"We added the requested experiments and thank the reviewers for their helpful suggestions"

EPIGENETIC HULK READY TO SMASH AGAIN! GET IN LOSERS!

#NIH is hanging by a thread. The #CDC has been decimated. #RFK Jr. and Russell #Vought are psychopaths--I don't say this frivolously--they are cold, calculating, inflicting violence on millions through public policy. It is where we are right now. These men are not normal. 1/

We’re 7 months in, and “Pentagon plans military deployment in Chicago” is a headline in the Washington Post. And because it’s city number three, we’re already numbing to it. If you read this about any other democracy in the world, you’d conclude that it was well on the road to a dictatorship.

Situation on 14th St and W St. NW, with federal agents -- no specific agency identified -- pulling cars over for checks. They arrested a Black woman in this car. BIG crowd of people shouting at police. "Fuck you!" "What is wrong with you!" "You don't need to terrorize people like this!"

Release from HHS: HHS will wind down its development of the mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Shout out to the WSJ journalists who reported on Vought’s impoundment by footnote, causing the White House to walk it back. Impact journalism!!

Why can’t cells live without PRMT5? Our new transformative work inspired and led by @jacobroth13.bsky.social (who defends his thesis tomorrow!) shows that this arginine methyltransferase is critical for histone production and genome stability. Full story: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/5

Why can’t cells live without PRMT5? Our new transformative work inspired and led by @jacobroth13.bsky.social (who defends his thesis tomorrow!) shows that this arginine methyltransferase is critical for histone production and genome stability. Full story: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/5

New hair-raising piece from CNN about the National Cancer Institute... www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/h...

Powerful statement by Sen. Alex Padilla. Please notice that anytime senators or representatives try to conduct oversight, they’re blocked. In this case, a sitting US senator was tackled to the ground and handcuffed—for asking a question. Where the hell has Chuck Schumer been on this?

For all my NYC Chromatin / Epigenetics / Gene Expression colleagues - the registration and abstract deadline for our Summer '25 symposium is this Friday. Attendance is free (lunch and coffee breaks provided), but we need you to sign up! See here: mailchi.mp/cbee4a4e6267...

Excited for this summer’s NYC Chromatin Club! Grad students & postdocs: submit your abstracts for a chance to present a poster or talk. Come connect w/ fellow epigenetic New Yorkers! #NYCChromatinClub @dshechter.bsky.social @vivrisca.bsky.social @epicypher.bsky.social @kjarmache.bsky.social

TTLL4 glutamyltransferase is a therapeutic target for NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.07.647605v1

TTLL4 glutamyltransferase is a therapeutic target for NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.07.647605v1

We discovered a new AML vulnerability: TTLL4 glutamylates NPM1c and helps leukemia cells thrive. Knock it down and cells differentiate and survival improves. Collab between our lab and @Gritsman_lab—funded by NIH and DoD/CDMRP. Preprint: bit.ly/42oZl09 /1

Every post Trump makes about tariffs sounds like a late night used car commercial. Waiting for the post that starts with “I just spoke to my manager and I think we can get you down to ten percent…”

Director of the Nat'l Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) was summarily dismissed yesterday. So here's your reminder that birth defects kill twice as many American kids as cancer. But there is no St. Jude's for birth defects. Only the NICHD. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Analysis of Terminated NIH Grants with Word Clouds First, using the titles of grants not to Columbia... Gender and DEI predominate

14 pages of terminated NIH grants--everyone should read through the list. The sweep is VERY broad, including "The Impact of the Herpes Zoster Vaccine on Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus" & "Mitochondrial-based Determinants of Sex Differences in Acute Kidney Injury"🧪 1/n taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...

Jeffrey Goldberg thinking he was being pranked and then realizing he was actually just in the war plans group chat is such a good microcosm of how it feels to be alive right now, everything seems fake until you realize it’s actually real and incredibly stupid

Trump and Musk are basically trying to deskill America: 1) kill all white-collar jobs and replace them with AI 2) kill universities 3) use tariffs to turn the U.S. into an economic island manufacturing, oil and ag hub 4) empty the cities 5) push men into manual labor & women back into the kitchen

Another “Continuing Crisis” post, this one covering some larger principles and explaining why I’m doing these in general:

I am not going to call this a Bluetorial, because I do not want to sully that term (which, at least I, find joyful). Let’s call it a Orwellial.

Bluetorial: The path to a new pain medication with little potential for addiction Perhaps a good story to share with folks who want to learn about how biomedical research works and where advances come from.

I have heard from several sources (although details are vague) it appears that NIH is back to blocking NoA release while awaiting development of plans for dealing language, perhaps pertaining to DEI issues, in these awards. If this is occurring, it seems like a clear violation of the TRO. 1/n

Want a moral? Lawlessness is not just an exciting chance to make big money. Autocrats won’t always be on your side. You are better off under the boring, confining rule of law, because once it’s been demolished you are not in control of anything. Perhaps no one is. Especially not you. (8/8)

The only conclusion that I can draw is that their answer to this question is: Yeah, what about it? They just don’t care or think the private sector can do this, without realizing the complementary interests and skills of the public and private sectors. 3/n

This is absolutely pathetic. Saying nothing was bad enough, but this?

I have been talking to the media, Time, Fortune, NBC, etc., to explain how the onslaught on science and NIH will impact the health of all Americans. Everyone knows someone who has cancer, heart disease, or depression. Spread the word about how cutting science impacts all. time.com/7216299/nih-...

They are absolutely cutting science! Folks in the NIH intramural program are gone. Folks in extramural programs. These include PhD and MD scientists who help make NIH function as a granting agency. They are depict this as cutting easily replaceable bureaucrat. There aren't many of those at NIH.

Bluetorial: Potential impact of “NIH” “plan” regarding indirect costs on institutions

What is going to happen next with regard to NIH from the administration?

This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen. Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !” globalnews.ca/news/9793403...

Have you ever wondered how PRMT5 actually influences gene expression? See our new work - “Productive mRNA Chromatin Escape is Promoted by PRMT5 Methylation of SNRPB”. Preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2024... 1/5 #MolecularBiology