Nicole Repina
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nrepina.bsky.social
Nicole Repina
@nrepina.bsky.social
330 followers 210 following 17 posts
Studying multiscale emergence (cell -> tissue) at FMI Basel

complex systems | 3D shape | morphogenesis | self-organization | philosophy of biology | systems evo-devo | image analysis | illustration

✨ always questioning, forever inspired ✨
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Nicole Repina
marliesoomen.bsky.social
In need of a positive outlook on the future (of developmental biology)? Read our perspectives by my fellow @dev-journal.bsky.social PI fellows and myself. I'm hoping my future will contain much more TE biology and mammalian genome regulation!

journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Pathway to Independence: a forecast for the future of developmental biology
ABSTRACT. In 2022, Development launched its Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, aimed at supporting postdocs as they transition to their first independent position. In 2025, we welcome our third c...
journals.biologists.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
sarawickstrom.bsky.social
How do #stemcells integrate information to coordinate fate decisions? Delighted to finally see our work showing how growth factors regulate the mechano-osmotic state of the #nucleus and #chromatin to control #pluripotency exit out! www.nature.com/articles/s41... see 🧵 👇
Mechano-osmotic signals control chromatin state and fate transitions in pluripotent stem cells - Nature Cell Biology
McCreery, Stubb et al. show that mechano-osmotic changes in the nucleus induce general transcriptional repression and prime chromatin for cell fate transitions by relieving repression of specific differentiation genes.
www.nature.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
itaiyanai.bsky.social
The reality in science is that creativity is not treated as a core skill while hypothesis testing is, and that is the imbalance that we want correct through the Night Science Institute!
www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/art... www.night-science.org
The Night Science Institute Is Changing How Science Teaches Creativity
In this interview with Professors Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher, explore how night science brings creativity, ideation and collaboration back into the heart of modern science.
www.technologynetworks.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:53 PM
nrepina.bsky.social
Great commentary, we all need to understand this
melaniemitchell.bsky.social Melanie Mitchell @melaniemitchell.bsky.social · Sep 15
I wrote a response to Thomas Friedman's "magical thinking" on AI here: aiguide.substack.com/p/magical-th...
September 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
dev-journal.bsky.social
Hydra body axis balance: a fight between two transcription factors

This Research Highlight showcases the work from Jaroslav Ferenc, Marylène Bonvin, Panagiotis Papasaikas, Jacqueline Ferralli, Clara Nuninger and Charisios D. Tsiairis:

journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Phenotype rescue upon Zic4 and Gata3 double knockdown. (A,B) Maximum projection confocal images of oral (A) and aboral (B) ends of animals after GFP RNAi (control), Zic4 or Gata3 RNAi, and Zic4+Gata3 RNAi. DNA in cyan, peroxidase activity in magenta and Nematocilin in orange. Panels on the right show magnifications of boxed areas on the left. Scale bars: 100μm. Note the ectopic peroxidase staining in tentacle tips upon Zic4 RNAi, and ectopic Nematocilin staining adjacent to the foot upon Gata3 RNAi, as well as rescue of both phenotypes in the double knockdown. (C) Percentage of animals with ectopic peroxidase staining in tentacles upon Zic4 KD and double KD. (D) Percentage of animals with ectopic Nematocilin staining adjacent to the foot in Gata3 KD and double KD. For examples of strong and partial phenotypes refer to Fig. S6. Data in G and H shown for n animals pooled from at least two independent replicates. ***P<0.001 (Fisher's exact test). (E,F) Schematic of proposed model for controlling the choice between basal disk and battery cell fate in Hydra. At the oral pole, Wnt signaling (black dot) activates Zic4 (orange) expression and thus basal disk identity. Without it, Gata3 dominates at the opposite end, leading to basal disk fate establishment (E). Experimentally depleting one of the factors results in ectopic cell fate acquisition at the opposite body end (F).
September 16, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
danielkrueger.bsky.social
Out in @science.org! We found that the intestine doesn’t just push out cells when crowded. Instead, cells are in a mechanical tug-of-war, and weaker ones are extruded. A new view of how our gut keeps its balance and stays healthy.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Epithelial tension controls intestinal cell extrusion
Cell extrusion is essential for homeostatic self-renewal of the intestinal epithelium. Extrusion is thought to be triggered by crowding-induced compression of cells at the intestinal villus tip. In th...
www.science.org
September 6, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
What a week! A huge thank you to all the students and teachers for the for the engaged discussions, thoughtful questions, and good vibes. Rock on, and stay curious! 🤓 ✨

#VeniceEvoDevo #levels #morphogenesis #sysbio #evodevo
September 8, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
paveltomancak.bsky.social
We are all super happy and proud to see our work on the function and evolution of the #cephalic #furrow published in @nature.com. Let me say a few things about the background and history of this work on the #Evolution_of_Morphogenesis (1/12)
September 4, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
cellarchlab.com
BIG NEWS!! We will be hiring a new professor with 25 years of endowed funding at the @biozentrum.unibas.ch @unibas.ch, focused on using biophysics and structural biology to explore climate-related fundamental science topics. Come start an innovative research cluster with us! 🧪🔬🧶🧬🌾🌍
unibas.ch University of Basel @unibas.ch · Aug 26
The University of Basel is setting up a new endowed professorship at the @biozentrum to make fundamental discoveries at the interface between biophysics and climate-relevant environmental biology. This will be made possible by the Georg H. Endress Foundation.
New endowed professorship strengthens climate research at the University of Basel
The University of Basel is setting up a new endowed professorship at the Biozentrum to make fundamental discoveries at the interface between b...
www.unibas.ch
August 26, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
joelluethi.bsky.social
We're happy to announce the 2025 International OME-NGFF workshop 🎉

📅 Dates:
- Symposium: Nov 10–11, 2025
- Hackathon: Nov 12–14, 2025

📍 Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Full details & registration: www.biovisioncenter.uzh.ch/en/events/Up... 

#bioimaging #openscience #OMENGFF #OMEZarr

(1/x 🧵)
Visual of segmented human induced pluripotent stem cells with the key workshop dates: Symposium on November 10-11, Hackathon on November 12-14th in Zurich Switzerland
August 25, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
biorxiv-devbio.bsky.social
A closed feedback between tissue phase transitions and morphogen gradients drives patterning dynamics https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.06.658228v1
June 6, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
jamesbriscoe.bsky.social
Our latest "Dynamic Landscape Analysis of Cell Fate Decisions: Predictive Models of Neural Development From Single-Cell Data"

A rigorous mathematical foundation for Waddington's landscape to study cell fate decision making

Applied to ventral neural tube development

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Dynamic Landscape Analysis of Cell Fate Decisions: Predictive Models of Neural Development From Single-Cell Data
Building a mechanistic understanding of cell fate decisions remains a fundamental goal of developmental biology, with implications for stem cell therapies, regenerative medicine and understanding dise...
www.biorxiv.org
May 29, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
amichaut.bsky.social
🚨📣 New preprint alert!
Excited to share my new postdoc work on direct force and mechanical properties measurements in live embryos!
A great team effort with A. Chamolly (theory), under the supervision of F. Corson and @jeromegros.bsky.social
📄 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#devbio #mechanics
Direct measurements of active forces and material properties unveil the active mechanics of early embryogenesis
Despite progress in probing tissue mechanics, direct long-term measurements in live embryonic epithelia are lacking. This limits our understanding of amniote embryonic morphogenesis, which takes place...
www.biorxiv.org
May 12, 2025 at 2:01 PM
nrepina.bsky.social
This is so reasonably wonderful!!!!! 🤩
erc.europa.eu European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · Jun 2
Planning to apply for #research #funding from the ERC?

From the next application rounds, expect changes to the:

• proposal structure
• evaluation process
• extra funding you can request
• eligibility for Starting & Consolidator #Grants (from 2027)

More 👇 europa.eu/!RPHWvv
Changes to the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes
With the launch of the competitions for grants under ERC Work Programme 2026 in July of this year, several changes to the submission of applications and the evaluation of proposals will apply. The mai...
europa.eu
June 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
prakashlab.bsky.social
My favorite NPR story blog - “Goats and Soda” sent a writer and photographer to a rural school in India; an early adopter of Foldscope. A wonderful photo story of kids “reading nature”. In this current challenging climate - the kids show us the way with joy and wonder.

www.npr.org/sections/goa...
Mo Pandiarajan, founder of Eden school, shows students a view of a specimen in a Foldscope, which he's attached to his mobile phone. Photo credit: Viraj Nayer for NPR A.Santhos inserts a slide into the foldscope. He is a former student who lives in the neigbourhood and keeps in touch with the students of his alma mater, often taking them for nature walks to examine the world around them through the foldscope. Viraj Nayer for NPR Students at Eden School select specimens to examine with their Foldscopes. Viraj Nayer for NPR Ramana Rajeesh Kumar, 11, Meenakshi, 8, and Magathi Yazhini, 9, with their Foldscopes. Ramana has been fascinated with bugs for a while. "They look even cooler under the Foldscope," he says. "Especially their eyes and hairy feet!" Viraj Nayer for NPR
November 24, 2024 at 4:55 PM
nrepina.bsky.social
Last chance to come join us, don’t forget to apply (by tomorrow March 31st)!!!
March 30, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Deadline is TOMORROW night (Mar 31).
Not tonight, like wrongly announced at first.

And that's good news: because you get another 24hrs to apply, if you have not yet done so!

What are you waiting for!? 😉

Registration link below:
March 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
Mihaela Pavličev

Mihaela co-chairs the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Uni Vienna. She studies mammalian reproduction to understand how organismal organization affects variation.

She will present a model of tissue evolution based on metabolic interdependence.
March 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
Thibaut Brunet (@thibautbrunet.bsky.social)

Thibaut studies the evolutionary origin of animal morphogenesis at Institut Pasteur in Paris.

He will be teaching us about this and also how multicellularity first arose in evolution.
February 25, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
Wallace Marshall (@wallaceucsf.bsky.social)

Wallace studies how cells solve engineering problems, how geometry arises within cells, and how it shapes and constrains cellular behavior.

He'll be telling us how cell shape constrains underlying pathways.
March 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
Dan Brooks (@dsbrooks.bsky.social)

Dan's research interests span the history & philosophy of the life sciences, concept usage in science & theory in biology.

At our school, he'll have a thing or two to say about levels of organization, what they are & where they come from.
February 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
philipcball.bsky.social
Well well, timely! 😉
www.cell.com/cell-systems...
Should biology put complexity first?
The dictum “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler” poses a problem for biology. How simply can it be told without doing damage to its complex nature? The answer might be foun...
www.cell.com
February 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
nature.com
Nature research paper: Topological segregation of stress sensors along the gut crypt–villus axis

https://go.nature.com/4b4jcpC
Topological segregation of stress sensors along the gut crypt–villus axis - Nature
Serotonergic enterochromaffin cells of the intestine exhibit distinct sensory, secretory and physiological properties depending on their location within the complex crypt–villus architecture of the gut.
go.nature.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
Nicole Repina (@nrepina.bsky.social)

Nicole is using quantitative imaging to study how complex tissue shape can emerge from cell interactions.

In Venice, she will be speaking about how we can use imaging for multiscale analysis of multicellular systems.
February 18, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Nicole Repina
veniceevodevo.bsky.social
Our teachers this year:
James DiFrisco

James is a philosopher of science and theoretical biologist working @crick.ac.uk on the evolution of gene regulatory networks, modularity and pleiotropy, vertebrate gastrulation, and the developmental basis of morphological homology/tissue organization.
February 17, 2025 at 4:56 PM