Timothy Hla
@hlatim.bsky.social
Scientist, biochemist / molecular biologist, works on lipid mediators, sphingolipids, S1P, prostanoids, vascular biology, endothelial cells, Professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston
https://research.childrenshospital.org/hlalab
https://research.childrenshospital.org/hlalab
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Newly released files from the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reveal that his ties to the scientific community were deeper than previously known
go.nature.com/46zpg8k
go.nature.com/46zpg8k
Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known
Nature - Latest batch of documents show researchers consulting the financier and sex offender on publications, visas and more.
go.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Newly released files from the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reveal that his ties to the scientific community were deeper than previously known
go.nature.com/46zpg8k
go.nature.com/46zpg8k
Latest preprint from the lab - what does S1P do to neutrophils ? Click the link to find out… www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
February 8, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Latest preprint from the lab - what does S1P do to neutrophils ? Click the link to find out… www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
@raflynn5.bsky.social it’s a pleasure to work with your lab in this exciting discovery- congrats all around!
Like much of our work, this was a very collaborative project with key contributions from @rituraman.bsky.social @hlatim.bsky.social Jeff Esko, Eliezer Calo, Kostas Tzelepis, and many others in the Flynn lab
January 28, 2026 at 8:16 PM
@raflynn5.bsky.social it’s a pleasure to work with your lab in this exciting discovery- congrats all around!
Reposted by Timothy Hla
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Dr E Camerer and colleagues @PARCC uncover an essential role for circulating S1P in maintaining blood pressure and left ventricular systolic function. They also highlight distinct functions for the pools of S1P bound to HDL or to albumin.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
January 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Dr E Camerer and colleagues @PARCC uncover an essential role for circulating S1P in maintaining blood pressure and left ventricular systolic function. They also highlight distinct functions for the pools of S1P bound to HDL or to albumin.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Latest collaborative paper with Eric Camerer’s lab out now in @pnas.org - comprehensive analysis of S1PRs and chaperones in the cardiovascular system - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41512...
Blood-borne sphingosine 1-phosphate maintains vascular resistance, blood pressure, and cardiac function in mice - PubMed
Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that circulates in plasma bound to high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and albumin. Circulating S1P levels correlate positively with systolic blood pressure (BP) in hypertension and negatively with severity in septic shock and with left ventricular func …
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
January 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Latest collaborative paper with Eric Camerer’s lab out now in @pnas.org - comprehensive analysis of S1PRs and chaperones in the cardiovascular system - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41512...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
How to build a normal multilayered arterial wall?😎
Activated Sphingosine kinase 1 mediates elastin deficiency-induced arterial hypermuscularization🐭
Both Smooth muscle cell & Endothelial cell contribute
@junichisaito.bsky.social @greiflab.bsky.social #NatCVR 2026
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Activated Sphingosine kinase 1 mediates elastin deficiency-induced arterial hypermuscularization🐭
Both Smooth muscle cell & Endothelial cell contribute
@junichisaito.bsky.social @greiflab.bsky.social #NatCVR 2026
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
January 9, 2026 at 12:20 PM
How to build a normal multilayered arterial wall?😎
Activated Sphingosine kinase 1 mediates elastin deficiency-induced arterial hypermuscularization🐭
Both Smooth muscle cell & Endothelial cell contribute
@junichisaito.bsky.social @greiflab.bsky.social #NatCVR 2026
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Activated Sphingosine kinase 1 mediates elastin deficiency-induced arterial hypermuscularization🐭
Both Smooth muscle cell & Endothelial cell contribute
@junichisaito.bsky.social @greiflab.bsky.social #NatCVR 2026
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
🇨🇦🇨🇦 Just announced: a massive new program from the Canadian govt, separate from the well-known CRCs and CERCs, to recruit foreign scientific talent
Canada was already a destination for scientists but whoa. Real impressive for a new govt to back political talking points with serious investment
Canada was already a destination for scientists but whoa. Real impressive for a new govt to back political talking points with serious investment
$1.7 billion to attract international researchers to Canada
Details of the major federal initiative to draw new talent to the country's universities were announced today at UdeM.
nouvelles.umontreal.ca
December 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
🇨🇦🇨🇦 Just announced: a massive new program from the Canadian govt, separate from the well-known CRCs and CERCs, to recruit foreign scientific talent
Canada was already a destination for scientists but whoa. Real impressive for a new govt to back political talking points with serious investment
Canada was already a destination for scientists but whoa. Real impressive for a new govt to back political talking points with serious investment
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Young adults who took just a one-week break from social media showed improvement in depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms, a new study says. Plus, tips for how to take a break from your feed. n.pr/4oN4dWp
n.pr
December 2, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Young adults who took just a one-week break from social media showed improvement in depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms, a new study says. Plus, tips for how to take a break from your feed. n.pr/4oN4dWp
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:44 AM
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A non biologic PCSK9 inhibitor could be a game changer! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/h...
New Pill From Merck Could Slash Cholesterol Levels, Trials Show
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A non biologic PCSK9 inhibitor could be a game changer! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/h...
Sphingolipid sensor degrades cGAMP to suppress antiviral host defense- #virus #lipids #hostdefense #innateImmunity
www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Membrane integrity changes upon viral infection activate sphingomyelinase SMPDL3B to restrict cGAS-STING signaling via cGAMP degradation
Wang et al. find that cell membrane stress upon viral infection induces expression
and stabilization of host sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase acid-like 3B (SMPDL3B),
which, in turn, degrades cGAMP to s...
www.cell.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Sphingolipid sensor degrades cGAMP to suppress antiviral host defense- #virus #lipids #hostdefense #innateImmunity
www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
October 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Timothy Hla
What does the naked mole rat’s extreme healthspan have to do with ongoing clinical trials?
open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...
open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...
A Long-Awaited Longevity Mystery Solved
Spotlighting an essential human biologic pathway targeted by drugs in clinical trials
open.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
What does the naked mole rat’s extreme healthspan have to do with ongoing clinical trials?
open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...
open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Male mice that exercise can pass their newly gained fitness on to male offspring.
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
Well-exercised male mice appear to pass fitness to their male offspring
Surprising epigenetic effect relies on snippets of RNA packaged within sperm
scim.ag
October 13, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Male mice that exercise can pass their newly gained fitness on to male offspring.
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
If the same holds true in humans, researchers say, fathers could help improve the health of any future children by staying in shape themselves. https://scim.ag/47igpZm
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Endothelial gateways for brain lipid uptake and metabolism: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
A. Dushani Ranasinghe & Timothy Hla Comment on Wenxin Song et al: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
A. Dushani Ranasinghe & Timothy Hla Comment on Wenxin Song et al: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
October 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Endothelial gateways for brain lipid uptake and metabolism: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
A. Dushani Ranasinghe & Timothy Hla Comment on Wenxin Song et al: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
A. Dushani Ranasinghe & Timothy Hla Comment on Wenxin Song et al: www.jci.org/articles/vie...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Researchers are studying why mitochondria are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases
go.nature.com/4fYoEwG
go.nature.com/4fYoEwG
Cells are swapping their mitochondria. What does this mean for our health?
Researchers are studying why the energy factories are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases.
go.nature.com
September 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Researchers are studying why mitochondria are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases
go.nature.com/4fYoEwG
go.nature.com/4fYoEwG
Duh!!
September 1, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Duh!!
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Another piece of the #glycoRNA puzzle revealed by @raflynn5.bsky.social and @vijayrathinam.bsky.social!! RNAs with modified base acp3U activate TLR3/7, but not when acp3U is N-glycosylated. This is how cell surface/secreted glycoRNAs avoid stimulating autoimmunity.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
RNA N-glycosylation enables immune evasion and homeostatic efferocytosis - Nature
N-glycans on glycoRNAs prevent innate immune sensing of endogenous small RNAs, and the natural mechanism they use demonstrates how glycoRNAs exist on the cell surface and in the endosomal network with...
www.nature.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Another piece of the #glycoRNA puzzle revealed by @raflynn5.bsky.social and @vijayrathinam.bsky.social!! RNAs with modified base acp3U activate TLR3/7, but not when acp3U is N-glycosylated. This is how cell surface/secreted glycoRNAs avoid stimulating autoimmunity.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
Very good news and we should all continue to ask our colleagues to come here to Bluesky.
Hey everybody! @drjuliawester.bsky.social and I have a new paper!
We surveyed over 800 scientists, science communicators, and science educators who use social media.
Conclusion: Scientists no longer find Twitter useful or pleasant, and many have switched to Bluesky! 🧪🌎🦑
doi.org/10.1093/icb/...
We surveyed over 800 scientists, science communicators, and science educators who use social media.
Conclusion: Scientists no longer find Twitter useful or pleasant, and many have switched to Bluesky! 🧪🌎🦑
doi.org/10.1093/icb/...
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
doi.org
August 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Very good news and we should all continue to ask our colleagues to come here to Bluesky.
China’s Biotech Is Cheaper and Faster www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/o...
Opinion | China’s Biotech Is Cheaper and Faster
www.nytimes.com
August 18, 2025 at 10:43 AM
China’s Biotech Is Cheaper and Faster www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/o...
Excellent review on lipids and CNS neurodegenerative diseases. A neglected area...Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism in Microglia: Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanisms and Interventions - Journal of Lipid Research www.jlr.org/article/S002...
Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism in Microglia: Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanisms and Interventions
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents a significant challenge owing to its widespread
prevalence and complex neuropathogenesis, affecting millions worldwide. Current therapeutic
strategies that predominan...
www.jlr.org
August 8, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Excellent review on lipids and CNS neurodegenerative diseases. A neglected area...Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism in Microglia: Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanisms and Interventions - Journal of Lipid Research www.jlr.org/article/S002...
Reposted by Timothy Hla
#GlycoPower! @vijayrathinam.bsky.social
@raflynn5.bsky.social @vinnieviruses.bsky.social &co show @nature.com that N-glycosylation of host small-RNAs present at cell surface prevents immune recognition by TLR3 and TLR7 upon apoptotic cells uptake avoiding autoinflammation!
@raflynn5.bsky.social @vinnieviruses.bsky.social &co show @nature.com that N-glycosylation of host small-RNAs present at cell surface prevents immune recognition by TLR3 and TLR7 upon apoptotic cells uptake avoiding autoinflammation!
RNA N-glycosylation enables immune evasion and homeostatic efferocytosis - Nature
N-glycans on glycoRNAs prevent innate immune sensing of endogenous small RNAs, and the natural mechanism they use demonstrates how glycoRNAs exist on the cell surface and in the endosomal network with...
www.nature.com
August 6, 2025 at 10:12 PM
#GlycoPower! @vijayrathinam.bsky.social
@raflynn5.bsky.social @vinnieviruses.bsky.social &co show @nature.com that N-glycosylation of host small-RNAs present at cell surface prevents immune recognition by TLR3 and TLR7 upon apoptotic cells uptake avoiding autoinflammation!
@raflynn5.bsky.social @vinnieviruses.bsky.social &co show @nature.com that N-glycosylation of host small-RNAs present at cell surface prevents immune recognition by TLR3 and TLR7 upon apoptotic cells uptake avoiding autoinflammation!
thehill.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:25 PM