Immune Booster 2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal

"If you're not vaccinated...there may not be any time."-Michal Tal From Immune Booster 2: Sex differences in immune responses with Michal Tal (@immunofever.bsky.social ) Hosts: @cindyleifer.bsky.social @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

2/ If you have the ability, you should discuss access with your clinician, & remember that tools like masking & ventilation can also help reduce your risk of infection. Read the full post from @cindyleifer.bsky.social & @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social here: thosenerdygirls.substack.com/p/there-is-s...

Cindy (@cindyleifer.bsky.social) and Aimee (@funsizeimmuninja.bsky.social) discuss the importance of science and social media 👇⬇️👇⬇️👇

#HandFootAndMouth disease is another one of those pesky viral rashes. While it is extremely common and is highly contagious, fortunately it usually causes only mild disease. Read more from @cindyleifer.bsky.social here: thosenerdygirls.substack.com/p/my-kid-rec...

"Any cuts to research just have devastating effect on all the academic progress that we're doing.” Nerdy Girl Dr. Cynthia Leifer @cindyleifer.bsky.social shares her insights in this article: cbs6albany.com/news/power-a...

Immune Booster 15: Vaccine ground rules with Shane Crotty Cindy ( @cindyleifer.bsky.social) talks with Shane Crotty about how he got interested in science and also research.

Gut commensal microbiota drive tailored macrophage responses @cp-cellreports.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Those Nerdy Girls trust #vaccines and are taking a moment to celebrate them in August, since it is #NationalImmunizationAwareness Month. Read more from @cindyleifer.bsky.social here: thosenerdygirls.substack.com/p/august-is-...

What is sororicide?

Immune 95: Mitochondria for everyone Immune discusses how cancer cells swap mitochondria with T cells and then digs in for a discussion of an unusual checkpoint blockade that failed for cancer but could be repurposed for autoimmune inflammation. @cindyleifer.bsky.social @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

#Rabies is a rare but deadly infectious disease. The good news is that you can protect yourself by getting your pets vaccinated, and if you or a loved one gets exposed, you can get a treatment called post-exposure prophylaxis…but you have to act fast. Read more from @cindyleifer.bsky.social here:

With a new #COVID variant spreading and changing vaccine recommendations, many people want to know if they can, or should, get a COVID booster. Talk to your clinician or pharmacist today about what you can do to protect you and your loved ones. Read the full post by @cindyleifer.bsky.social here:

From the 2024 Society for Leukocyte Biology meeting, Cindy and Brianne talk with Darren Lee to discuss his career, how he got interested in immunology of the eye. @bioprofbarker.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social

Are you an immunologist working towards your first R01? Please join @aai.org and take advantage of programs like our Grant Review for Immunologists Program www.aai.org/Careers/GRIP We pair early career principal investigators with established mentors. Send me a chat for more info

What does 18,000+ brave signatories look like standing together in massive solidarity with the #NIH heroes of the historic Bethesda Declaration??... Find out by adding YOUR NAME to our #NIHLove letter here! - actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na... #StandUpForScience #BethesdaDeclaration #StopTrump

Seems a good time to invite Sen Britt to watch an NIH review panel (aka study section) analyze piles of grants over several days to identify the <10% that win funding. Applications that scientists spent months preparing, whose peers spent weeks poring through in advance of review mtg at NIH.

Powerful, bipartisan concern about NIH cuts at today’s Congressional hearing, with thoughtful questions from both sides of the aisle. Thank you @SenCapito, @SenatorBaldwin & @SenatorCollins for standing up for science. youtube.com/live/pNSYfQY... via @YouTube

Helen Chu is one of the ousted #ACIP members. She spoke to me today about her grave concerns for future vaccination policy and vaccine access in the United States. www.statnews.com/2025/06/10/c...

Fun interview we did with Justin Wilson about his career in research, his passion, and how bacterial in your gut regulate inflammation. #immune #microbiome #fundscience youtu.be/4p-VO-xD8uM?...

New! Immune talks about identification of gut bacteria that can digest protective mucosal antibodies plus Vincent covers a new paper on Zika virus that implicates fetal phagocytes in brain invasion. @bioprofbarker.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social

"Now is the time for scientists to stand up against Trump’s repressive agenda. The administration is attacking research, health & the environment. We might seem unlikely activists – but we have a duty to dissent." 🧪🔬 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

URGENT ACTION FOR NSF GRANTEES. For current & recent (since 2020) awards, archive your award history this afternoon/tonight. Screenshot/download/print your work in research.gov & alert your partners. We have credible threats to integrity of awards tracking systems (via @jeremymberg.bsky.social)

Per source, NIH has been instructed to hold off from issuing ALL awards to Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, and Northwestern (including med schools) Agency staff have also been instructed to not speak about this funding freeze to grantees and applicants

#Allergies can develop at any time during life, so some people develop them for the first time as adults. @cindyleifer.bsky.social explains this could be because they move to a new area or are already increased risk to develop allergies. Learn more at Immunology Explained: ow.ly/mXyz50VBHei.

Immune Booster 11: Immunity to Fungi with Amy Hise Immune talks with Amy Hise about her career in science, her current research using mouse models for investigating fungal immunity and navigating the challenges of being a mom in science. @bioprofbarker.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social

The myth that the childhood vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) causes autism is based on a discredited study falsely linking the vaccine to autism. Find out more: ow.ly/EqeC50VlKva. #ImmunologyExplained #Measles #MedSky #MMR

We strongly support vaccination as a cornerstone of public health, a shining example of the power of scientific research, and a vital tool in the fight against preventable diseases. Learn more: ow.ly/k0L650VjVqU.

Have you checked out the Immune Booster this week? Special guest Amanda Brown of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine sits down with hosts @bioprofbarker.bsky.social and @cindyleifer.bsky.social to talk about research mechanisms of neuro-inflammation in disease, especially during HIV infection.

All of these grant terminations coming out of the NIH aren't just devastating - they're forced actions, sloppily handled by an administration that is trying to cancel science that it does not understand. www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

#BirdFlu Update - March 2025 The latest on bird flu and a round-up of common reader questions regarding the outbreaks. @cindyleifer.bsky.social @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social thosenerdygirls.substack.com/p/bird-flu-u...

So proud of our community for standing up for one another and all of our futures. A special thank you to our amazing speakers for sharing their stories. @isakoditomassi.bsky.social @emmascales.bsky.social @alexlando.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social @hannaherf.bsky.social @altusda.altgov.info

In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities”. https://go.nature.com/4bpG2It

@cindyleifer.bsky.social giving an impassioned speech about the attack on science, research, and truth, and calling on all of us to stay vigilant and not to lose hope. Your medicines come from RESEARCH! #scienceisforall #callyourrepresentative

#StandUpforScience2025 in Science Magazine! Read more about our mission and some of our core organizing team in this article, which also talks about the incredible support we've received (THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!)

“For the last 50 to 75 years, the NIH has been the biggest funder of biomedical research in the world. Most advances in medicine, at some point, were seeded by NIH funding." Trump's cuts will cripple scientific progress in the US. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

1/ Your #ShinglesVaccine questions answered 
Here we answer some nerdy questions, but remember, you should always talk to your physician about specific recommendations for you. @cindyleifer.bsky.social thosenerdygirls.org/shingles-vac...

Come join our faculty! We’re hiring.

Today is International Day of Women & Girls in Science. Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of science & health & continue to inspire generations of scientists & innovators. 🔬 #WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM

For those of us who would like to know more about the history of indirects, how the rates are calculated, and what they cover, especially to help with your own science communication, check out this NIH video. youtu.be/1XvVibv2opQ?...

It’s day 1 of the cut to NIH indirects and universities are scrambling to adapt. I’m going to post a series of videos on all the things I take for granted, but are both vital to research and covered by indirects for research grants.

Thought it might be good to put some human faces on NIH indirects. We had an IT guy at Stanford who supported school of medicine even though he could have made way more at a tech company. Said both his parents died of cancer. Though not a researcher, this is the way he said he could help the mission

@jeremymberg.bsky.social Have you or anyone else heard about any Admin supplements to Promote Research Continuity (“Maternity Leave Supplements”) being discontinued? A new Asst. Prof. at home with a tiny baby just had hers disappear from her ERA commons account while waiting for her NOA. Awful.

8 years ago @asbmb.bsky.social gave me +18 more trainees a crash course in advocacy for their DC Hill Day. With NIH slashing indirect costs effective immediately, university Govt Affairs teams will be swamped. Here's 10 tips for scientists contacting lawmakers +pics from Denver's 2017 Science March.

4️⃣ Who to call & what to say Call your US House & Senate reps' local offices (not just DC) 📞 Find your reps here: reps.fyi 
💬 Script:
 "Hi, I’m [Name], a researcher at [Location]. The NIH cuts will devastate labs, threaten my job & slow medical progress. I urge [Rep/Sen X] to push back immediately."

This is a list of blockbuster drugs in 2024. Guess how many can trace their origins to NIH funded research? All of them.

To all my science friends and colleagues, breathe and regroup. The attacks on science are designed to disorient and distract. Support your societies and universities to lobby on our behalf. Call your representatives and senators as concerned constituents. Don’t be paralyzed, act.