Marie Billaud
@mariebillaud.bsky.social
Pronounce Bee-yo (🇫🇷)
Vascular biologist. Cat lover.
Asst Prof in Cardiovascular Medicine & Surgery at BWH/HMS in Boston
Formerly Pitt, UVA, Bordeaux.
Vascular biologist. Cat lover.
Asst Prof in Cardiovascular Medicine & Surgery at BWH/HMS in Boston
Formerly Pitt, UVA, Bordeaux.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
☕The authors identify a chemical cocktail to generate #totipotent - like cells, which they then use to build an #embryo model. This model captures a developmental spectrum from early #embryogenesis to post-implantation events.
bit.ly/4oHxUZp
bit.ly/4oHxUZp
A continuous totipotent-like cell-based embryo model recapitulates mouse embryogenesis from zygotic genome activation to gastrulation - Nature Cell Biology
The authors identify a chemical cocktail to generate totipotent-like cells, which they then use to build an embryo model. This model captures a developmental spectrum from early embryogenesis to post-...
bit.ly
November 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
☕The authors identify a chemical cocktail to generate #totipotent - like cells, which they then use to build an #embryo model. This model captures a developmental spectrum from early #embryogenesis to post-implantation events.
bit.ly/4oHxUZp
bit.ly/4oHxUZp
Reposted by Marie Billaud
"Strategies for studying sex differences in brain aging"
http://dlvr.it/TPHP3x
@bbparis1984.bsky.social @suhlab-aging.bsky.social @ctmurphy1.bsky.social @denadubal.bsky.social & colleagues
@cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social
#SfN2025
http://dlvr.it/TPHP3x
@bbparis1984.bsky.social @suhlab-aging.bsky.social @ctmurphy1.bsky.social @denadubal.bsky.social & colleagues
@cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social
#SfN2025
November 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Strategies for studying sex differences in brain aging"
http://dlvr.it/TPHP3x
@bbparis1984.bsky.social @suhlab-aging.bsky.social @ctmurphy1.bsky.social @denadubal.bsky.social & colleagues
@cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social
#SfN2025
http://dlvr.it/TPHP3x
@bbparis1984.bsky.social @suhlab-aging.bsky.social @ctmurphy1.bsky.social @denadubal.bsky.social & colleagues
@cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social
#SfN2025
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Launching celldynamicslab.com, the homepage of our new group at EPFL working on cell fragmentation, membrane and cortex mechanics, FLIM imaging, and microfluidics tools. MSc/PhD or postdocs interested in quantitative cell biology are welcome to reach out. We're also hiring a lab manager in 2026!
Main - Cell Dynamics and Fragmentation Lab
The Cell Dynamics and Fragmentation lab at We study how single cells move and fragment in complex environments using microfluidics. We bring tools and concep...
celldynamicslab.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Launching celldynamicslab.com, the homepage of our new group at EPFL working on cell fragmentation, membrane and cortex mechanics, FLIM imaging, and microfluidics tools. MSc/PhD or postdocs interested in quantitative cell biology are welcome to reach out. We're also hiring a lab manager in 2026!
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Ngl, this whole thread makes me want to visit Boston and get verbally abused by the nicest people. imgur.com/gallery/bost...
Bostonians; kind but not nice.
Discover topics like boston, tumblr, kind but not nice, Storytime, i love people, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jo...
imgur.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Ngl, this whole thread makes me want to visit Boston and get verbally abused by the nicest people. imgur.com/gallery/bost...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
I guess it never gets old...bc we love #CellMigration
ATP has many roles: energy currency, hydrotrope, and *danger signal*
Immune cells are faster after ATP exposure, F-actin (cyan) goes to the rear for nitro boost!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
@focalplane.bsky.social #fluorescencefriday 🧪🔬
ATP has many roles: energy currency, hydrotrope, and *danger signal*
Immune cells are faster after ATP exposure, F-actin (cyan) goes to the rear for nitro boost!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
@focalplane.bsky.social #fluorescencefriday 🧪🔬
November 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I guess it never gets old...bc we love #CellMigration
ATP has many roles: energy currency, hydrotrope, and *danger signal*
Immune cells are faster after ATP exposure, F-actin (cyan) goes to the rear for nitro boost!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
@focalplane.bsky.social #fluorescencefriday 🧪🔬
ATP has many roles: energy currency, hydrotrope, and *danger signal*
Immune cells are faster after ATP exposure, F-actin (cyan) goes to the rear for nitro boost!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
@focalplane.bsky.social #fluorescencefriday 🧪🔬
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Whoah
EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?
#lupus #medsky #RheumSky
@christosargyrop.bsky.social
EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?
#lupus #medsky #RheumSky
@christosargyrop.bsky.social
Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells in systemic lupus erythematosus
Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells to promote pathogenic antinuclear T and B cell responses in lupus.
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Whoah
EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?
#lupus #medsky #RheumSky
@christosargyrop.bsky.social
EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?
#lupus #medsky #RheumSky
@christosargyrop.bsky.social
Reposted by Marie Billaud
When a larval zebrafish twitches its tail, the vascular endothelium lights up with a calcium signal, mediated by Piezo1. We used to think mechanosensing in endothelial cells was about sensing blood flow, but at least in this case it's about sensing body motion.
November 14, 2025 at 8:34 PM
When a larval zebrafish twitches its tail, the vascular endothelium lights up with a calcium signal, mediated by Piezo1. We used to think mechanosensing in endothelial cells was about sensing blood flow, but at least in this case it's about sensing body motion.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
This is apparently a response to dealing with the delays due to the government shutdown.
I hope is is done as thoughtfully as possible to minimize some of the effects I outline below.
I hope is is done as thoughtfully as possible to minimize some of the effects I outline below.
Another new policy from the geniuses in NIH leadership.
Apparently, ~70% of grant applications for most mechanisms will not be "triaged", i.e. not discussed at study section.
This is an increase from the ~50% level that has been in place for many years.
I don't know the rationale for this
1/13
Apparently, ~70% of grant applications for most mechanisms will not be "triaged", i.e. not discussed at study section.
This is an increase from the ~50% level that has been in place for many years.
I don't know the rationale for this
1/13
a man with a beard is looking at the camera with the words priorities written on the bottom
ALT: a man with a beard is looking at the camera with the words priorities written on the bottom
media.tenor.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:56 PM
This is apparently a response to dealing with the delays due to the government shutdown.
I hope is is done as thoughtfully as possible to minimize some of the effects I outline below.
I hope is is done as thoughtfully as possible to minimize some of the effects I outline below.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
New paper from the lab on a new Gateway compatible toolkit for transgenesis in eukaryotes, led by former technician Will Gillespie.
Open access @dev-journal.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Open access @dev-journal.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
MultiSite Assembly of Gateway Induced Clones (MAGIC): a flexible cloning toolbox for use in vertebrate model systems
Summary: A comprehensive suite of Gateway-compatible plasmids for in vitro and in vivo transgenesis in vertebrate model systems has been developed, together with a relational, modifiable, open-source ...
journals.biologists.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM
New paper from the lab on a new Gateway compatible toolkit for transgenesis in eukaryotes, led by former technician Will Gillespie.
Open access @dev-journal.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Open access @dev-journal.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Jim Ryan wrote a letter to UVA detailing his "resignation" and I'm gonna get some fresh tea before I read it because I feel pretty certain I'm gonna be filled with righteous anger by the end
I'll do a thread but here's the full letter provided by the chronicle
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
I'll do a thread but here's the full letter provided by the chronicle
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Jim Ryan letter
www.documentcloud.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Jim Ryan wrote a letter to UVA detailing his "resignation" and I'm gonna get some fresh tea before I read it because I feel pretty certain I'm gonna be filled with righteous anger by the end
I'll do a thread but here's the full letter provided by the chronicle
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
I'll do a thread but here's the full letter provided by the chronicle
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
I thought the earlier news from A&M was bad, but this is incredibly bleak. It’s close to the point of not having a functional university.
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I thought the earlier news from A&M was bad, but this is incredibly bleak. It’s close to the point of not having a functional university.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Adding citations of people who might review the paper
November 14, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Adding citations of people who might review the paper
Reposted by Marie Billaud
boston sent vital assistance following the 1917 halifax harbor explosion (so awful it killed 1700 people), and as thanks, nova scotia has sent us a christmas tree every year. it’s a nice little tradition. this is the first time the boston mayor visited to retrieve it in person
In Canada, Wu helps chop down Boston's Christmas tree
Mayor Michelle Wu spent three days in Nova Scotia, saying she wanted to affirm Boston's relationship with Canada amid antagonism from the Trump administration.
www.boston.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:59 AM
boston sent vital assistance following the 1917 halifax harbor explosion (so awful it killed 1700 people), and as thanks, nova scotia has sent us a christmas tree every year. it’s a nice little tradition. this is the first time the boston mayor visited to retrieve it in person
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Do Not miss this great @navbo.bsky.social online event😆
Specification of Endothelial Cell Phenotypes
Organized by Dr. Ralf Adams @ralfhadams.bsky.social
& Dr. Vicki Bautch
Abstract deadline November 20
members.navbo.org/calendar-of-...
Specification of Endothelial Cell Phenotypes
Organized by Dr. Ralf Adams @ralfhadams.bsky.social
& Dr. Vicki Bautch
Abstract deadline November 20
members.navbo.org/calendar-of-...
November 13, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Do Not miss this great @navbo.bsky.social online event😆
Specification of Endothelial Cell Phenotypes
Organized by Dr. Ralf Adams @ralfhadams.bsky.social
& Dr. Vicki Bautch
Abstract deadline November 20
members.navbo.org/calendar-of-...
Specification of Endothelial Cell Phenotypes
Organized by Dr. Ralf Adams @ralfhadams.bsky.social
& Dr. Vicki Bautch
Abstract deadline November 20
members.navbo.org/calendar-of-...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
How Massachusetts am I? Just ate soft serve in the car in the Market Basket parking lot. It's 39 degrees out. You know you can hear the accent this information is conveyed in.
November 14, 2025 at 1:21 AM
How Massachusetts am I? Just ate soft serve in the car in the Market Basket parking lot. It's 39 degrees out. You know you can hear the accent this information is conveyed in.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
First time on Bsky and first big announcement!
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes - Nature
WGS data were used from 347,630 individuals with European ancestry in the UK Biobank to obtain high-precision estimates of coding and non-coding rare variant heritability for 34 co...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:57 PM
First time on Bsky and first big announcement!
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
I am excited to announce that our new study explaining the missing heritability of many phenotypes using WGS data from ~347,000 UK Biobank participants has just been published in @Nature.
Our manuscript is here: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
Reposted by Marie Billaud
This week, my "impostor syndrome" died forreal.
Except it means foregrounding the reality that the playing field is NOT level. I really do have to be twice as good to get half as much.
Except it means foregrounding the reality that the playing field is NOT level. I really do have to be twice as good to get half as much.
Grad Students: The Larry Summers news should shed any shred of imposter syndrome you've felt in academia. Clearly, academics* can be far from perfect (at everything from spelling to relationships to human decency) and still make it all the way to the top of ivory tower.
November 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
This week, my "impostor syndrome" died forreal.
Except it means foregrounding the reality that the playing field is NOT level. I really do have to be twice as good to get half as much.
Except it means foregrounding the reality that the playing field is NOT level. I really do have to be twice as good to get half as much.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
@sushantbangru.bsky.social and @rdiegmiller.bsky.social new review on regeneration is out in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. A fun piece to write and another great collaboration with @kenposs.bsky.social.
New Online! Signal control during tissue regeneration in adult animals
Signal control during tissue regeneration in adult animals
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Published online: 11 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41580-025-00917-1The ability to track single cells in vivo, combined with insights into chromatin structure, immune–tissue crosstalk, bioelectric and metabolic cues and quantitative modelling, is changing our understanding of how tissues are repaired and renewed. This Review discusses how signals are regulated during regeneration and future directions for a more quantitative understanding of regenerative biology.
bit.ly
November 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
@sushantbangru.bsky.social and @rdiegmiller.bsky.social new review on regeneration is out in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. A fun piece to write and another great collaboration with @kenposs.bsky.social.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
New preprint 🥳! We made photoclickable HaloTag ligands to precisely control protein labeling on living cells. With it, we can do some cool multicolor stuff. Huge congrats to Franzi and all co-authors! Check it out 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 13, 2025 at 4:20 PM
New preprint 🥳! We made photoclickable HaloTag ligands to precisely control protein labeling on living cells. With it, we can do some cool multicolor stuff. Huge congrats to Franzi and all co-authors! Check it out 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
An infusible decellularized extracellular matrix material binds to vasculature in infarcted myocardium and induces pro-reparative gene expression following acute myocardial infarction through inherent avidity and bioactive signaling https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.687915v1
November 13, 2025 at 9:47 PM
An infusible decellularized extracellular matrix material binds to vasculature in infarcted myocardium and induces pro-reparative gene expression following acute myocardial infarction through inherent avidity and bioactive signaling https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.687915v1
Reposted by Marie Billaud
And here is the story after peer review. This work highlights our current approach, which is to use Piezo channels to uncover new areas of biology that are shaped by mechanical forces: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
November 13, 2025 at 10:05 PM
And here is the story after peer review. This work highlights our current approach, which is to use Piezo channels to uncover new areas of biology that are shaped by mechanical forces: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Marie Billaud
Two papers in Nature present an analysis of the immune response to a pig-to-human kidney transplant in a brain-dead patient over a period of two months.
go.nature.com/4qWZ687
go.nature.com/4p6PmGD
#immunosky #medsky 🧪
go.nature.com/4qWZ687
go.nature.com/4p6PmGD
#immunosky #medsky 🧪
November 13, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Two papers in Nature present an analysis of the immune response to a pig-to-human kidney transplant in a brain-dead patient over a period of two months.
go.nature.com/4qWZ687
go.nature.com/4p6PmGD
#immunosky #medsky 🧪
go.nature.com/4qWZ687
go.nature.com/4p6PmGD
#immunosky #medsky 🧪
Reposted by Marie Billaud
The SNAP fight at the Supreme Court is officially over. Trump's Department of Justice acknowledges that SNAP is now fully funded through the end of the fiscal year and thus withdraws its request for an additional stay. The end of the shutdown mooted the case before SCOTUS could touch the merits.
November 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The SNAP fight at the Supreme Court is officially over. Trump's Department of Justice acknowledges that SNAP is now fully funded through the end of the fiscal year and thus withdraws its request for an additional stay. The end of the shutdown mooted the case before SCOTUS could touch the merits.
Reposted by Marie Billaud
The Massachusetts Senate is expected to pass a bill today that would create statewide rules to restrict attempts to remove books from school libraries. Here's a look at the details: www.wbur.org/news/2025/11... @wbur.org
What's in the anti-book ban bill the Mass. Senate is expected to pass
The Massachusetts Senate is expected to pass a bill today that would set statewide rules for removing material from school libraries. Here's a look at the details.
www.wbur.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The Massachusetts Senate is expected to pass a bill today that would create statewide rules to restrict attempts to remove books from school libraries. Here's a look at the details: www.wbur.org/news/2025/11... @wbur.org