Alejandro Brenes
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Alejandro Brenes
@ajbrenes.com
PostDoc @walmsley-lab.bsky.social @edinuni-irr.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social

| neutrophils single cell proteomics | road cyclist and aero bike enthusiast 🇨🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Creator of the Immunological Proteome Resource @immpres.bsky.social
Pinned
Excited to share our work at @natcomms.nature.com

We used single cell proteomics to define the functional heterogeneity of human neutrophils in glioblastoma, finding pro and anti-tumorigenic effector states invisible to scRNAseq.

SCP will revolutionise immunology, this is just the start
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Excited to share our newest paper in @emboreports.org! We used proximity-labeling proteomics to examine how different disease mutations in SHP2 alter its interactions and localization. This was a huge undertaking led by former graduate student Anne an Vlimmeren.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Proximity-labeling proteomics reveals remodeled interactomes and altered localization of pathogenic SHP2 variants - EMBO Reports
Missense mutations in PTPN11, which encodes the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, are common in several developmental disorders and cancers. While many mutations disrupt auto-inhibition and hyperacti...
link.springer.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Our first mass spectrometry based single cell proteomics dataset is opnely available. Explore protein abundance profiles across all tumour associated neutrophil populations.

And thanks to @wellcometrust.bsky.social we have funding to develop new visualisations and modules for SCP. #immunosky
December 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Some very good news for science and education in the UK and EU! 🎉
🧪 #AcademicSky

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
EU’s Erasmus scheme to reopen to UK students for first time since Brexit at cost of £570m
Deal agreed to rejoin exchange programme in 2027, fulfilling Labour election manifesto pledge
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Great to see Professor Akram on STV last night joining our call for the rollout of a targeted lung cancer screening programme in Scotland to diagnose the disease earlier and improve survival. Currently, 68% of cases in Scotland are diagnosed at a late stage.
IRR Group Leader Prof Ahsan Akram, appeared on STV last night to call for the rollout of lung cancer screening in Scotland. Early diagnosis saves lives - Scotland has no national lung cancer screening programme, in contrast to England, which has already screened 1M+ people.

edin.ac/4qebkIr
December 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Our work using single cell proteomic to define neutrophil functional states in human glioblastoma is out in @natcomms.nature.com

Thanks to all authors, collaborators, editors and reviewers. It id exciting to see the potential SCP has to map neutrophil biology.
Single cell proteomic analysis defines discrete neutrophil functional states in human glioblastoma - Nature Communications
Neutrophils infiltrate glioblastomas with the capacity to engage pro/anti tumoural responses. Here the authors developed proteomic workflows to stratify neutrophil heterogeneity by function. This work...
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
New study (Walmsley lab) has for the first time, found the set of proteins neutrophils express within a tumour at high detail. This tech has opened the door to understanding neutrophil roles in brain tumours such as glioblastoma but also more generally in health and disease states.

edin.ac/48JhnPq
December 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Excited to share our work at @natcomms.nature.com

We used single cell proteomics to define the functional heterogeneity of human neutrophils in glioblastoma, finding pro and anti-tumorigenic effector states invisible to scRNAseq.

SCP will revolutionise immunology, this is just the start
December 15, 2025 at 8:09 PM
$1.8 million aus, for a cellenOne, Tecan Fluent, evosep One and an Astral Zoom? 😮
Australia’s 1st Single Cell Cancer Proteomics Lab is coming! Backed by a $1.8m Australian Cancer Research Foundation grant & based at #USYD's Sydney Mass Spectrometry, the national platform will let researchers examine proteins in individual cancer cells, opening new paths to personalised treatment.
December 4, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
For context the 'Middle England' referred to here is the 0.5% of households living in homes worth more than £2 million
November 30, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Save the date! 🗓️

The YPIC Annual Proteomics Gathering is returning for the 3rd time and is coming to Madrid in April 2026! 🎉

Seats will be limited to around 100 participants, so stay tuned and be ready to secure your spot! ✨

#APG2026 #YPIC #Proteomics #EuPA
December 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Discover iPEX: a breakthrough in spatial proteomics revealing untargeted protein locations at micrometer resolution using tissue expansion and MALDI imaging. PMID:41224995, Nature 2025, @Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09734-0 #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA #ASHG #ESHG 🧪
iPEX enables micrometre-resolution deep spatial proteomics via tissue expansion | Nature
The number of spatial omics technologies being developed is increasing1. However, a missing tool is one that can locate proteins in tissues in an untargeted manner at high spatial resolution and coverage. Here we present in situ imaging proteomics via expansion (iPEX), which integrates isotropic tissue magnification2 with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging. iPEX provides scalable spatial resolution down to the micrometre scale and substantially increases the sensitivity of protein identification by 10–100-fold. Using the retina as a model, iPEX enabled the construction of spatial proteomic maps with high precision, the visualization of single-cell layers and extrasomatic structures and the identification of colocalized proteins. iPEX was readily applied to diverse tissues, including brain, intestine, liver and organoids, detecting 600–1,500 proteins at 1–5-µm effective pixel size. The application of iPEX to depict spatial proteomic maps in bra
doi.org
November 30, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Instead of simply empowering disadvantaged scientists, advanced AI models are creating an environment of mistrust where we will rely even more on poor proxies of reputation, favoring established scientists, privileged institutions and entrenching us into the system of tiered scientific journals.
November 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Single-cell proteomics is revolutionizing biology by measuring proteins in individual cells in real time. Join Ileana Cristea (@princeton.edu) for this #MolCellProt symposium at #ASBMB26!
www.asbmb.org/annual-meeti...
☑️ Late-breaking abstracts open soon — submit by Jan. 15: l.feathr.co/ESm5YGn8Ps7w.
Scientific symposia
www.asbmb.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
New preprint! More landing soon!
November 25, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
I tried the updated Gemini image generator on scientific related image prompts that have failed in the past and I am really impressed by the quality of the outputs. The first is drawing a diagram for a pocket prediction algorithm using Voronoi diagram, Delaunay triangulation and alpha shapes
November 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
A very nice highlight of our recent paper!
nature.com Nature @nature.com · Nov 20
Researchers have identified gene-regulatory variants that might have contributed to Neanderthals’ beefy jaws — offering a window on how the human face developed

go.nature.com/3Ke6StJ
Neanderthal DNA reveals how human faces form
Subtle genomic variations between humans and Neanderthals provide clues to how DNA shapes our facial features.
go.nature.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Solving the computational challenge of phosphoproteomics with 𝐏𝐡𝐨-𝐓𝐢𝐩: dephosphorylation on-tip identifies the sequences of phosphorylated peptides.

This serves as a basis for predicted spectral libraries, reducing the search space 10x-20x. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Great lab and great opportunity, take a look and get in touch with luke if you want more details
Quick heads up - there will soon be a job posting for a Staff Scientist / Senior Staff Scientist in our lab in Copenhagen to support all our mass spec proteomics adventures!

Great colleagues, lots of cool projects… and you’ll get to work with me 😅

Please DM if you’re interested!
November 21, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Affinity has been my favorite design software for awhile now. Now that its free is even better!
I'm a longtime fan of Affinity Designer as an affordable Illustrator-killer for figures, and... it's now free?! www.canva.com/newsroom/new...
Highly recommended if you're sick of paying Adobe $. Maybe Canva can buy NPG too and get rid of the OA fees.
Why we made Affinity free, and how we’ll keep it that way
We’ve made Affinity completely free, empowering professional designers with studio-grade creative software, supported by Canva’s sustainable ecosystem.
www.canva.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:49 AM
excellent webinar that will be 100% worth it. there's still to register so dont miss out
One week to go for our November webinar on Proteomic approaches to investigate proteolytic ECM remodeling with Dr Salvo Santamaria ft. short talks by PhD students Tina and Alex
Register here: forms.gle/7fXirr7kskVy...
Our November #TheMeshwork seminar dives into proteomics & proteolytic ECM remodeling in cardiovascular pathologies 🫀Featuring Dr. Salvatore Santamaria and PhD students Tina Burkhard & Alex Minns @uniofsurrey.bsky.social

📅 Nov 25 | ⏰ 1 PM UK 🔗 Register: forms.gle/EY6aiWgsS3Rb...
November 17, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl...

Fantastic PhD opportunity with us! 'Can gut stem cells remember?' Apply below. Grateful for a share!
#PhD #stemcells #epigenetics
November 14, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Congratulations to Bill Noble on receiving the 2026 Gil Omenn Computational Proteomics Award from US HUPO!
us-hupo.org/Computationa...
US HUPO - Computational Proteomics Award
us-hupo.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Alejandro Brenes
Exited to share our latest work! Out now in @natcomms.nature.com

Koina aims to transform how #proteomics uses machine learning. You no longer need to be a tech wizard to use ML and now can easily run #ML models. Integrated with FragPipe, Skyline and EncyclopeDIA!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Koina: Democratizing machine learning for proteomics research - Nature Communications
Koina is an open-source, online platform that simplifies access to machine learning models in proteomics, enabling easier integration into analysis tools and helping researchers adopt and reuse ML mod...
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:06 PM