Garrett Beeghly, PhD
@gbeeghly.bsky.social
Postdoc in the Radisic Lab at the University of Toronto and University Health Network. Engineering tissues to understand health and disease. Baker, hiker, cat dad. He/him. 🏳️🌈
https://gbeeghly.github.io/
https://gbeeghly.github.io/
Pinned
Hypertrophic adipocytes increase extracellular vesicle-mediated lipid release and reprogram breast cancer cell metabolism
Obesity worsens cancer-specific survival and all-cause mortality for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Rich in adipose tissue, the breast exhibits increased adipocyte size in obesity, which correlat...
www.biorxiv.org
Preprint alert! Excited to share this manuscript from my PhD which aims to answer an age-old question. Does size matter? For fat cells, or adipocytes, the answer seems to be yes. We found that larger adipocytes promote aggressive behavior in breast cancer cells. 1/5 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Tumour heterogeneity comes at different length scales.This article classifies regulators of cancer into tumour-cell-intrinsic, tissue-microenvironment and organism-level sources, describing engineering strategies to measure and analyse these factors:
Measuring and modelling tumour heterogeneity across scales - Nature Reviews Bioengineering
Heterogeneity constitutes a critical barrier to treating cancer. This Review discusses the biological and physical sources of heterogeneity across length scales, encompassing tumour-cell-intrinsic, tissue-microenvironment and organism-level sources, and how engineering strategies can improve our understanding of these phenomena.
go.nature.com
September 27, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Tumour heterogeneity comes at different length scales.This article classifies regulators of cancer into tumour-cell-intrinsic, tissue-microenvironment and organism-level sources, describing engineering strategies to measure and analyse these factors:
On a quest to make my own yogurt and cottage cheese… and all I can think is how useful it would be to have a hot plate and stir bar to prevent milk from burning. Why doesn’t this exist? #ScientistsWhoCook
August 31, 2025 at 4:35 PM
On a quest to make my own yogurt and cottage cheese… and all I can think is how useful it would be to have a hot plate and stir bar to prevent milk from burning. Why doesn’t this exist? #ScientistsWhoCook
Excited to start my postdoctoral training @utoronto.ca and @uhn.ca this week! I will work with Dr. Milica Radisic who is a leader in developing organ-on-a-chip technologies and engineering functional microtissues. Glad to be in a new environment committed to funding the future of science 🇨🇦🔬
July 16, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Excited to start my postdoctoral training @utoronto.ca and @uhn.ca this week! I will work with Dr. Milica Radisic who is a leader in developing organ-on-a-chip technologies and engineering functional microtissues. Glad to be in a new environment committed to funding the future of science 🇨🇦🔬
May 21, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Had a great visit to Stanford last week and managed to squeeze in a visit to Half Moon Bay! Glad to have soaked up a little extra California sun ☀️ #blueskyartshow #nature #photography
May 20, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Had a great visit to Stanford last week and managed to squeeze in a visit to Half Moon Bay! Glad to have soaked up a little extra California sun ☀️ #blueskyartshow #nature #photography
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
I am incredibly excited to share that I will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the CBE Department at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering this fall! Ready for some Florida sunshine 😁
May 19, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I am incredibly excited to share that I will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the CBE Department at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering this fall! Ready for some Florida sunshine 😁
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
I am THRILLED to officially announce that I have accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison starting January 2026! My lab will use expertise in polymer science, biomaterials, and ECM engineering study osteochondral disease! 🦡 🔬🧪🧫 🦴
May 20, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I am THRILLED to officially announce that I have accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison starting January 2026! My lab will use expertise in polymer science, biomaterials, and ECM engineering study osteochondral disease! 🦡 🔬🧪🧫 🦴
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Science Magazine gets it wrong. 🧵
“Her departure, which she announced this morning in an essay in Time, is believed to be the first time in the agency’s 75-year history that a member of the 24-person board resigned over a policy disagreement with an administration”
@policyhound.bsky.social on Alondra Nelson’s bombshell resignation 🧪
@policyhound.bsky.social on Alondra Nelson’s bombshell resignation 🧪
NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency
Alondra Nelson fingers DOGE in taking an unprecedented step
www.science.org
May 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Science Magazine gets it wrong. 🧵
Had a great time working with @natrevbioeng.nature.com to put this review together! Biophysical cues integrate across length scales (molecular, cellular, tissue level, organismal) to drive cancer outcomes. Bioengineers have the tools to measure and model these factors in isolation 🛠️🔬
Tumour heterogeneity comes at different length scales.This article classifies regulators of cancer into tumour-cell-intrinsic, tissue-microenvironment and organism-level sources, describing engineering strategies to measure and analyse these factors:
Measuring and modelling tumour heterogeneity across scales - Nature Reviews Bioengineering
Heterogeneity constitutes a critical barrier to treating cancer. This Review discusses the biological and physical sources of heterogeneity across length scales, encompassing tumour-cell-intrinsic, tissue-microenvironment and organism-level sources, and how engineering strategies can improve our understanding of these phenomena.
go.nature.com
April 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Had a great time working with @natrevbioeng.nature.com to put this review together! Biophysical cues integrate across length scales (molecular, cellular, tissue level, organismal) to drive cancer outcomes. Bioengineers have the tools to measure and model these factors in isolation 🛠️🔬
Preprint alert! Excited to share this manuscript from my PhD which aims to answer an age-old question. Does size matter? For fat cells, or adipocytes, the answer seems to be yes. We found that larger adipocytes promote aggressive behavior in breast cancer cells. 1/5 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Hypertrophic adipocytes increase extracellular vesicle-mediated lipid release and reprogram breast cancer cell metabolism
Obesity worsens cancer-specific survival and all-cause mortality for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Rich in adipose tissue, the breast exhibits increased adipocyte size in obesity, which correlat...
www.biorxiv.org
April 7, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Preprint alert! Excited to share this manuscript from my PhD which aims to answer an age-old question. Does size matter? For fat cells, or adipocytes, the answer seems to be yes. We found that larger adipocytes promote aggressive behavior in breast cancer cells. 1/5 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
BREAKING: We're suing the National Institutes of Health over their politically-motivated purge of research grants.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
April 2, 2025 at 8:03 PM
BREAKING: We're suing the National Institutes of Health over their politically-motivated purge of research grants.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
1/x My NIH grant that would collect data to help *prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors* among LGBTQ+ people was terminated today, along with many other LGBTQ+ focused grants. These terminations make no sense scientifically. Here's why:
March 22, 2025 at 1:42 AM
1/x My NIH grant that would collect data to help *prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors* among LGBTQ+ people was terminated today, along with many other LGBTQ+ focused grants. These terminations make no sense scientifically. Here's why:
Glad to see @aimbe-official.bsky.social on this letter. But disheartening that other biomedical research societies are noticeably absent
Forty-seven scientific societies have signed a letter organized by the @ucsusa.bsky.social urging Congress to protect federally funded research and federal scientists:
www.ucsusa.org/about/news/s...
www.ucsusa.org/about/news/s...
48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science
48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science
www.ucsusa.org
March 4, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Glad to see @aimbe-official.bsky.social on this letter. But disheartening that other biomedical research societies are noticeably absent
Cornell announced a hiring freeze today effective until June 30 in response to the recent changes at #HHS and #NIH, following a similar announcement made by Stanford. I wonder if more universities will follow suit? I’ve posted the email below for those who are curious #SciSky #MedSky #AcademicSky
February 28, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Cornell announced a hiring freeze today effective until June 30 in response to the recent changes at #HHS and #NIH, following a similar announcement made by Stanford. I wonder if more universities will follow suit? I’ve posted the email below for those who are curious #SciSky #MedSky #AcademicSky
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Slashing NIH funding is a direct attack on life-saving research happening in Minnesota and across the country. The Trump administration's proposed cuts would jeopardize breakthroughs in cancer, heart disease, PTSD treatment, and more. We must continue to fight back.
February 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Slashing NIH funding is a direct attack on life-saving research happening in Minnesota and across the country. The Trump administration's proposed cuts would jeopardize breakthroughs in cancer, heart disease, PTSD treatment, and more. We must continue to fight back.
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
The AACR is deeply concerned that the Administration’s recent actions are threatening NIH and its mission to accelerate progress for patients with cancer and other diseases that afflict millions of Americans. Read our statement: https://buff.ly/4gRXNB8
February 18, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The AACR is deeply concerned that the Administration’s recent actions are threatening NIH and its mission to accelerate progress for patients with cancer and other diseases that afflict millions of Americans. Read our statement: https://buff.ly/4gRXNB8
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Despite the current uncertainty of being a scientist, I am excited to share our manuscript demonstrating an interesting mechanism of how swirling motion of breast cancer cells align collagen fibers radially at the tumor-stroma interface to enable their invasion (1/11) @thechaudhurilab.bsky.social
February 14, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Despite the current uncertainty of being a scientist, I am excited to share our manuscript demonstrating an interesting mechanism of how swirling motion of breast cancer cells align collagen fibers radially at the tumor-stroma interface to enable their invasion (1/11) @thechaudhurilab.bsky.social
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Breaking News: A federal judge temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health from enacting President Trump’s cuts to research funding in 22 states.
Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Cuts to Medical Research Funding
A coalition of 22 attorneys general sued the federal government, claiming that the $4 billion in cuts would “grind to a halt” studies on cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Breaking News: A federal judge temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health from enacting President Trump’s cuts to research funding in 22 states.
We just received an email that Cornell along with 11 other universities have filed suit against the cut to indirect costs at the #NIH announced on Friday. As far as I can tell, this appears to be in addition to the suit filed by 22 state AGs earlier today #SciSky #MedSky #AcademicSky
February 11, 2025 at 2:17 AM
We just received an email that Cornell along with 11 other universities have filed suit against the cut to indirect costs at the #NIH announced on Friday. As far as I can tell, this appears to be in addition to the suit filed by 22 state AGs earlier today #SciSky #MedSky #AcademicSky
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
Get in dorks, we're going protesting!
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
February 10, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Get in dorks, we're going protesting!
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
The NIH overhead cut doesn't just hurt universities.
It's deadly to the US economy.
The US is a world leader in tech due to the ecosystem that NIH and NSF propel. It drives innovation for tech transfer, creates a highly-skilled sci/tech workforce, and fosters academic/industry crossfertilization.
It's deadly to the US economy.
The US is a world leader in tech due to the ecosystem that NIH and NSF propel. It drives innovation for tech transfer, creates a highly-skilled sci/tech workforce, and fosters academic/industry crossfertilization.
2. While NSF and NIH indeed have a mission to fund specific research innovations via grantmaking, they do a lot more than that.
Their principal role is support a scientific ecosystem in the United States, that includes everything from education and training to infrastructure and communication.
Their principal role is support a scientific ecosystem in the United States, that includes everything from education and training to infrastructure and communication.
February 8, 2025 at 2:03 AM
The NIH overhead cut doesn't just hurt universities.
It's deadly to the US economy.
The US is a world leader in tech due to the ecosystem that NIH and NSF propel. It drives innovation for tech transfer, creates a highly-skilled sci/tech workforce, and fosters academic/industry crossfertilization.
It's deadly to the US economy.
The US is a world leader in tech due to the ecosystem that NIH and NSF propel. It drives innovation for tech transfer, creates a highly-skilled sci/tech workforce, and fosters academic/industry crossfertilization.
Adipocytes get a bad rap but these fat cells uptake nutrients to store them in case of famine.
Nguyen et al. engineered adipocytes to increase uptake and deprive tumors of nutrients, slowing their growth.
A creative use of my favorite cells! See the paper below 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Nguyen et al. engineered adipocytes to increase uptake and deprive tumors of nutrients, slowing their growth.
A creative use of my favorite cells! See the paper below 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Implantation of engineered adipocytes suppresses tumor progression in cancer models - Nature Biotechnology
Adipose manipulation transplantation can reduce tumor growth and proliferation in vitro and in mouse models.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Adipocytes get a bad rap but these fat cells uptake nutrients to store them in case of famine.
Nguyen et al. engineered adipocytes to increase uptake and deprive tumors of nutrients, slowing their growth.
A creative use of my favorite cells! See the paper below 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Nguyen et al. engineered adipocytes to increase uptake and deprive tumors of nutrients, slowing their growth.
A creative use of my favorite cells! See the paper below 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
As an early career scientist, it is extremely disheartening (if unsurprising) to see the NIH targeted by the Trump administration. These executive orders are a reminder of how vulnerable research can be to the crossfire of politics in a climate that demonizes science. How can we respond?
“The impact of the collective executive orders and directives appears devastating.” scim.ag/40ureTO
Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring
Researchers facing
scim.ag
January 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
As an early career scientist, it is extremely disheartening (if unsurprising) to see the NIH targeted by the Trump administration. These executive orders are a reminder of how vulnerable research can be to the crossfire of politics in a climate that demonizes science. How can we respond?
Reposted by Garrett Beeghly, PhD
We are hiring! Now recruiting for either Research Scientist (PhD or MS) or Postdoc. Lead projects in chemical biology, bioanalytical methods in live tissues, and/or understanding the immunobiology of the lymph node. Join our supportive + inclusive group!
Apply at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
Apply at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
January 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
We are hiring! Now recruiting for either Research Scientist (PhD or MS) or Postdoc. Lead projects in chemical biology, bioanalytical methods in live tissues, and/or understanding the immunobiology of the lymph node. Join our supportive + inclusive group!
Apply at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
Apply at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...