in Energy & Memory Team at Brain Plasticity Lab. #astrocyte #alzheimer #signalling @nature.com @natmetabolism.bsky.social 👉Full article: rdcu.be/d8pY1 🔥

Late to the party but would love to join!