A very special thanks to Dr. Vera Moiseenkova-Bell and Dr. John Wherry @ejohnwherry.bsky.social for their extraordinary support in making this happen.

What a huge loss. I am so sorry to hear this news. David was a tremendous positive presence across all biomedical science. A once in a generation kind of scientist. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...

Yesterday we opened a new home for Immunology at Penn. Part of our large vibrant immunology community will move into this amazing space. This includes our #ColtonCenter for Autoimmunity, #ImmuneHealth and more. youtu.be/Ryv2AxPtb_E?...

Great article in the @inquirer.com om about the importance of NIH funding. www.inquirer.com/health/medic...

What's the difference between Trm and exhausted CD8 T cells? Simone Park's new work dissects this important question. These cell types are often confused, but are ontologically and mechanistically distinct with implications for immunotherapy responses. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A great Keystone meeting on Long COVID this week in Santa Fe. The field has made great progress recently, but there is much more to do. Exciting science presented about viral and immune mechanisms, clinical data and future clinical trials. www.keystonesymposia.org/conferences/...

Ozzy Osbourne was an agent of darkness and a beloved family man alike. “This cognitive dissonance is precisely why he was regarded as a titan,” Spencer Kornhaber writes: https://theatln.tc/7b1rHz12

Highly recommend this book www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...

RIP Ozzy!!!

I’ve been in academic medicine for 45 years. This is the first time I’m seeing a perfect storm, as proposed federal funding cuts threaten our ability to provide patient care, train the next generation of doctors, and conduct life-saving research. More from my conversation with @cnn.com last week.

A useful distraction this weekend....

A Path Forward to Save American Bio-Medical Research talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-pat...

To be clear, these kinds of breakthroughs are going to come to a screeching halt with the current NIH funding cuts. This new treatment is only possible because of decades of basic research. What might be possible 20 years from now if we don't destroy basic research? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Breaking News: Moody’s has downgraded the credit rating of the U.S., becoming the third major credit rating agency to downgrade the country since 2011.

Word. “The future of biomedical research in the United States comes down to a race to see whether the biomedical research community can mobilize politically, access that vast but latent political power, before the White House can do enough sustained damage to make the whole question moot.”

RFK Jr. said multiple times during his house and senate hearings today that no scientists have been fired from federal agencies. Our reporting has shown that hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists have been let go from NIH/CDC/FDA

So this is not a problem?...But we can't even buy an NIH researcher a cup of coffee because of conflicts of interest!? The hypocrisy is insane. Investigations into universities, but at the White House all gifts and straight up crypto-bribes are fine. WTF www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...

Congrats to @ejohnwherry.bsky.social, PhD—pioneer of T cell exhaustion and checkpoint biology—on his election to the National Academy of Sciences. A well-earned honor for work that continues to drive immunotherapy forward. www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na... #NAS2025

Use this link to write to your representatives as often as possible!! secure.everyaction.com/1ExSmGrI2kqH...

Dr. Anthony Fauci urges Americans not to accept "Normalization of Untruths".

Congratulations to @ejohnwherry.bsky.social and Penn colleagues, Katalin Karikó, Virginia Lee (@pennpathlabmed.bsky.social) and Mark Devlin on being elected as members of the @nasonline.org—one of the highest honors a scientist can receive!

Congratulations to Katalin Karikó (@PennNSG), Virginia Lee (@pennpathlabmed.bsky.social), @ejohnwherry.bsky.social (@PennSysPharmATT) & Mark Devlin (@physatpenn) on their election to @nasonline.org! tinyurl.com/5eehdtms

Honored and humbled. I have been very fortunate to have worked with amazing, inspirational colleagues in my lab, at Penn and in the broader community. Science matters www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

Very accurate youtu.be/8H34jcpEsFs?...

Congratulations to all of the new National Academy of Sciences members!! Special shout out to @ejohnwherry.bsky.social and Eric Skaar!!! So well deserved!

Congratulations to all the new members especially @ejohnwherry.bsky.social! National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...

TV watching recommendations The lead story on 60 Minutes tonight is about NIH and concerns about damage done and continuing during the current administration. 1/2

This afternoon at #AACR25: Attend an important panel discussion about the impact of recent federal actions on cancer research. Learn more in AACR Annual Meeting News: www.aacrmeetingnews.org/news/policy-... @ejohnwherry.bsky.social

When the moment came, Harvard didn’t hedge or flinch—it stood up. A reminder that integrity isn’t complicated, it’s just rare.

Thank you #MIT

After 8 months of peer review, our manuscript was published today @nature.com showing that bovine H5N1 viruses bind poorly to human-type sialic acid receptors. We now know that the virus is only 1 HA substitution away from efficiently binding human receptors. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Excited to share my graduate work from the @ejohnwherry.bsky.social lab on the molecular mechanisms locking in the differentiation fate of exhausted CD8 T cells (Tex), published earlier this month in @science.org immunology. Main findings below! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Live now......https://www.youtube.com/live/JofqSdWmhbM

Right now, there’s an important race happening that will shape the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the next 10 years. Judge Susan Crawford is ready to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Wisconsinites. Make a plan to vote early today — don’t wait until April 1st: wisdems.org/vote

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

So the anti-vax organization founded by the current HHS secretary is hosting a dark mirror bullshit clone of the CDC’s website. No wonder they were in such a hurry to delete the CDC’s data.

Today Donald Trump attacked me by name in a speech at the Department of Justice. Of course I am worried, but courage comes from acting in spite of being worried. I have made my choice: I will continue to speak out, I will continue to litigate, I will continue to stand tall. I will never bow down.

Uber should offer a “no tesla” option

From Forbes magazine: “NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report“ www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

ft. J. Chen, M. Ionita, Y. Feng, Y. Lu, P. Orzechowski, S. Garai, K. Hassinger, J. Bao, D. Duong-Tran, J. Wagenaar, M. McKeague, @markmpainter.bsky.social, D. Mathew, A. Pattekar @nualameyer.bsky.social, @ejohnwherry.bsky.social, A. Greenplate & @lishenlc.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Rewiring exhausted T cells to create therapeutic innovations for #ChronicInfections & #CancerTreatment doi.org/10.1126/scii... @ejohnwherry.bsky.social #ImmuneHealth #TranslationalScience

Long COVID is an often debilitating condition estimated to affect nearly 17 million Americans. AAI members, @virusesimmunity.bsky.social and @ejohnwherry.bsky.social provided expert insight on the future of treatments and research at AAI's first-ever congressional briefing. ow.ly/YXZj50Vb3sq.