Melissa Chaikof
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melissakc.bsky.social
Melissa Chaikof
@melissakc.bsky.social
Public media stations have already announced closures. More will follow unless Congress restores local station funding. Speak up now to #SaveOurStations. bit.ly/3JrahVC
Urge Congress: Save Our Stations
Act now to prevent more station closures in communities nationwide.
bit.ly
October 29, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Mike Johnson refuses to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva — because her vote could force the House to release the Epstein Files. The GOP is doing everything they can to keep Trump's Epstein cover-up going.
October 23, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
🚨WHOA!!! What a powerful moment.

"I'm your host, Stephen Colbert, but tonight we are all Jimmy Kimmel."
September 19, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Kimmel wasn’t fired for his remarks on Kirk—he was fired for using his platform to expose and critique our government. Enough! We especially need large corporations, with the money and influence they have, to fight back.
Reinstate Jimmy Kimmel and stop caving to authoritarian censorship!
Kimmel wasn’t fired for his remarks on Kirk—he was fired for using his platform to expose and critique our government. Enough! We especially need large corporations, with the money and influence they ...
sign.moveon.org
September 19, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
Exactly this
September 18, 2025 at 4:15 AM
This will have a devastating effect on medical research, including Usher 1F research. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/h...
Health Cuts Would Result in Fewer Drugs for Americans, Budget Office Reports
www.nytimes.com
July 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
NPR’s story shows just how deeply the funding decisions affect real lives—and the progress of life-saving science. Craig LeMoult of WGBH in Boston profiles Jessica Chaikof's hope for a cure for Usher 1F and her concern that the federal funding cuts to Harvard threaten Usher 1F research.
She hoped key research could help save her eyesight. Then the Trump funding cuts came
Jessica Chaikof says research into gene therapies could someday save her eyesight. But she worries cuts to federal research funding could mean that therapy won't be ready in time.
www.npr.org
June 25, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Urgent request for support - Usher 1F research needs your help now more than ever! usher1f.org
June 21, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
A previously unreported population of human stem-like cells capable of regenerating retinal tissue and potentially promoting vision recovery has been identified.
Retinal cells discovered that could repair vision loss | PET
Stem-like cells have been discovered that might enable retinal repair.
www.progress.org.uk
April 10, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
The research team successfully induced retinal regeneration and vision recovery in a disease-model mouse by administering a compound that blocks the PROX1 (prospero homeobox 1) protein, which suppresses retinal regeneration. Furthermore, the effect lasted for more than six months.
Retinal therapy may restore lost vision
Researchers have successfully developed a novel drug to restore vision. The treatment method restores vision through retinal nerve regeneration.
www.sciencedaily.com
April 3, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
Researchers at the NIH have developed eye drops that extend vision in animal models of retinitis pigmentosa.
NIH researchers develop eye drops that slow vision loss in animals
Treatment shows potential to slow the progression of human degenerative eye diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa.
www.nih.gov
March 22, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
Please contact your senators and representative asking them to stop the Trump administration from blocking medical research. NIH funding is at a standstill, which threatens Usher 1F research and all medical research.
Revealed: NIH research grants still frozen despite lawsuits challenging Trump order
The Trump administration is exploiting a loophole to keep a funding freeze in place, leaving researchers in limbo.
www.nature.com
February 26, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
"Regeneron yesterday reported good results with their gene therapy program for children with mutations in otoferlin. 10/11 children had hearing improvement. This is life altering for these children and validation to what we are trying to do with Usher 1F."
Usher 1F board member Frank Gentile, PhD
Regeneron gene therapy improves hearing in 10 children with rare form of hearing loss
Regeneron’s investigational gene therapy has been tied to | Regeneron’s investigational gene therapy has been tied to notable hearing improvements in 10 of 11 children who were treated for a rare gene...
www.fiercebiotech.com
February 25, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
February 20, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
February 20, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
February 18, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
February 12, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Musk reportedly spent $40M on #Superbowl ads calling #USAID wasteful. Here’s how we
would’ve spent that $$:
🏈Purchased HIV treatment from U.S. pharma companies to keep 1M pp alive for 1 year.
Tell Congress to youtu.be/PqUESHfuO_8 #saveforeignaid and #standwithUSAID
youtu.be
February 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
"It’s a crucial moment not just for the three companies and the drugs, but also a chance to remove what’s long been seen as a major roadblock to developing treatments for ultra-rare disease populations."
Drugmakers seize on biomarkers to test the FDA's rare disease shift
For the first time, the FDA will consider whether to approve a trio of drugs for tiny patient populations based on trials that are using biological signals as outcomes, rather than a placebo compariso...
endpts.com
February 3, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
Indivisible is urging people to visit their senators' local offices between now and Thursday to demand that they use every tool—including denying a quorum and blocking unanimous consent—to fight the confirmation of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought for head of OMB docs.google.com/document/d/1...
February 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by Melissa Chaikof
February 2, 2025 at 5:36 PM