DMartin
@drddom.bsky.social
Assistant Prof at UWaterloo in Biology. Study autophagy & protein lipidation (S-acylation & N-myristoylation) in ALS & Huntington disease. Expect science, food, some cdnpoli, & dog pics
https://neurdyphagylab.squarespace.com/
https://neurdyphagylab.squarespace.com/
Why is Pearson always a mess? More than an hour & we're still waiting for our bags.
December 29, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Why is Pearson always a mess? More than an hour & we're still waiting for our bags.
Ruby says Merry Christmas all! And 'Sir. Please put me down at your earliest convenience. Thank you!'
December 26, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Ruby says Merry Christmas all! And 'Sir. Please put me down at your earliest convenience. Thank you!'
Some great news in ALS treatments & research.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Tofersen, SOD1, and the Treatability of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
For years, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has universally been defined as a progressive, fatal disease with limited treatment options. Numerous therapeutic treatment trials failed to significantl...
jamanetwork.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Some great news in ALS treatments & research.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Was puzzling wih Die Hard in the background. Although I couldn't see the movie, I realized even all the background music is Christmas music. Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
a man pointing a gun with a caption that says it 's not christmas
Alt: a man pointing a gun with a caption that says it 's not christmas
media.tenor.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Was puzzling wih Die Hard in the background. Although I couldn't see the movie, I realized even all the background music is Christmas music. Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
Reposted by DMartin
Pleased to share our new paper published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. doi.org/10.1002/jcsm...
The Monocrotaline Model of Hypertension Leads to Cachexia in Male but Not Female Mice
Background The monocrotaline (MCT) model of cardiac cachexia is a pharmaceutical approach to pulmonary hypertension that has been used to study heart failure and muscle wasting in rodents; however, ...
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Pleased to share our new paper published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. doi.org/10.1002/jcsm...
Reposted by DMartin
Dunno who needs to hear this, but before your start writing your reviewer comments, eat a cookie. Only you can prevent rude reviews.
December 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Dunno who needs to hear this, but before your start writing your reviewer comments, eat a cookie. Only you can prevent rude reviews.
Reposted by DMartin
It may be of interest to you to know that the best way to go about science funding is to actually fund all scientists regularly and universally, and UBI does that best.
www.scientificamerican.com/blog/beautif...
www.scientificamerican.com/blog/beautif...
December 11, 2025 at 9:55 PM
It may be of interest to you to know that the best way to go about science funding is to actually fund all scientists regularly and universally, and UBI does that best.
www.scientificamerican.com/blog/beautif...
www.scientificamerican.com/blog/beautif...
Reposted by DMartin
I just got off an extremely depressing call with my amazing Canadian collaborators at Natural Resources Canada who are facing cuts, retirement buy-outs, and layoffs for biologists across the board. This just seems a slap in the face to scientists in Canada.
December 12, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I just got off an extremely depressing call with my amazing Canadian collaborators at Natural Resources Canada who are facing cuts, retirement buy-outs, and layoffs for biologists across the board. This just seems a slap in the face to scientists in Canada.
Let's recreate the photo they said. My character is the only upside down one....
December 12, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Let's recreate the photo they said. My character is the only upside down one....
Reposted by DMartin
🎉 Excited to share our latest preprint📰 !
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Many thanks to everyone involved in this project ! Using a zebrafish model 🐟 and iPSC-derived motor neurons 🔬 we show that restoring the calpastatin/calpain pathway preserves motoneuron survival and function in C9orf72 ALS!
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Many thanks to everyone involved in this project ! Using a zebrafish model 🐟 and iPSC-derived motor neurons 🔬 we show that restoring the calpastatin/calpain pathway preserves motoneuron survival and function in C9orf72 ALS!
Therapeutic modulation of the calpastatin/calpain pathway restores calpain-mediated synaptic proteolysis and preserves motor neurons survival and function in C9orf72 ALS
A hexanucleotide repeat expansion (GGGGCC) in the C9orf72 gene is the most prevalent genetic cause of ALS, with early neuromuscular junction (NMJ) dysfunction being a key pathological feature. Current...
www.biorxiv.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
🎉 Excited to share our latest preprint📰 !
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Many thanks to everyone involved in this project ! Using a zebrafish model 🐟 and iPSC-derived motor neurons 🔬 we show that restoring the calpastatin/calpain pathway preserves motoneuron survival and function in C9orf72 ALS!
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Many thanks to everyone involved in this project ! Using a zebrafish model 🐟 and iPSC-derived motor neurons 🔬 we show that restoring the calpastatin/calpain pathway preserves motoneuron survival and function in C9orf72 ALS!
It's baffling that we're cutting research funds, but recruiting more US researchers during massive hiring freezes. Politicians like to blame researchers for not 'being innovative.' Despite 'punching above our weight' we're continously in survival mode bc of bad policy. Fund basic research!
Canada’s new government is investing big to attract world-class talent in science and technology — and become an innovation powerhouse.
December 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
It's baffling that we're cutting research funds, but recruiting more US researchers during massive hiring freezes. Politicians like to blame researchers for not 'being innovative.' Despite 'punching above our weight' we're continously in survival mode bc of bad policy. Fund basic research!
Reposted by DMartin
Institutional autonomy is a major facet of academic freedom. Institutions set academic priorities through internal collegial processes.
Starving unis into hiring freezes and then telling them they can only have funds to recruit if they check vapid government PR boxes attacks that autonomy.
Starving unis into hiring freezes and then telling them they can only have funds to recruit if they check vapid government PR boxes attacks that autonomy.
Canada’s new government is investing big to attract world-class talent in science and technology — and become an innovation powerhouse.
December 12, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Institutional autonomy is a major facet of academic freedom. Institutions set academic priorities through internal collegial processes.
Starving unis into hiring freezes and then telling them they can only have funds to recruit if they check vapid government PR boxes attacks that autonomy.
Starving unis into hiring freezes and then telling them they can only have funds to recruit if they check vapid government PR boxes attacks that autonomy.
CELL-abrate the Holidays with the NeurdyPhagy Lab!
'Dashing through the cell
Proteins all around
Cysteines free to bind,
With Palmitate they're crowned!'
All I want for Christmas is my CIHR grant to get discussed!
Creative Credit to @cailyncreative.bsky.social
'Dashing through the cell
Proteins all around
Cysteines free to bind,
With Palmitate they're crowned!'
All I want for Christmas is my CIHR grant to get discussed!
Creative Credit to @cailyncreative.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 4:23 PM
CELL-abrate the Holidays with the NeurdyPhagy Lab!
'Dashing through the cell
Proteins all around
Cysteines free to bind,
With Palmitate they're crowned!'
All I want for Christmas is my CIHR grant to get discussed!
Creative Credit to @cailyncreative.bsky.social
'Dashing through the cell
Proteins all around
Cysteines free to bind,
With Palmitate they're crowned!'
All I want for Christmas is my CIHR grant to get discussed!
Creative Credit to @cailyncreative.bsky.social
Reposted by DMartin
I think it is still too early to study how many of the CERC and Canada150 stayed in Canada after the $$$ ran out, but someone needs to do this analysis. I think we'll find that these programs, without increasing CIHR and NSERC budgets, are not doing what they intended.
December 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I think it is still too early to study how many of the CERC and Canada150 stayed in Canada after the $$$ ran out, but someone needs to do this analysis. I think we'll find that these programs, without increasing CIHR and NSERC budgets, are not doing what they intended.
There's a reason Julia Child was an icon & this cookbook is timeless. First time making coq au vin. Not sure there's a good way to photograph it. Only took 3 hours, but damn that was amazing. Paired it with spatzle. Worth the time.
November 9, 2025 at 2:47 AM
There's a reason Julia Child was an icon & this cookbook is timeless. First time making coq au vin. Not sure there's a good way to photograph it. Only took 3 hours, but damn that was amazing. Paired it with spatzle. Worth the time.
Welcome to the Canadian Hunger Games where the motto truly is 'May the odds be ever in your favour!'
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Welcome to the Canadian Hunger Games where the motto truly is 'May the odds be ever in your favour!'
Reposted by DMartin
“Canada is the best place to live, and top talent from around the world want to come here because they see opportunities and possibilities to contribute to cutting-edge research”...
...he says while allocating $1.7B to bribe people to move here and cutting grant funding. Unbelievable.
...he says while allocating $1.7B to bribe people to move here and cutting grant funding. Unbelievable.
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:16 PM
“Canada is the best place to live, and top talent from around the world want to come here because they see opportunities and possibilities to contribute to cutting-edge research”...
...he says while allocating $1.7B to bribe people to move here and cutting grant funding. Unbelievable.
...he says while allocating $1.7B to bribe people to move here and cutting grant funding. Unbelievable.
Dear CIHR Reviewers, pls keep in mind that knowledge users on grants see the reviews. If you tell us a protein/gene is not interesting/less important because it's rare, it reads as those patients aren't important.
November 5, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Dear CIHR Reviewers, pls keep in mind that knowledge users on grants see the reviews. If you tell us a protein/gene is not interesting/less important because it's rare, it reads as those patients aren't important.
Scientists, please come to Canada! We'll pay to bring you here, but you need to fund your own research!
Came here to see if I was interpreting this correctly. Seems like I am.
November 4, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Scientists, please come to Canada! We'll pay to bring you here, but you need to fund your own research!
Reposted by DMartin
The Canadian government has seemingly never read a single one of its own commissioned reports on what Canadian science needs. (It's not more people.)
Globe & Mail reports “the budget is expected to include up to $1-billion to attract high-quality talent and researchers from the United States and elsewhere”
So far hospitals and universities have been going it alone….
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
@ctvnews-mirror.bsky.social
So far hospitals and universities have been going it alone….
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
@ctvnews-mirror.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 9:28 PM
The Canadian government has seemingly never read a single one of its own commissioned reports on what Canadian science needs. (It's not more people.)
What a week! Submitted my NSERC today. Submitted a paper today. Incoming PhD got a scholarship today! And PDF landed an award/small grant! Can't wait to tell you all the details when we can.
Now I need to rest before a double header talks tomorrow at the HSC meeting!
Now I need to rest before a double header talks tomorrow at the HSC meeting!
November 1, 2025 at 1:31 AM
What a week! Submitted my NSERC today. Submitted a paper today. Incoming PhD got a scholarship today! And PDF landed an award/small grant! Can't wait to tell you all the details when we can.
Now I need to rest before a double header talks tomorrow at the HSC meeting!
Now I need to rest before a double header talks tomorrow at the HSC meeting!
Been awhile since I've been so nervous & excited to work in the lab. Today I'm helping culture human stem cells into muscle & motor neurons. The cells need to be fed daily & I'm helping while a student is away. Contamination is a constant fear. Thank you @stemcell.com for the help!
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Been awhile since I've been so nervous & excited to work in the lab. Today I'm helping culture human stem cells into muscle & motor neurons. The cells need to be fed daily & I'm helping while a student is away. Contamination is a constant fear. Thank you @stemcell.com for the help!
Reposted by DMartin
During these uncertain times, I’m very happy to see that my institution, @scripps.edu has an open tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Any field in Chemistry or Biology is welcome. I’d especially love to see fellow neuroscientists apply. Please repost!
apply.interfolio.com/174756
apply.interfolio.com/174756
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM
During these uncertain times, I’m very happy to see that my institution, @scripps.edu has an open tenure-track Assistant Professor position. Any field in Chemistry or Biology is welcome. I’d especially love to see fellow neuroscientists apply. Please repost!
apply.interfolio.com/174756
apply.interfolio.com/174756