Dimitrios Davalos & Lab

🧵 New preprint! Our 4-lab team evolved Streptococcus pneumoniae in antibiotic-treated mice of varying immune states and discovered something surprising: bacteria rarely evolved resistance. Instead, they found a different way to survive — by rewiring RNA turnover.
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

How ageing harms the body’s response to raging infection A gene that protects against sepsis in young mice raises the risk of death in older mice with the condition.

These results hint that ageing lowers immunity in unexpected ways

go.nature.com/49mahk2

We need to talk about salaries in science Academia too often has a ‘passion first, money second’ culture. Overcoming this mindset is crucial for building a happy career.

Academia too often has a ‘passion first, money second’ culture. Overcoming this mindset is crucial for building a happy career

go.nature.com/4bvaCCh

Great podcast on the state of the science on brain fluid clearance and immune surveillance, by @jonykipnis.bsky.social discussing with @erictopol.bsky.social. They break down how sleep and our immune cells influence cognitive function and risk for dementia for 🧠 geek and lay audiences alike!👏

We discuss limitations of current protocols (including statistical analysis!) and provide recommendations on validating the immunicompetence of microglia in the brain organoids.

Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis: A mechanism comes into focus Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) but the role that the virus plays in MS is not clear. Recent public…

Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis: A mechanism comes into focus

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Figure 1 showing the strategy to isolate nuclei from the brain including blood vessels and the epigenetic profiles of 6 major brain cell types.

Happy to share our latest work led by @kevincziegler.bsky.social and Aydan Askarova, examining cell type contributions of vascular cell types to dementia risk. Many thanks to the donors, and for support from @ukdri.ac.uk and @alzassociation.bsky.social.
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Very excited to be part of the organizing committee for the upcoming Neurobiology of Stress Workshop, that will happen here in Montreal next June.

All the details can be found on the website 👇
www.stress2026.com

The Journal of Neuroscience has updated its policy on supplemental material. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/information-authors#suppl

Architectural immunity: Ants alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics In animal groups, spatial structure shapes social interaction patterns, thereby influencing the transmission of infectious diseases. Active modifications to the spatial environment could therefore be ...

The brilliance of ants never seizes to amaze me!
Architectural immunity: Ants alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thousands of quakes struck a major Greek volcano, mapping the plumbing beneath it A “crisis” that rocked the island of Santorini may reveal a shared magma system between two volcanoes with explosive histories

A “crisis” that rocked the island of Santorini may reveal a shared magma system between two volcanoes with explosive histories. https://scim.ag/428JVho

How a tick-borne virus enters human cells Tick-borne encephalitis virus can infect the nervous system and cause life-threatening illness. Finding the cellular gateway it uses could transform prevention and treatment.

Finding the tick-borne encephalitis cellular gateway could transform prevention and treatment

go.nature.com/3Kqp5E9

Beneficial impact of physical activity on multiple sclerosis disability progression Background Physical activity has been associated with neuroprotective and immunomodulatory benefits, potentially influencing long-term disability outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, longitud...

Beneficial impact of physical activity on multiple sclerosis disability progression jnnp.bmj.com/content/earl...

Faculty – Assistant, Associate and Full Professor - Miami, Florida (US) job with Miami Miller School of Medicine - Desai Sethi Urology and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center | 675109 The Desai Sethi Urology Institute seeks scientists to study genitourinary cancers, offering strong support, collaboration, and a new cancer facility.

We are hiring and looking for exceptional faculty! If you are interested in the fundamental mechanisms of human biology, biochemistry, metabolism, or genetics, please look here! 🧪 jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/675109/f...

#BloodBrainBarrier

"microglia are not necessary for the maintenance of BBB structure, function, or gene expression in the healthy brain"

Evidence from >95% microglia depletion by PLX5622, a CSF1R inhibitor (1 mo) & BBB ultrastructure

@cprofaci.bsky.social #Neuron 2024
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

2024 MS McDonald criteria now published

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Legend David Baltimore died yesterday. He understood the way things should work: "the real contribution of MIT is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It takes ideas seriously, but the people are relatively informal. They are not self-aggrandizing the way academics can be."

We are proud to present a Special Issue on Cancer Neuroscience, curated by editors Bennie Babayan & Ted Dobie. This issue offers a snapshot of the field through a collection of Perspectives, Reviews, and NeuroViews: cell.com/neuron/issue.... See below for details on the pieces:

How an Alzheimer's peptide and a blood protein may combine to drive early disease pathology - News A new study by researchers from The Rockefeller University identifies one possible means for the drug's impact on patients.

New research from the #StricklandLab suggests that amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers and the vascular protein fibrinogen may, when forming a complex, contribute to Alzheimer's disease. #RockefellerScience

Happy to share our latest publication on subcellular myelin proteomics and structural changes in Alzheimer disease www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Major telescope hosts world's largest digital camera: how it will transform astronomy Massive telescope will map the Universe and provide an evolving record of the Solar System and distant stars.

Massive telescope will map the Universe and provide an evolving record of the Solar System and distant stars.

https://go.nature.com/3HvKM4r

World first: brain implant lets man speak with expression ― and sing Device translates thought to speech in real time.

A man with a severe speech disability is able to speak expressively and sing using a brain implant that translates his neural activity into words almost instantly.

https://go.nature.com/4dV6avS

That is the hope, but it remains to be seen. We share some thoughts about that in the discussion of the paper if you would like to take a look.

Thanks Kelsey! Teamwork makes the dream work! And having spent a few years thinking about the science, makes you “see” things in your head… 🤓

Amyloid-β induces lipid droplet-mediated microglial dysfunction via the enzyme DGAT2 in Alzheimer’s disease Why microglia stop reducing amyloid deposits from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains is unknown. Prakash, Manchanda, et al. show that microglia increase their lipid droplets and lose their phagocytic cap...

Emma Vidal brought our concept to life.
For more info about the science produced in the @chopralab.bsky.social and ours, that inspired our geeky idea, please read the paper here: www.cell.com/immunity/abs...

But blocking or reducing DGAT2 (using a cool new drug developed by @chopralab.bsky.social ) restores microglial phagocytosis of Aβ and thereby reduces plaque load and neuronal damage in a preclinical model of #Alzheimer’sDisease

Microglia are the brain’s resident immune cells & natural phagocytes, but they stop reducing amyloid deposits from Alzheimer’s disease brains for unknown reasons. We found that microglia increase their lipid droplets and lose their phagocytic capacity with increasing Aβ exposure from amyloid plaques

Microglia: A super-heroine that had a DGAT2-blocking beverage (cans) so she could break the chains from lipid droplets holding her back (LD weights) and lift the amyloid load (beams) that trapped the neurons, thereby rescuing them in the aged Brain (City sign)! #NotTheCover @cp-immunity.bsky.social

It was fantastic to work with you, Palak and the rest of the Chopra group @pryprk.bsky.social !

Amyloid-β induces lipid droplet-mediated microglial dysfunction via the enzyme DGAT2 in Alzheimer’s disease Why microglia stop reducing amyloid deposits from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains is unknown. Prakash, Manchanda, et al. show that microglia increase their lipid droplets and lose their phagocytic cap...

Happy to share that our work "Amyloid-β induces lipid droplet-mediated microglial dysfunction via the enzyme DGAT2 in Alzheimer’s disease" is out now @cp-immunity.bsky.social! ➡️ www.cell.com/immunity/ful...