Chandrika Rao
@chandrrrika.bsky.social
Stem cell biologist using iPSCs to model neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease. Staff Scientist/Postdoc @NYSCF, PhD @EdinburghUni, RA @CambridgeUni, MSc/BSc @BristolUni. she/her
Pinned
Chandrika Rao
@chandrrrika.bsky.social
· Apr 10
Our review on human models of Alzheimer's just made the cover! Great to have the opportunity to highlight the exciting advances being made towards understanding microglia's crucial role in neurodegeneration 🔎 🧠 Read here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1knwq5Eb0R.... Cover image credit: Giulia Mezzadri
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
NewThink
Here is a sampling of the kinds of changes we saw in the >700 grants
October 30, 2025 at 2:09 PM
NewThink
Interested to give this one a go 👀
Today @anthropic.com released PubMed integration for Claude. No hallucinations. Just real science, real data. As a beta tester, this has been game changing— a supercharged research tool. Here are 6 prompts that will transform how you search the literature. A 🧵
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
Claude for Life Sciences
Discover how Claude accelerates life sciences research with new scientific connectors, skills, and improved performance for drug discovery and clinical work.
www.anthropic.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Interested to give this one a go 👀
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Fascinating thread about the identification of one of the first genes with a clear role in human speech and language! Extra credit for those who dig in to find out why its called a "forkhead domain" 🧪
Twenty-four years ago today, our paper “A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder” was published: www.nature.com/articles/350....
A personal thread about the ups & downs of the journey we took to get to that point....1/n
🗣️🧬🧪
A personal thread about the ups & downs of the journey we took to get to that point....1/n
🗣️🧬🧪
October 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Fascinating thread about the identification of one of the first genes with a clear role in human speech and language! Extra credit for those who dig in to find out why its called a "forkhead domain" 🧪
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Hey #neuroscience #neuroskyence we are hiring a Distinguished Chair of Neuroscience at the University of South Carolina (uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/190...)
We have a vibrant neuroscience community with extensive university support for research. I am extremely happy here. Come join us!
We have a vibrant neuroscience community with extensive university support for research. I am extremely happy here. Come join us!
Peter and Bonnie McCausland Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience
uscjobs.sc.edu
August 11, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Hey #neuroscience #neuroskyence we are hiring a Distinguished Chair of Neuroscience at the University of South Carolina (uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/190...)
We have a vibrant neuroscience community with extensive university support for research. I am extremely happy here. Come join us!
We have a vibrant neuroscience community with extensive university support for research. I am extremely happy here. Come join us!
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
A major KI initiative to recruit new assistant professors with outstanding proposals in all areas of medicine, biomedicine and public health. We offer an amazing research environment, great colleagues and generous startup packages. Check it out and get working on your applications! (repost please!)
Applications are now open! We are recruiting 20 Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas. We're looking for early-career researchers with strong scientific merits and future potential.
🔗 All positions: ki.se/en/about-ki/...
🔗 All positions: ki.se/en/about-ki/...
June 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM
A major KI initiative to recruit new assistant professors with outstanding proposals in all areas of medicine, biomedicine and public health. We offer an amazing research environment, great colleagues and generous startup packages. Check it out and get working on your applications! (repost please!)
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
A nice read and ICYMI here is our cited paper from the end of last year on the microglia contribution to Familial British Dementia:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
May 11, 2025 at 9:04 AM
A nice read and ICYMI here is our cited paper from the end of last year on the microglia contribution to Familial British Dementia:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Thrilled to share my first first-author paper is out
@cp-neuron.bsky.social! We show that Alzheimer's disease protective CLU alleles upregulate CLU in response to neuropathology, dampening inflammatory signaling between microglia and astrocytes.
Read here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@cp-neuron.bsky.social! We show that Alzheimer's disease protective CLU alleles upregulate CLU in response to neuropathology, dampening inflammatory signaling between microglia and astrocytes.
Read here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
CLU alleviates Alzheimer’s disease-relevant processes by modulating astrocyte reactivity and microglia-dependent synaptic density
Genetic studies implicate clusterin (CLU) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet its precise molecular impact remains unclear. Through u…
www.sciencedirect.com
April 30, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Thrilled to share my first first-author paper is out
@cp-neuron.bsky.social! We show that Alzheimer's disease protective CLU alleles upregulate CLU in response to neuropathology, dampening inflammatory signaling between microglia and astrocytes.
Read here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@cp-neuron.bsky.social! We show that Alzheimer's disease protective CLU alleles upregulate CLU in response to neuropathology, dampening inflammatory signaling between microglia and astrocytes.
Read here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
My story about @kevinh-phd.bsky.social, nutrition and metabolism scientist at N.I.H., who felt compelled to take early retirement after experiencing censorship of his work under the new administration. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
Leading Nutrition Scientist Departs N.I.H., Citing Censorship (Gift Article)
Kevin Hall said his work on ultraprocessed foods has been “hobbled” under the Trump administration. Scientists have been raising such concerns for months.
www.nytimes.com
April 16, 2025 at 10:27 PM
My story about @kevinh-phd.bsky.social, nutrition and metabolism scientist at N.I.H., who felt compelled to take early retirement after experiencing censorship of his work under the new administration. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
Our review on human models of Alzheimer's just made the cover! Great to have the opportunity to highlight the exciting advances being made towards understanding microglia's crucial role in neurodegeneration 🔎 🧠 Read here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1knwq5Eb0R.... Cover image credit: Giulia Mezzadri
April 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Our review on human models of Alzheimer's just made the cover! Great to have the opportunity to highlight the exciting advances being made towards understanding microglia's crucial role in neurodegeneration 🔎 🧠 Read here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1knwq5Eb0R.... Cover image credit: Giulia Mezzadri
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Brand new review by the @mancusorenzo.bsky.social lab on microglial heterogeneity: Laura Fumagalli et al. dive into transcriptional states across development, disease, sex & CNS regions—plus annotation tools.
Out now in Nature Neuroscience:
📄 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01931-4
Out now in Nature Neuroscience:
📄 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01931-4
Microglia heterogeneity, modeling and cell-state annotation in development and neurodegeneration - Nature Neuroscience
Microglia have key roles in CNS development and neurodegeneration. Here, the authors provide an overview of microglia heterogeneity, cell-state annotation and model systems.
www.nature.com
April 7, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Brand new review by the @mancusorenzo.bsky.social lab on microglial heterogeneity: Laura Fumagalli et al. dive into transcriptional states across development, disease, sex & CNS regions—plus annotation tools.
Out now in Nature Neuroscience:
📄 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01931-4
Out now in Nature Neuroscience:
📄 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01931-4
Very pleased to share our new review on human models of Alzheimer’s disease, and what they reveal about the role of microglia in neurodegeneration. At such a time, it was a great pleasure to celebrate the outstanding science emerging in this field 🙌🏽 authors.elsevier.com/c/1knwq5Eb0R...
March 24, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Very pleased to share our new review on human models of Alzheimer’s disease, and what they reveal about the role of microglia in neurodegeneration. At such a time, it was a great pleasure to celebrate the outstanding science emerging in this field 🙌🏽 authors.elsevier.com/c/1knwq5Eb0R...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Excellent story in the Guardian about funds for Alzheimer's disease research centers being held up by the Federal Register-Advisory Council issue.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Alzheimer’s research centers face Trump-imposed $65m funding delay across the US
Researchers report difficulties retaining staff as White House cost-cutting stresses US medical research system
www.theguardian.com
March 10, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Excellent story in the Guardian about funds for Alzheimer's disease research centers being held up by the Federal Register-Advisory Council issue.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
By @katherinejwu.com
"The NIH... supported 99 percent of the drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The agency has had a hand in “nearly all of our major medical breakthroughs over the past several decades,”
The NIH is in a struggle for its (and our) lives. This is existential to America:
"The NIH... supported 99 percent of the drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The agency has had a hand in “nearly all of our major medical breakthroughs over the past several decades,”
The NIH is in a struggle for its (and our) lives. This is existential to America:
Inside the Collapse at NIH
Administration officials pressured NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.
www.theatlantic.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
By @katherinejwu.com
"The NIH... supported 99 percent of the drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The agency has had a hand in “nearly all of our major medical breakthroughs over the past several decades,”
The NIH is in a struggle for its (and our) lives. This is existential to America:
"The NIH... supported 99 percent of the drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The agency has had a hand in “nearly all of our major medical breakthroughs over the past several decades,”
The NIH is in a struggle for its (and our) lives. This is existential to America:
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Graduate admissions being put on hold because of the chaos...
I created a brief spreadsheet of reductions I've heard of so far. Any additions you know of (especially if you have the links/receipts) would be great: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)
docs.google.com
February 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Graduate admissions being put on hold because of the chaos...
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
This is important.
@avaskham.bsky.social is doing critical work here reporting details in @thetransmitter.bsky.social that I’ve seen nowhere else in reporting on the NIH / NSF funding crisis.
@avaskham.bsky.social is doing critical work here reporting details in @thetransmitter.bsky.social that I’ve seen nowhere else in reporting on the NIH / NSF funding crisis.
A large portion of grants awarded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health cannot be funded for the foreseeable future because of an indefinite hold on submissions to the Federal Register, according to an email reviewed by The Transmitter.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
bit.ly/3X8ngz8
By @avaskham.bsky.social
bit.ly/3X8ngz8
Federal Register hold makes ‘end run’ around court pause on NIH funding freeze
NIH-related updates to the Federal Register, which are required for the scheduling of study sections and advisory councils, are on hold indefinitely, according to an email reviewed by <i>The Transmitt...
www.thetransmitter.org
February 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
This is important.
@avaskham.bsky.social is doing critical work here reporting details in @thetransmitter.bsky.social that I’ve seen nowhere else in reporting on the NIH / NSF funding crisis.
@avaskham.bsky.social is doing critical work here reporting details in @thetransmitter.bsky.social that I’ve seen nowhere else in reporting on the NIH / NSF funding crisis.
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Excellent explainer by @philipcball.bsky.social on why now more than ever scientists need to resist the logic of "anticipatory obedience" www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/scie...
Scientific institutions have a long history of anticipatory obedience
Societies should learn from this and speak up to support inclusion
www.chemistryworld.com
February 10, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Excellent explainer by @philipcball.bsky.social on why now more than ever scientists need to resist the logic of "anticipatory obedience" www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/scie...
An essential, if not terrifying, thread summarising how US science has been brought to its knees in the space of just one week
American science and medicine has been thrown into chaos and uncertainty over the past week. Here are some stories to get up to speed. 1/12
January 28, 2025 at 8:39 AM
An essential, if not terrifying, thread summarising how US science has been brought to its knees in the space of just one week
V useful tips for new PIs and beyond. Should be mandatory reading for research group leaders at all stages! “A positive research environment is one where team members are empowered, recognised, have a clear career developmental pathway, and can contribute to impactful and reproducible research.”
Our paper on nurturing a #PositiveResearchCulture within your #research #team published by @wellcometrust.bsky.social gives useful tips for your lab. As well as making you a good team leader, nurturing culture pays off in building your science: 1/11
wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-3...
wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-3...
wellcomeopenresearch.org
January 14, 2025 at 10:39 AM
V useful tips for new PIs and beyond. Should be mandatory reading for research group leaders at all stages! “A positive research environment is one where team members are empowered, recognised, have a clear career developmental pathway, and can contribute to impactful and reproducible research.”
Great example of transparency and useful guidance on peer review from @dev-journal.bsky.social
Highly-respected non-profit journals like @dev-journal.bsky.social support scientific communities
But after rejection at glam journals, it is tempting to avoid re-review by sliding through commercial ecosystems
BUT WAIT! LOOK! “We will consider papers with reviewer reports from other journals” 😍
But after rejection at glam journals, it is tempting to avoid re-review by sliding through commercial ecosystems
BUT WAIT! LOOK! “We will consider papers with reviewer reports from other journals” 😍
December 3, 2024 at 3:26 PM
Great example of transparency and useful guidance on peer review from @dev-journal.bsky.social
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Welcome to the #devbiolwriteclub Bluesky Boot Camp! I’ll be posting here regularly with thoughts and exercises to help scientists become better writers. Let’s start by managing expectations: I will NOT help you write better. I WILL help you become a better writer. 🧵 1/10
December 2, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Welcome to the #devbiolwriteclub Bluesky Boot Camp! I’ll be posting here regularly with thoughts and exercises to help scientists become better writers. Let’s start by managing expectations: I will NOT help you write better. I WILL help you become a better writer. 🧵 1/10
Reposted by Chandrika Rao
Now more than ever the world should learn about the life and impact of @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social neuroscientist Ben Barres, the movie is underway! @atqmovie.bsky.social
November 23, 2024 at 2:13 AM
Now more than ever the world should learn about the life and impact of @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social neuroscientist Ben Barres, the movie is underway! @atqmovie.bsky.social
Great post on using AI in academia! Use more effective prompts, get over “blank page syndrome”, and be prepared to iterate. Eager to try out some of the other use cases…
Blog post on using AI in academia from @arjunraj.bsky.social and the great folks at Mid Career PI Slack!
Finally, a How To guide for how to use AI effectively in academia.
arjun-raj-lab.gitbook.io/arjun-rajs-t...
Finally, a How To guide for how to use AI effectively in academia.
arjun-raj-lab.gitbook.io/arjun-rajs-t...
Using AI in academia | Arjun Raj's Tools For Science
Arjun Raj, with input from Anne Carpenter and the members of Mid-Career PI Slack
arjun-raj-lab.gitbook.io
November 22, 2024 at 7:29 PM
Great post on using AI in academia! Use more effective prompts, get over “blank page syndrome”, and be prepared to iterate. Eager to try out some of the other use cases…
I enjoy to be totally enveloped by Elverum. New #mounteerie record release show in Brooklyn last night was the ideal world-wallowing show #ishouldbewriting
November 20, 2024 at 11:29 PM
I enjoy to be totally enveloped by Elverum. New #mounteerie record release show in Brooklyn last night was the ideal world-wallowing show #ishouldbewriting
Interested to give this a go 🤔
Sometimes struggling to digest a scientific paper? I've been having fun with this free Google AI tool - converts any document in to an almost instant podcast discussing the content! notebooklm.google
NotebookLM | Note Taking & Research Assistant Powered by AI
Use the power of AI for quick summarization and note taking, NotebookLM is your powerful virtual research assistant rooted in information you can trust.
notebooklm.google
November 18, 2024 at 2:48 PM
Interested to give this a go 🤔