JOB ALERT 🚨 The Mumm Lab @jhu.edu (mummlab.wordpress.com) is hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher to lead a new fishy project focused on identifying cues driving retinal regeneration, in collaboration with @jamesthierer.bsky.social. More details in the reply below ⬇️ #ZebrafishJobs 🧪

Excited to share our new paper! This work explores how Sonic hedgehog signaling helps coordinate retinal patterning and neurogenesis, including regulation of both cell cycle exit and progenitor competence during mammalian eye development journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

My paper is finally out in @natcomms.nature.com ! 🐟🐭🧠 Thankful to the contributors and @annamolofskylab.bsky.social for the support! How does the developing brain clear millions of dying neurons? Read below, if interested. #zebrafish #neuroscience #microglia #devbio @zebrafishrock.bsky.social 1/5

I will be at ARVO and have a poster 3006 - 0256, May 5th at 1:15. Hope to connect with you all vision people!

Our new paper is out! 🎉 Let-7 doesn’t act through a single pathway: it controls neocortical neuron fate and migration via distinct downstream mechanisms, with RBX2 dedicated to migration. A new layer of post-transcriptional control shaping cortical development www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Excited to see my PhD work is now published @cp-cellreports.bsky.social ! In this study, we used human retinal organoids to investigate how cell death occurs and affects the development and survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the projection neurons in the eye /1 www.cell.com/cell-reports...

It's #FluorescenceFriday and these retinal astrocytes understood the assignment: branching, glowing, and casually laying down the blueprint for the retinal vasculature #Retina #ConfocalMicroscopy

The Vlasits Lab is hiring a technician because our current technician was accepted into a PhD program! This position combines lab management and experiments. If you are interested in gaining experience with #retina research in Chicago, please apply. vlasitslab.org uic.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

Our Commentary on the very nice recent paper from the @bobbyjeyeguy.bsky.social lab is finally out. A nice way to get a quick summary before diving into the full paper! Hope you like it. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

New study led by Ning Shen w/ @phruzycki.bsky.social: a genome-wide in vivo CRISPR screen in a retinitis pigmentosa mouse model identifies genes whose loss accelerates photoreceptor death. Overexpressing two, UFD1 and UXT, preserves photoreceptors, retinal function, and vision. 🧵

“The atoh7:iCre;ubi:Switch transgene combination successfully recapitulated the onset of endogenous atoh7 expression… We determined 79% of total RGCs in the wild type retina come from atoh7+ progenitor cells, a greater number than reported in the mouse retina” New from @joelmiesfeld.bsky.social 🐟

I’m hiring a research tech to join my lab! Anyone interested can reach out to me for more information. This is a good opportunity for someone looking to expand their research skills prior to graduate school. mcw.wd503.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...

Two Scientists walk into a bar and they meet with Deepak Lamba!! www.gene.com/stories/the-...

Resident tissue #macrophages (RTM) are now recognized as integral regulators of tissue physiology, not transient immune sentinels. one fundamental question remains unresolved: why do some populations achieve lifelong self-maintenance, while others are replaced under steady-state conditions? 🧵1/11

Join us in Toronto, July 13–16 for the International Conference on Neurogenesis and Repair. Featuring keynote Dr. Jeffrey Macklis (Harvard), 13 short‑talk slots, poster sessions, and many trainee travel awards Details + registration: event.fourwaves.com/neurogenesis... Hope to see you there!

The 2026 Visual System Development GRC and GRS are fast approaching. Jeremy Kay, Kristen Kwan, Robert Johnston, and I have built an exciting program that we hope you will enjoy. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting this summer in beautiful Maine. Register and RT!

New preprint from the group on the evolution of retinal cell types. Check the summary by Dario @dariotommasini.bsky.social !

I'm excited to share our PNAS paper from 1st author Kasia Hussey. We study how the foveola, the high acuity region of the retina, is patterned by RA and TH. We were surprised to find that cone subtypes appear to convert fates. Our studies are important for AMD sufferers. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Happy to announce that our latest paper is now out! Have you ever wondered how neural tissues control their size? In this paper, we show that cell division orientation is critical in both the cortex and retina. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Join us in Toronto, July 13–16 for the inaugural International Conference on Neurogenesis & Repair! Featuring keynote Jeffrey Macklis (Harvard) + global speakers. 13 competitive short talks, poster sessions, and separate trainee awards. Early‑bird deadline: March 31.

I'm so excited that @christ3na.bsky.social 's paper describing temporal control of photoreceptor development in human organoids is out at Genes and Dev and we got the cover! genesdev.cshlp.org/content/40/1... genesdev.cshlp.org/content/40/1...

🧬👁️ Our Science Advances paper is published! snATAC-seq analysis across lamprey to human retina uncovers deeply conserved cis-regulatory codes in all six retinal cell types — even with extensive enhancer turnover. Immensely grateful to my coauthors and collaborators. 🙏 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Excited to announce that the newest paper from my lab on the Drosophila visual system is out today! Modulating the levels and activity of the retinal determination network is sufficient to induce the specification of distinct tissue fates in Drosophila url: journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...

Just a heads up: I just got a phishing attempt pretending to be from the #VisualSystemDevelopment #GRC. It looked pretty convincing at first glance, so be careful!

Our latest paper is out! While the circadian photoentrainment circuit has been extensively studied, the mechanisms regulating its development remain poorly understood. Here we show that retinal Müller glia play a key role in this process. Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

That merely being “under review” by a Nature family journal is offered as a quality proxy for a paper is a tragic illustration of the extent to which academia is addicted to brands and outsources evaluation

Turquoise killifish naturally develop hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration with advancing age https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.23.683644v1

It's #FluorescenceFriday!

Excited to share my PhD work! We characterize waves of cell death during human retinal development, and show how blocking apoptosis promotes RGC long-term survival and alters their developmental dynamics in organoids. These findings will improve future organoid design for retinal disease modeling‼️

🎉 New preprints from the lab! (1) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New preprints from the lab!! (2)

A big thanks to the NEI for supporting my new R01 and MCW for highlighting the research focus. We’ve already made some interesting discoveries and I’m excited to see how the research progresses for years to come. www.mcw.edu/mcwknowledge...

Our latest manuscript is out, and this one tackles the problem of cellular aging in the retina, using comparative multiomic analysis of zebrafish, mouse, and humans. What led us to work on aging after studying development and regeneration? Explainer follows./1 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Preprint! We localized polySia in the retina of 8 vertebrates, 2 cephalopods, human, and organoids. We determined that polySia is a useful surrogate marker for Müller glia, and that polySia distribution in fish Müller glia differs from all other vertebrates. 👀🧪 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?" Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

Excited to share this study! We created a developmental atlas of the anterior segment of the eye and provide crucial molecular information that guides the development of Schlemm’s canal and trabecular meshwork cell subtypes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our work on the TET enzymes in retinal development is out. We identified that rod fate is inhibited when DNA demethylation is prevented by removal of the TET enzymes. Interestingly, photoreceptor numbers are normal. We utilized WGBS and bACE-seq to profile the precise localization of 5mC and 5hmC,…

My lab's newest research paper on the Drosophila eye is published in Development today. Thanks to the editorial staff for writing a research highlight and interviewing us about our work. journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...

Paper alert! With co-first authors Nick Tolman and @taiboli.bsky.social , we profile trabecular meshwork cells using single-cell RNA + ATAC seq, identify mitochondrial dysfunction in an early-onset glaucoma model, and use Vitamin B3 to protect against nerve damage. elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Hi all, we got a grant for a cool project that will follow up of our paper published a few months ago (see below). We will explore how light acts as a morphogen to instruct PCP. If you are looking for a postdoc position and interested in this topic, please reach out!

We recently wrote a review about neuroimmune interactions in retinal repair. We dive into the literature regarding immune influences in Muller glia reprogramming, cell transplantation, and axon regeneration. Hopefully its useful, free link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1k-FL4pAsj...

We recently wrote a review about neuroimmune interactions in retinal repair. We dive into the literature regarding immune influences in Muller glia reprogramming, cell transplantation, and axon regeneration. Hopefully its useful, free link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1k-FL4pAsj...

So you want to study the optic nerve head. You’re thinking a Pax2-Cre driver should work, right? Well, think again: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300047/

The final version of our eLife manuscript on viral Oct4-mediated neurogenic reprogramming of retinal Muller glia is now out, with all reviewer comments addressed. elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Excited to share our latest (and first from the lab) preprint where we investigated the molecular mechanisms that drive Nestin-expression progenitor differentiation in the developing cerebellum. 🧠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our latest manuscript on glia-to-neuron conversion in retina is out in @elife.bsky.social. We show that AAV-mediated overexpression of Oct4 induces glia-to-bipolar cell conversion in wildtype retina, and that this is greatly enhanced by loss of function of Rbpj. elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Check out this tour de force work from @christ3na.bsky.social in my lab! Her studies reveal how developmental timing in the retina is controlled like an hourglass. The progenitor:neuron ratio shifts to control signaling levels and trigger photoreceptor development over time. Check it out!!

Very excited to share (most of) my PhD work, in which we use human retinal organoids to understand how thyroid hormone signaling is regulated in the developing retina to promote robust and accurate photoreceptor subtype specification. Turns out, it's a lot more complicated than we expected. 1/n

During the 2008-09 recession when Harvard had massively over-leveraged its endowment, we were told we could no longer get toppings on our pizza for journal club--cheese only. Maybe they should try that again before cancelling searches.