Deadline coming up! ⌛ The #NIH Common Fund is seeking applicants to carry out pilot studies that advance the Human Virome Program. #virome #virology #funding #grant #NIHfunding

Join us! @amdiabetesassn.bsky.social, @thejdca.bsky.social, @play.breakthrought1d.org, @diabetessisters.bsky.social, @worlddiabetesfoundation.org, @endocrinesociety.bsky.social, @easdnews.bsky.social, @diabeteschat.bsky.social, @drwf.bsky.social #DiabetesLife #DiabetesChat

My first article in @theatlantic.com! The current administration has been surprisingly vocal about reducing the number of animals in research, but we don’t know how many animals are currently living in laboratories. Every animal counts. #animalresearch, #animals

Diabetes affects about 16% of U.S. adults, with millions more unaware they have the condition. With such a heavy health and economic burden, advancing research that truly reflects human biology has never been more critical. #WorldDiabetesDay #DiabetesDay #DiabetesAwareness #T1D #T2D #GD 🧪 🧵

My colleague's spread was set to publish in AMA JoE in January, the very next month after the journal shuts down. She worked for a year and a half to organize and curate it. It was such a gut punch but we've thankfully found another home for the articles.

Human pluripotent stem cells allow scientists to model human tissues & organs without using animals, but labeling cell types & states accurately can be tricky. Wang et al. propose a “stem cell-relevant manifold”—a large reference map combining human tissue & stem cell-derived data. 🧪

Breakthrough from the #MusahLab at @dukeubme.bsky.social! Using human stem cell–based models & glomerulus-on-a-chip technology, researchers revealed how loss-of-function SMAD2 variants cause defective kidney tissue patterning & glomerular dysfunction. bioengineer.org/studying-sma... #nephsky 🧪

Key actions include: ⚖️ Editorial policies that incentivize the use of nonanimal methods without requiring the inclusion of additional animal experiments 🧑‍🏫 Reviewer guidance for fair evaluation of nonanimal methods 📊 Metrics to track animal vs. nonanimal studies 4/6

The UK Home Office's new strategy, "Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods," is an important step toward embracing nonanimal methods. We took a look at how it will help mitigate #AnimalMethodsBias. 🧵 #scipub #scipol 🧪

CC: @niaidnews.bsky.social, @darpa.mil, @accpchest.bsky.social, @atscommunity.bsky.social, @resphealth.bsky.social, @carb-x.bsky.social, @lenagroup4resp.bsky.social #scipol #sciencepolicy #healthpolicy

This #WorldPneumoniaDay, let's talk pneumonia research modernization. 💡 Despite widespread use, animals cannot replicate the severity or complexity of pneumonia in humans. To make real progress, we must support human-relevant, non-animal preclinical models. #IDsky #microbiology 🧪 🧵

Incredibly insightful article on #xenotransplantation from the @hastingscenter.bsky.social. Bioethicists @jasminegunkel.bsky.social & Franklin G. Miller take a deep dive into xenotransplantation & explore its potential consequences for both patient & animal welfare. Key points below 👇

Human-based research methods like organ-on-a-chip can improve both the quality and availability of research in underserved communities. Learn more: www.pcrm.org/news/innovat...

🧠🗺️🤯 @uclengineering.bsky.social & @csail.mit.edu researchers have created the most detailed atlas of the human brain... ever. NextBrain was built using AI-powered alignment of 10,000 human post-mortem brain slices, creating a precise 3D map of 333 distinct brain regions. 🧪 #neuroskyence

‘Holy Grail’ TB vaccine target found by @thebrysonlab.bsky.social, thanks to human cell work + #massspec. Past efforts relied on mice; but this @mit.edu team mapped proteins on TB-infected human cells to guide #mRNA vaccine design. Read more 👉 www.fiercebiotech.com/research/nee... #TBsky 🧪

"Culture of disregard." When Kathy Strickland went from her private veterinary practice to caring for monkeys at Alpha Genesis, she was shocked by staff’s negligence and rough handling. Lab vets admit their job feels like keeping animals "in the game,” not healing them. #bioethics

To replace animal experiments, scientists need donated human tissue. That's why we're urging those who oppose animal testing to find their local biobank and register to donate organs and tissue after death. Learn more: https://humaneresearch.org.uk/organ-and-tissue-donation/

Advocacy groups: Let's partner to center human-relevance in COPD research. Email [email protected] to join the movement. @atscommunity.bsky.social @accpchest.bsky.social @resphealth.bsky.social @europeanrespsoc.bsky.social @respfutures.bsky.social #GOLDCOPD2025 #COPDAwareness 🫁

#COPD is the 4th leading cause of death worldwide. Treatments barely slow progression or ease chronic inflammation. Animal models have stalled progress; but human-based science can change that. This #COPDAwarenessMonth, let’s clear the air & push for research that truly helps patients. Long🧵

Researchers at @niaidnews.bsky.social used human cerebral #organoids in a maximum containment setting to study Nipah virus replication & characterize infection-associated tissue damage. by Gabriella Worwa et al., including @guspalpog.bsky.social journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #virology 🧪

💡 In this Expert Insights article from Centre for Human Specific Research, Dr. Dania Movia of @maynoothuniversity.ie talks about what it took for her to establish an animal-free respiratory research lab. humanspecificresearch.org/the-path-to-... @muresearch.bsky.social 🧪 #NAMs

In this review, @gsilvani.bsky.social, Martina Stenzel, & @kriskilian.bsky.social of @nanomed-unsw.bsky.social discuss how advances in #organoids & perfusable MPS are transforming nanoparticle design & accelerating nanodrug development by enabling more predictive assessments of efficacy.

New supporting evidence for the use of frozen human placentas in microsurgery #MedEd! In a double-blind study, neurosurgeons were randomly assigned to train on either a defrosted (previously frozen) or fresh refrigerated human placenta to determine whether they provide comparable training value.

This new miBrain model from MIT has it all: 🧠 Neurons, microglia, oligodendroglia, astrocytes, pericytes, & brain microvascular endothelial cells ⚙️ Key features & functions of the human brain 👩‍👦 Specificity to individual donors 🧬 Customizability via gene editing 📈 Scalability for large projects

Just out in NAM Journal 🧠 🧪 @fda.gov scientists demonstrated that human-based, in vitro models can effectively replicate key neural responses to opioids and their reversal. #NAMs #opioidepidemic #publichealth

Q: What do 40% of papers on animal stroke experiments have in common? A: Fake data. So found a study published Thursday in @plosbiology.org journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... 🧪 #ResearchIntegrity #SciComment

🧛‍♂️ Happy Halloween! What’s scarier than a bad review? 🍬 Reviewers handing out ‘add animal experiments’ comments like candy—even when your human-based study is solid. 👻 Don’t let #AnimalMethodsBias haunt your next paper. Learn how to protect your work: www.animalmethodsbias.org

🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃 Dipping into #MedHums to bring you this timely gem. Georgia Walton & @dominicokey.bsky.social juxtapose the reality of animal experiments done in the name of human reproductive science with the fiction of two recent horror films: Birth/Rebirth (2023) & Lamb (2021).

Funders & advocacy groups can push science toward models that reflect the human experience they’re meant to help. CC: @namicommunicate.bsky.social @bbrfoundation.bsky.social @mhanational.org @adaaanxiety.bsky.social @apapsychiatric.bsky.social @nndc.bsky.social

Depression affects 280M+ people worldwide. 🧠 Despite decades of experiments on animals, depression treatments have barely evolved, & many fall short for patients. As #DepressionAwarenessMonth comes to an end, let’s explore human-based research that’s changing the game. 🧬🖥️🧓 🧪 #SciPol

To explore the use of CRISPR-Cas13 for developing influenza therapeutics, @wyssinstitute.bsky.social & @harvardmed.bsky.social scientists used a human lung chip infected with influenza A virus to evaluate the on-target and off-target effects of antiviral crRNA therapeutics. 🧪

A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked either by a clot (ischemic stroke) or a burst blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke), cutting off oxygen & killing brain cells. #Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. & a leading cause of long-term disability. #WorldStrokeDay 🧪

We are hiring for a PhD-level Staff Scientist to join our teams in the Translational Neuroscience Division @lieberinstitute.bsky.social. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of human 🧠 neuroanatomy and molecular neuroscience recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/j...

This new study validates a 3D-printed bowel anastomosis simulator using synthetic bowel & leak testing for trainee skill assessment. By Gillis et al. of @westvirginiau.bsky.social & @uoflmedicine.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #MedSky #SurgSky #MedEd #SurgEd #3Dprinting

An oral presentation at #AAGL25 detailed a 3D-printed model for teaching a complex gynecologic surgical approach in a fellows’ bootcamp, plus the rollout and evaluation of a structured simulation curriculum. #MedSky #MedEd #SurgEd #3Dprinting

The time may come when we look back and realise that animal experiments have been a huge and costly distraction, a path we might have done better to completely avoid. #betterscience #humanrelevant safermedicines.org/blog_post/mi...

Interesting workshop from the #animalfree series for #earlycareer #researchers during which Rob Wright will present a NAMs-focused approach to searching the scientific #literature 🔎📖 🤩 📅29/10 | 🕛3pm CET | 📍online Register now: jh.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Speaking of organoids' ability to help us understand our uniquely human brains, the Braingeneers at @ucscgenomics.bsky.social are using them to "probe the emergence of human cognitive capacity – a property that defines what makes us human." #neuroskyence 🧪

In this nice review, @irenefaravelli.bsky.social, @bolanosanton.bsky.social, Juliana R. Brown, & Paola Arlotta detail the many specificities of the human brain & compare the major differences in structure, connectivity, & function with those of even our closest primate relatives. #neuroskyence 🧪

👏 Don't miss this excellent commentary in @nature.com. Nonanimal methods are revolutionizing research, yet many editors, reviewers, and funders still overlook their robustness and value—leaving researchers struggling for recognition despite #NAMs’ potential to deliver better results. 🧪

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is hiring: Postdoctoral Researcher – iPSC-Derived Organoids for Cardiopulmonary Regeneration and Precision Medicine (Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine)

Congratulations to the @gleghornlab.bsky.social on this excellent feature! Instead of experimenting on animals, Jason Gleghorn's team is using #microfluidic systems. Research labs across four continents are seamlessly using these chips to study #WomensHealth. 🧪 youtu.be/3fk7c0uFdWQ?...

By integrating cerebral #organoids with microglia-like cells derived from familial Alzheimer’s disease patient iPSCs, @uthealthhouston.bsky.social scientists developed a neuroimmune #assembloid model that faithfully reproduces Alzheimer's inflammatory hallmarks. #alzsky #neuroskyence 🧪

In this new study, Stankovic et al. of @weillcornell.bsky.social, @bakerresearchau.bsky.social, and @unimelb.bsky.social used patient-derived forebrain #organoids from autistic individuals to isolate and characterize extracellular vesicles (EVs). scienmag.com/extracellula... #AutRes 🧪

The export/import of macaques for lab research in the US is endangering them in the wild and risks trafficking zoonotic diseases along with them. #primates 🧪

"Newly published data from the agency show that imported monkeys infected with tuberculosis -the world's deadliest infectious disease- are slipping through federal quarantine and into American research facilities." - Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel In @sacbee.com www.sacbee.com/opinion/us-v...

Researchers at Hubrecht Institute and Radboud University developed an animal-free gel in which organoids can grow and expand long-term. The PIC-invasin gel allows for more consistent, ethical and affordable organoid research. @hansclevers.bsky.social @pnas.org  🔗 https://f.mtr.cool/cekttmhhtn

New review by @racsurgeons.bsky.social's ASERNIP-S questions whether animal use in #MedEd is truly necessary. The authors argue the burden of proof should fall on proponents & raise concerns about environmental impacts vs. synthetic models. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1... #MedSky

🤝 Hesperos, Inc. and Bayer teamed up to create the first-ever human microphysiological system that can model central nervous system stress. Read the paper by Autar et al. 👇 doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... #neuroskyence #invitro #mps #organonchips #brainonachip #NAMs #humanrelevant 🧪

Researchers at @mskcancercenter.bsky.social, @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social, @weillcornell.bsky.social, & @columbiapsych.bsky.social developed a new, human-relevant model for studying the role of interneuron dysfunction in #schizophrenia. 🧠 #neuroskyence #organoid