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msumgi.bsky.social
MSU MGI
@msumgi.bsky.social
99 followers 16 following 180 posts
The official Bluesky account of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology of Michigan State University.
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msumgi.bsky.social
MGI Prof. Chris Contag is a significant contributor to this work: MSU researchers have created the first human heart-like “organoids” that enable the study of atrial fibrillation. The models also enable new ways of evaluating heart development, diseases & drug responses.
ertrunnell.bsky.social Emily R. Trunnell, Ph.D. @ertrunnell.bsky.social · 12d
In a recent study, O'Hern, @aaguirre1980.bsky.social et al., also from @msu-medicine.bsky.social & @msumgi.bsky.social revealed that TRMPs modulate cardiac signaling, clear dead cells through efferocytosis, & regulate extracellular matrix remodeling and electrical conduction.
December 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
New in @mbio.bsky.social : MGI PhD student Heather Murdoch of the @abramovitch.bsky.social Lab explores how TB bacteria adapt their metabolism in acidic conditions and what the changes might mean for treatment.

Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm
MGI PhD student Heather Murdoch works in her lab. She is wearing her lab coat and gloves and is standing at her bench.
December 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Adam Kibiloski, an MGI doctoral candidate in the Abramovitch lab (@abramovitch.bsky.social).

Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy
Adam Kibiloski leans against a brick wall and smiles at the camera. Below his picture there is a quote that reads "Between the pathogenesis courses I took and seeing the real-world impact of disease during my study abroad in Africa, I discovered a deep-seated interest in studying bacteria that impact the quality of human life." Adam Kibiloski, MGI doctoral student. There is also a QR code and an arrow with text that says "read more."
December 16, 2025 at 3:48 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Congratulations to our graduates! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see the great things you will accomplish!
Dr. Megan Korne gets hooded by Dr. Greg Bonito. Dr. Charles Whitehead-Tillery shakes Pres. Guskiewicz's hand while his advisor, Dr. Linda Mansfield, looks on, smiling. Dr. Alex Wessel and Dr. Jasper Gomez stand with their advisor, Dr. Chris Waters. Dr. Beth Ottosen smiles after getting hooded by her advisor, Dr. Vic DiRita.
December 15, 2025 at 8:20 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
For more than 5 decades, MSU faculty have shared microbiology expertise with Can Tho University in Vietnam. In this new article, MGI Assoc. Prof. Emeritus & former Assoc. dept. chair Scott Mulrooney reflects on the impact of this enduring collaboration.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa
MGI Assoc. Prof. Emeritus Scott Mulrooney stands with a cohort of microbiology students at Can Tho University, Vietnam.
December 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
As part of his class, MGI 991 - Intro to Science, Asst. Prof. Zachary Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) gives out homemade gifts to his students: Anti-critic shields and hypothesis-killing swords (foam, of course). They are a rite of passage for their experiences in the Practice of Science module.
Students and MGI Assistant Professor Zack Blount line up to show off their new shields and swords. They are gifts from Dr. Blount to his MGI 991 students. Students and MGI Assistant Professor Zack Blount line up to show off their new shields and swords. They are gifts from Dr. Blount to his MGI 991 students.
December 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Why are coral reefs bleaching, and what can we do to stop it?

Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.
Sarah VanDiepenbos stands at her bench holding a pipette.
December 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Thank you to Pei-Chung Lee of Wayne State University for delivering a fantastic MGI research seminar - the last one of the semester.

Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.
Pei-Chung Lee stands at the front of a crowded lecture hall in front of a screen with his title slide "Host-Pathogen War - The Hippo Awakens". It's made to look like a star wars poster with a hippo dress up like a jedi.
December 4, 2025 at 4:13 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
How do HPV+ head and neck cancers spread? MGI doctoral student John Garber of the Pyeon lab (@dpyeon.bsky.social) is looking into that question, and he told us about his research at this week's Work in Progress Seminar.
MGI grad student John Garber smiles at the camera. He is standing in front of a window.
December 2, 2025 at 8:39 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Some bacteria can't be grown in a lab. So how do we study it?

MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life.

Published in @mSphereJ.
MGI Assistant Professor Nina Wale sits for a headshot. She is smiling at the camera.
December 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Congratulations to MGI Professors Sean Crosson and Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social for winning awards from the College of Natural Science!

Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv
Two pictures show Rich Lenski standing with Eric Hegg while holding his award and a headshot of Sean Crosson. There is a green circle with a spartan helmet and the letters "MGI" in the bottom right corner.
December 2, 2025 at 3:28 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Alex Wessel!
A green and white flyer with a picture of Dr. Alex Wessel congratulating him on successfully defending his doctoral dissertation.
December 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
🔬MGI doctoral student Julia Kelliher served as lead author on a global effort involving 248 experts from 28 countries to write guidelines standardizing environmental microbiome research. Published today in Nature Microbiology. @natmicrobiol.nature.com

🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72
MGI doctoral student Julia Kelliher smiles at the camera. There is a plant behind her.
December 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by doctoral students Camille Boucaud of the Heath-Heckman Lab (@drheathheckman.bsky.social) and Rosemary Northcote of the Crosson Lab.

Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!
Camille Boucaud and Rosemary Northcote work at their lab benches.
November 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
🌱🔬 Exciting news from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center! MGI assoc prof Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director, leading groundbreaking research into the plant microbiome.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr
Associate Professor Sarah Lebeis, right, talks to lab manager Keara Grady in her lab at Michigan State University, where she studies the complex interactions of plants and the communities of microbes that inhabit their root systems.
November 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Sophia Liberto, an MGI PhD student in the Hulin lab, gave a WiPS seminar about her work studying the genetic makeup of a bacteria that causes a canker disease in trees in the Prunus species. She hand-draws her research illustrations, combining her loves of art & science.
Sophia Liberto stands in a large field next to a tree. She has lab gloves on and appears to be holding a test tube. She is smiling. The sky is cloudy, but there is abundant sunshine. This image is a hand-drawn comic strip showing the methods that she uses from collecting samples to conducting genomic analysis of the bacteria. This image is a hand-drawn cartoon depicting host-microbe interactions.
November 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Thank you to MSU Integrative Biology Assoc Professor Ingo Braasch (@fishevodevogeno.bsky.social) for giving today's MGI research seminar!
Dr. Ingo Braasch gestures while giving the MGI research talk.
November 18, 2025 at 6:07 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
This week's Work in Progress seminars were presented by Joel Marty of the Kaminski Lab and Le Zhan of the Wang Lab. Thank you!

Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our graduate students present their current research.
Joel Marty presents his WiPS talk. Le Zhan presents her WiPS talk.
November 11, 2025 at 3:38 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
The Long-Term Evolution Experiment has returned home. Led by Professors Richard Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Jeffrey Barrick, this groundbreaking work continues to reveal how bacteria evolve in real time. 12 flasks. 1 legacy.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/f6vjyjvr
Rich Lenski adds information to the Long-Term Evolution Experiment lab notebook after restarting the experiment at MSU. Jeff Barrick and Devin Lake stand behind him.
November 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Abdul Osman, an MGI graduate student working in the Giri Lab at Henry Ford Health.

Read more about his research and goals here: tinyurl.com/26r28dkn
Abdul Osman smiles at the camera. The image also has a green banner with an arrow pointing to a QR code and words that say "Read more" as well as a quote from his micro biography that reads "I'm investigating neuroinflammatory processes in neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on how gut-derived metabolites and interactions between the immune and central nervous system reshape cellular metabolism and drive multiple sclerosis progression. Abdul Osman, MGI graduate student."
November 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Beth Ottosen!
Green and white flyer with a picture of Dr. Beth Ottosen on it. The flyer is congratulating Dr. Ottosen for successfully defending her doctoral dissertation today.
November 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Joshua Obar of Dartmouth College gave today's MGI Research Seminar. The topic was "Trans-Kingdom Interactions: Regulation of Anti-Fungal Immunity & Disease." Thank you for a terrific talk!
Joshua Obar of Dartmouth College presents the MGI Research Seminar.
November 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by Heather Murdoch of the Abramovitch Lab and Imani Pascoe of the Bonito and Lebeis Labs.

Join us at noon each Monday in 1425 BPS to hear our doctoral students present their research!
Heather Murdoch answers a question during her WiPS talk. Imani Pascoe presents her WiPS talk.
November 3, 2025 at 6:59 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
Congratulations to MGI's newest graduate & Jedi Knight, Jasper Gomez! He successfully defended his dissertation and was knighted by his advisor, Chris Waters, at his seminar today.
A green and white flyer saying "Congratulations Dr. Jasper Gomez. Dr. Gomez successfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled, "Genetic bet-hedging: A phage strategy to overcome host defenses." The flyer has the logo from the MSU Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology on it. MGI Professor Chris Waters and newly minted PhD graduate Jasper Gomez stand in their Halloween costumes at Dr. Gomez's defense.
October 31, 2025 at 8:24 PM
msumgi.bsky.social
MGI graduate student Anuli Khairatkar recently wrote an article entitled "Cancer and the immune system: A Molecular Battleground." The piece was written for a site called Club SciWri that is dedicated to communicating scientific topics simply.

sciwri.club/archives/14387
Cancer And The Immune System: A Molecular Battleground
by Anuli Khairatkar Cancer is a universally feared condition, but what about it is so terrifying? The danger of cancer lies not just in its origins, but also in how it interacts within the body onc…
sciwri.club
October 31, 2025 at 2:11 PM