Oliver Harschnitz
@harschnitz.bsky.social
Stem cell biologist passionate about developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and virology | Group leader at Human Technopole in Milan
Pinned
Happy Holidays from our lab to yours 🎄☃️🦌 It's an absolute privilege to work with this amazing group of scientists. All the best for 2026!
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
30 years ago today, December 31st 1995, the last ever Calvin & Hobbes comic strip was published. Even now, I still find it so poignant & moving.
December 31, 2025 at 2:32 PM
30 years ago today, December 31st 1995, the last ever Calvin & Hobbes comic strip was published. Even now, I still find it so poignant & moving.
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Mechanisms of HSV-1 helicase-primase inhibition and replication fork complex assembly @cellcellpress.bsky.social @abrahamlabhms.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
December 29, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Mechanisms of HSV-1 helicase-primase inhibition and replication fork complex assembly @cellcellpress.bsky.social @abrahamlabhms.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Viral infection and brain inflammation with seizures in PARK7 deficiency url: rupress.org/jhi/article/...
Viral infection and brain inflammation with seizures in PARK7 deficiency | Journal of Human Immunity | Rockefeller University Press
Here, Lønskov et al. describe a child homozygous for a deleterious variant in PARK7/DJ-1 presenting with RSV infection, brain inflammation, and seizures an
rupress.org
December 26, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Viral infection and brain inflammation with seizures in PARK7 deficiency url: rupress.org/jhi/article/...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis
Shammas et al. show a neuronal epigenetic remodeling during CNS encephalitis. This
program involves IFNγ-driven persistent reduction in TF-binding site accessibility,
linked to long-lasting reduction ...
www.cell.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Neurons undergo IFNγ-driven persistent epigenetic shifts and synaptopathy in encephalitis: Neuron www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
1/ We’re seeking Sponsors for the 3rd International Symposium on Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI), and their phenocopies, to be held in Lofoten, Norway, in June 2027.
www.hgid.org/collaborativ...
www.hgid.org/collaborativ...
December 24, 2025 at 5:01 PM
1/ We’re seeking Sponsors for the 3rd International Symposium on Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI), and their phenocopies, to be held in Lofoten, Norway, in June 2027.
www.hgid.org/collaborativ...
www.hgid.org/collaborativ...
Happy Holidays from our lab to yours 🎄☃️🦌 It's an absolute privilege to work with this amazing group of scientists. All the best for 2026!
December 20, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Happy Holidays from our lab to yours 🎄☃️🦌 It's an absolute privilege to work with this amazing group of scientists. All the best for 2026!
Incredible resource of ~1M single-cell transcriptomes, NeuRoDev, that captures temporal and cellular variation across human brain development. Congrats to Asia Zonca and Erik Bot from the Davila-Velderrain group at @humantechnopole.bsky.social for leading this work!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 19, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Incredible resource of ~1M single-cell transcriptomes, NeuRoDev, that captures temporal and cellular variation across human brain development. Congrats to Asia Zonca and Erik Bot from the Davila-Velderrain group at @humantechnopole.bsky.social for leading this work!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
New work from the Treutlein lab & @graycamplab.bsky.social, examining neural organoid response to morphogens 🧪🧠🧫🧬
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Systematic scRNA-seq screens profile neural organoid response to morphogens - Nature Methods
This Resource provides a detailed atlas of morphogen-induced responses in human neural organoids.
www.nature.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:32 PM
New work from the Treutlein lab & @graycamplab.bsky.social, examining neural organoid response to morphogens 🧪🧠🧫🧬
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Phosphorylated tau exhibits antimicrobial activity capable of neutralizing herpes simplex virus 1 infectivity in human neurons
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Phosphorylated tau exhibits antimicrobial activity capable of neutralizing herpes simplex virus 1 infectivity in human neurons
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natneuro.nature.com
Congratulations to all the @humantechnopole.bsky.social PhD students who celebrated their graduation day. It was truly amazing to see all that they achieved over the past years. Special congrats to Eleonora Conti and @nicolapalazzi.bsky.social! #ProudPI
December 17, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Congratulations to all the @humantechnopole.bsky.social PhD students who celebrated their graduation day. It was truly amazing to see all that they achieved over the past years. Special congrats to Eleonora Conti and @nicolapalazzi.bsky.social! #ProudPI
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Good to see the peer reviewed version of this published
A chemo-optogenetic system for spatiotemporal control of gene expression
We use it to:
- Reconstruct SHH mediated neural tube patterning in vitro
- Measure extracellular half-life of Shh
www.cell.com/developmenta...
A chemo-optogenetic system for spatiotemporal control of gene expression
We use it to:
- Reconstruct SHH mediated neural tube patterning in vitro
- Measure extracellular half-life of Shh
www.cell.com/developmenta...
Investigating morphogen and patterning dynamics with optogenetic control of morphogen production
Benzinger et al. develop a chemo-optogenetic system for precise spatiotemporal control
of morphogen production in vitro. Using light-controlled Sonic hedgehog expression,
they recapitulate neural tube...
www.cell.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Good to see the peer reviewed version of this published
A chemo-optogenetic system for spatiotemporal control of gene expression
We use it to:
- Reconstruct SHH mediated neural tube patterning in vitro
- Measure extracellular half-life of Shh
www.cell.com/developmenta...
A chemo-optogenetic system for spatiotemporal control of gene expression
We use it to:
- Reconstruct SHH mediated neural tube patterning in vitro
- Measure extracellular half-life of Shh
www.cell.com/developmenta...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Exciting opportunity to learn about #humanbrainmodels and #singlecelltechnology! July 13-17 2026 we for the first time will offer the Utrecht Summer School titled "Advanced human brain models in the single-cell era" for master and PhD students. Apply now: utrechtsummerschool.nl/courses/life...
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December 13, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Exciting opportunity to learn about #humanbrainmodels and #singlecelltechnology! July 13-17 2026 we for the first time will offer the Utrecht Summer School titled "Advanced human brain models in the single-cell era" for master and PhD students. Apply now: utrechtsummerschool.nl/courses/life...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
🧠Very excited to share our new preprint on microglia in chimeric brain slice cultures
🔬 the chimeric slices offer an opportunity to investigate human microglia in a flexible and physiologically-relevant 3D environment
👉🏼read the full preprint here www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🔬 the chimeric slices offer an opportunity to investigate human microglia in a flexible and physiologically-relevant 3D environment
👉🏼read the full preprint here www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
Chimeric organotypic brain slice cultures support the maturation and functional analysis of human iPSC-derived microglia
Microglia, the primary myeloid cells of the brain, are crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis and are implicated in various neuropathological processes. Microglial identity and function are determi...
www.researchsquare.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
🧠Very excited to share our new preprint on microglia in chimeric brain slice cultures
🔬 the chimeric slices offer an opportunity to investigate human microglia in a flexible and physiologically-relevant 3D environment
👉🏼read the full preprint here www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🔬 the chimeric slices offer an opportunity to investigate human microglia in a flexible and physiologically-relevant 3D environment
👉🏼read the full preprint here www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Nature research paper: Viral RNA blocks circularization to evade host codon usage control
go.nature.com/4iB6yCh
go.nature.com/4iB6yCh
Viral RNA blocks circularization to evade host codon usage control - Nature
Rather than adapting to the codon usage of their host, viruses use viral 5′ untranslated regions to initiate translation, which allows them to produce viral proteins in host cells efficiently despite poor codon usage profiles.
go.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Nature research paper: Viral RNA blocks circularization to evade host codon usage control
go.nature.com/4iB6yCh
go.nature.com/4iB6yCh
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
We have just published a tribute to John Gurdon, reflecting on his scientific legacy and the profound influence he had on generations of developmental biologists.
The piece is available open access in Nature Communications:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The piece is available open access in Nature Communications:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reversibility, regulation, and the community of development: the legacy of Sir John B. Gurdon - Nature Communications
Nature Communications - Reversibility, regulation, and the community of development: the legacy of Sir John B. Gurdon
www.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:05 AM
We have just published a tribute to John Gurdon, reflecting on his scientific legacy and the profound influence he had on generations of developmental biologists.
The piece is available open access in Nature Communications:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The piece is available open access in Nature Communications:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Excited to share the final piece of my postdoctoral work from the Joyner Lab, exploring the regenerative potential of the adult cerebellar astroglia in collaboration with @ricardkoche. 🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The regenerative potential of adult Nestin+ cerebellar astroglia is limited compared to in neonates
There is a crucial need for strategies that stimulate repair in the adult brain. The neonatal mouse cerebellum can regenerate via the adaptive reprogramming of nestin (Nes)-expressing progenitors (NEP...
www.biorxiv.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Excited to share the final piece of my postdoctoral work from the Joyner Lab, exploring the regenerative potential of the adult cerebellar astroglia in collaboration with @ricardkoche. 🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
So exciting to see this in print! Ever wondered how embryonic cells know what (fate) to become during early development? In particular when they might see different signaling cues? We investigated this!
And a lovely cover from Zoe Ruiz and @oliveringe.bsky.social!
www.cell.com/developmenta...
And a lovely cover from Zoe Ruiz and @oliveringe.bsky.social!
www.cell.com/developmenta...
Combinatorial BMP4 and activin direct the choice between alternate routes to endoderm in a stem cell model of human gastrulation
Inge et al. show that human endoderm originates from two converging developmental
routes with distinct dynamics and efficiencies yet similar developmental potential.
Combinatorial activin and BMP4 sig...
www.cell.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
So exciting to see this in print! Ever wondered how embryonic cells know what (fate) to become during early development? In particular when they might see different signaling cues? We investigated this!
And a lovely cover from Zoe Ruiz and @oliveringe.bsky.social!
www.cell.com/developmenta...
And a lovely cover from Zoe Ruiz and @oliveringe.bsky.social!
www.cell.com/developmenta...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Please consider applying, @dev-journal.bsky.social provides:
- Profile raising
- Mentor sessions
- Leadership training
and a growing network of supportive peers.
- Profile raising
- Mentor sessions
- Leadership training
and a growing network of supportive peers.
Apply for our Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, supporting postdocs in #devbio and #stemcell research during the transition to their first group leader position: www.biologists.com/grants/devel...
Application deadline: 2 February 2026.
Application deadline: 2 February 2026.
December 2, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Please consider applying, @dev-journal.bsky.social provides:
- Profile raising
- Mentor sessions
- Leadership training
and a growing network of supportive peers.
- Profile raising
- Mentor sessions
- Leadership training
and a growing network of supportive peers.
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Looking for some Thanksgiving reading? 🦃🦃🦃
🚨Check out our new preprint on CRISPore-seq!🚨
Combining pooled CRISPR perturbations with single-cell sequencing has been tremendously powerful... but we are missing a lot with current approaches like Perturb-seq and ECCITE-seq.
🚨Check out our new preprint on CRISPore-seq!🚨
Combining pooled CRISPR perturbations with single-cell sequencing has been tremendously powerful... but we are missing a lot with current approaches like Perturb-seq and ECCITE-seq.
November 27, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Looking for some Thanksgiving reading? 🦃🦃🦃
🚨Check out our new preprint on CRISPore-seq!🚨
Combining pooled CRISPR perturbations with single-cell sequencing has been tremendously powerful... but we are missing a lot with current approaches like Perturb-seq and ECCITE-seq.
🚨Check out our new preprint on CRISPore-seq!🚨
Combining pooled CRISPR perturbations with single-cell sequencing has been tremendously powerful... but we are missing a lot with current approaches like Perturb-seq and ECCITE-seq.
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
PhD position in my lab in #AI #RNA, in co-supervision with superstar @florianjug.bsky.social
www.polimi.it/dottorato/fu...
www.polimi.it/dottorato/fu...
November 24, 2025 at 11:05 AM
PhD position in my lab in #AI #RNA, in co-supervision with superstar @florianjug.bsky.social
www.polimi.it/dottorato/fu...
www.polimi.it/dottorato/fu...
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
This week we introduced an #assembloid-based platform to begin studying how #enteroviruses affect human neuromuscular systems.
This is a collaboration with Jan Carette here at Stanford.
Work led by Christine Peters, Jimena Andersen and Min-Yin Li.
This is a collaboration with Jan Carette here at Stanford.
Work led by Christine Peters, Jimena Andersen and Min-Yin Li.
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This week we introduced an #assembloid-based platform to begin studying how #enteroviruses affect human neuromuscular systems.
This is a collaboration with Jan Carette here at Stanford.
Work led by Christine Peters, Jimena Andersen and Min-Yin Li.
This is a collaboration with Jan Carette here at Stanford.
Work led by Christine Peters, Jimena Andersen and Min-Yin Li.
Incredibly proud of Greta Galeotti for passing her first year Thesis Committee Meeting today after presenting her work on HSV-1 latency in human trigeminal neurons. A huge thanks to Greg Smith and @ilegnini.bsky.social for their input and the productive discussion. #ProudPI
November 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Incredibly proud of Greta Galeotti for passing her first year Thesis Committee Meeting today after presenting her work on HSV-1 latency in human trigeminal neurons. A huge thanks to Greg Smith and @ilegnini.bsky.social for their input and the productive discussion. #ProudPI
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Modelling human adult V-SVZ niche assembly and ependymal cell generation in brain organoids | EMBO reports www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Modelling human adult V-SVZ niche assembly and ependymal cell generation in brain organoids | EMBO reports
imageimageHuman progenitors are programmed into ependymal cells in brain organoids via GEMC1
and MCIDAS expression. This strategy recapitulates hallmarks of the adult human V-SVZ
niche, providing a pl...
www.embopress.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Modelling human adult V-SVZ niche assembly and ependymal cell generation in brain organoids | EMBO reports www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Huge congratulations to @nicolapalazzi.bsky.social for successfully passing his PhD viva. It has been an amazing journey and a privilege to work with you over the past years! Can't wait to share the exciting discoveries you made. Thanks also to the examiners Mirko Cortese and Ilija Brizic. #ProudPI
November 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Huge congratulations to @nicolapalazzi.bsky.social for successfully passing his PhD viva. It has been an amazing journey and a privilege to work with you over the past years! Can't wait to share the exciting discoveries you made. Thanks also to the examiners Mirko Cortese and Ilija Brizic. #ProudPI
Reposted by Oliver Harschnitz
Our latest collaboration with @rongfan8.bsky.social, spatial triomics to investigate myelin and cortical brain development, and demyelination, spearheaded by Leslie Kirby in our lab @ki.se and Di Zhang in Rong's lab! Check it out @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Spatial dynamics of brain development and neuroinflammation - Nature
A tri-omic atlas of the mouse brain from postnatal day 0 to P21 reveals that layer-specific projection neurons have a role in coordinating axonogenesis and myelination.
www.nature.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Our latest collaboration with @rongfan8.bsky.social, spatial triomics to investigate myelin and cortical brain development, and demyelination, spearheaded by Leslie Kirby in our lab @ki.se and Di Zhang in Rong's lab! Check it out @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...