Pierfrancesco Pagella
@ppagella86.bsky.social
Associate Professor in Bioengineering 🇮🇹@ Linköping University 🇸🇪
Bioengineering/Genomics/Development/3R/Teeth/HeavyMetal/Photography
Bioengineering/Genomics/Development/3R/Teeth/HeavyMetal/Photography
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Vinculin is a simple adapter protein right? Wrong!
That’s been the prevailing view for the 46 years since it was discovered.
Here we provide a new paradigm and show that vinculin is a complex mechanosensor itself, containing 6 binary switch domains.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
That’s been the prevailing view for the 46 years since it was discovered.
Here we provide a new paradigm and show that vinculin is a complex mechanosensor itself, containing 6 binary switch domains.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The mechanical response of vinculin
Vinculin buffers force via dynamic domain unfolding/refolding under physiological load and lacks a stable head-tail lock.
www.science.org
October 31, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Vinculin is a simple adapter protein right? Wrong!
That’s been the prevailing view for the 46 years since it was discovered.
Here we provide a new paradigm and show that vinculin is a complex mechanosensor itself, containing 6 binary switch domains.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
That’s been the prevailing view for the 46 years since it was discovered.
Here we provide a new paradigm and show that vinculin is a complex mechanosensor itself, containing 6 binary switch domains.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
From MRI to Ozempic: breakthroughs that show why fundamental research must be protected
In these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different.
go.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Tomorrow Wednesday 29th at 11am, lesson #3 of @neilshubin.bsky.social guest Professor @college-de-france.fr on ‘The evolutionary origin of bones and teeth’. The second lesson is available @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6y... . No registration, Free access, dentures accepted.
October 28, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Tomorrow Wednesday 29th at 11am, lesson #3 of @neilshubin.bsky.social guest Professor @college-de-france.fr on ‘The evolutionary origin of bones and teeth’. The second lesson is available @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6y... . No registration, Free access, dentures accepted.
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
"Jane Goodall showed us what a life in science could look like: rigorous discovery paired with fierce advocacy for what you study. She gave the world six decades of groundbreaking research on chimpanzees and their habitats, then turned that knowledge into a global movement for conservation." (1/2)
October 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"Jane Goodall showed us what a life in science could look like: rigorous discovery paired with fierce advocacy for what you study. She gave the world six decades of groundbreaking research on chimpanzees and their habitats, then turned that knowledge into a global movement for conservation." (1/2)
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
SMAD4 induces opposite effects on metastatic growth from pancreatic tumors depending on the organ of residence
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
SMAD4 induces opposite effects on metastatic growth from pancreatic tumors depending on the organ of residence - Nature Cancer
Using mouse pancreatic cancer models, Tsanov et al. show that reactivation of SMAD4 at metastatic sites promotes tumor growth in the lung through RUNX1 but restrains metastatic growth through KLF4 in the liver, influenced by organ-specific epigenetic states.
www.nature.com
September 29, 2025 at 7:55 PM
SMAD4 induces opposite effects on metastatic growth from pancreatic tumors depending on the organ of residence
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Thrilled to share our new paper @cp-cell.bsky.social:
“Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.”
This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Faust et al., Cell 2025
“Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.”
This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Faust et al., Cell 2025
September 12, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Thrilled to share our new paper @cp-cell.bsky.social:
“Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.”
This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Faust et al., Cell 2025
“Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.”
This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling.
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Faust et al., Cell 2025
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
We are hiring! 2 years postdoctoral fellowship, to work on the generation of all-human, vascularized and innervated organ-on-chip systems & model infection & inflammation - in Sweden 🇸🇪 @liu.se
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Open positions in bioengineering
Learn more about open scholarship positions in bioengineering at IFM.
liu.se
September 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
We are hiring! 2 years postdoctoral fellowship, to work on the generation of all-human, vascularized and innervated organ-on-chip systems & model infection & inflammation - in Sweden 🇸🇪 @liu.se
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
SOX2 and NR2F1 cooperate
to make #neurons in the #Thalamus
for visual input from the #retina
#DevBio
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
@biologyopen.bsky.social
In collab w Sara Mercurio and Silvia Nicolis @btbsunimib.bsky.social
Driven by Linda Serra and @annanordin.bsky.social
to make #neurons in the #Thalamus
for visual input from the #retina
#DevBio
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
@biologyopen.bsky.social
In collab w Sara Mercurio and Silvia Nicolis @btbsunimib.bsky.social
Driven by Linda Serra and @annanordin.bsky.social
SOX2 and NR2F1 coordinate the gene expression program of the early postnatal visual thalamus
Summary: The transcriptional regulators SOX2 and NR2F1 drive the development of the visual thalamus. Mutations in these genes cause visual impairment in humans.
journals.biologists.com
August 11, 2025 at 12:55 PM
SOX2 and NR2F1 cooperate
to make #neurons in the #Thalamus
for visual input from the #retina
#DevBio
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
@biologyopen.bsky.social
In collab w Sara Mercurio and Silvia Nicolis @btbsunimib.bsky.social
Driven by Linda Serra and @annanordin.bsky.social
to make #neurons in the #Thalamus
for visual input from the #retina
#DevBio
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
@biologyopen.bsky.social
In collab w Sara Mercurio and Silvia Nicolis @btbsunimib.bsky.social
Driven by Linda Serra and @annanordin.bsky.social
We are hiring! 2 years postdoctoral fellowship, to work on the generation of all-human, vascularized and innervated organ-on-chip systems & model infection & inflammation - in Sweden 🇸🇪 @liu.se
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Open positions in bioengineering
Learn more about open scholarship positions in bioengineering at IFM.
liu.se
September 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
We are hiring! 2 years postdoctoral fellowship, to work on the generation of all-human, vascularized and innervated organ-on-chip systems & model infection & inflammation - in Sweden 🇸🇪 @liu.se
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Details in the link - please help me spreading the announcement!
liu.se/en/organisat...
Glad to share the latest effort to emulate dental tissues on-chip: an organ-on-chip design including human dental pulp stem cells & HUVECs, odontoblasts, and a dentin powder-containing compartment, all innervated by mouse trigeminal ganglia! 👇🏼
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
An Innovative “Tooth‐On‐Chip” Microfluidic Device Emulating the Structure and Physiology of the Dental Pulp Tissue
This work presents a “tooth-on-chip” device that mimics dental pulp tissue. By co-culturing key cell types, it recreates vascular networks, stem cell niches, the odontoblast/dentine interface, and tr...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Glad to share the latest effort to emulate dental tissues on-chip: an organ-on-chip design including human dental pulp stem cells & HUVECs, odontoblasts, and a dentin powder-containing compartment, all innervated by mouse trigeminal ganglia! 👇🏼
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
If we lose our inner ear hair cells, we lose our hearing.. but reptiles can repair their sensory organs 🐊🤩
Tune in to Vetenskapspodden on Swedish radio P1, Sun 07:03, Mon 18:33, or bit.ly/4oCDHzP from Sunday, to hear me & Helge Rask-Andersen discuss crocodiles & regeneration with Lena Nordlund!
Tune in to Vetenskapspodden on Swedish radio P1, Sun 07:03, Mon 18:33, or bit.ly/4oCDHzP from Sunday, to hear me & Helge Rask-Andersen discuss crocodiles & regeneration with Lena Nordlund!
August 15, 2025 at 9:48 AM
If we lose our inner ear hair cells, we lose our hearing.. but reptiles can repair their sensory organs 🐊🤩
Tune in to Vetenskapspodden on Swedish radio P1, Sun 07:03, Mon 18:33, or bit.ly/4oCDHzP from Sunday, to hear me & Helge Rask-Andersen discuss crocodiles & regeneration with Lena Nordlund!
Tune in to Vetenskapspodden on Swedish radio P1, Sun 07:03, Mon 18:33, or bit.ly/4oCDHzP from Sunday, to hear me & Helge Rask-Andersen discuss crocodiles & regeneration with Lena Nordlund!
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Our work bridging enhancer-promoter proximity to phenotypic outcomes in vivo is out! Shout out to @olimpiabompadre.bsky.social, to Marie Kmita's lab, and to all the co-authors. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Liebenberg syndrome severity arises from variations in Pitx1 locus topology and proportion of ectopically transcribing cells - Nature Communications
Here the authors show that reducing enhancer-promoter distance at the Pitx1 locus increases proportion of Pitx1 forelimb expressing cells, worsening skeletal defects in Liebenberg syndrome. They also ...
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Our work bridging enhancer-promoter proximity to phenotypic outcomes in vivo is out! Shout out to @olimpiabompadre.bsky.social, to Marie Kmita's lab, and to all the co-authors. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Can using synthetic approaches to build biology help teach us the design principles of how embryos build themselves? 👷♀️🔧
If this is a question that interests you, come and share your thoughts at this Royal Society Workshop on Generative Biology
royalsociety.org/science-even...
If this is a question that interests you, come and share your thoughts at this Royal Society Workshop on Generative Biology
royalsociety.org/science-even...
July 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Can using synthetic approaches to build biology help teach us the design principles of how embryos build themselves? 👷♀️🔧
If this is a question that interests you, come and share your thoughts at this Royal Society Workshop on Generative Biology
royalsociety.org/science-even...
If this is a question that interests you, come and share your thoughts at this Royal Society Workshop on Generative Biology
royalsociety.org/science-even...
Always a great pleasure to see high-level work on tooth 🦷& craniofacial development!
Huge congratulations, Mizuki Nagata & Wanida Ono, on publishing these beautiful back-to-back papers in Nature Communications! Mizuki's 7 years of persistence finally paid off!
The second one is a story about Hedgehog and alveolar bone formation:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The second one is a story about Hedgehog and alveolar bone formation:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A Hedgehog–Foxf axis coordinates dental follicle-derived alveolar bone formation - Nature Communications
The alveolar bone supports the tooth’s lifelong functionality. Here, the authors identify a tooth-specific mechanism of bone formation in which the Hedgehog–Foxf pathway regulates the alveolar bone os...
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Always a great pleasure to see high-level work on tooth 🦷& craniofacial development!
Closed up the Wnt Signaling GRS/GRC - honoured for the possibility of serving as co-chair in this amazing event!
June 28, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Closed up the Wnt Signaling GRS/GRC - honoured for the possibility of serving as co-chair in this amazing event!
Incredibly useful thread! Thank you @juliaeckert.bsky.social !!
What do we see when looking at cells under the microscope? 👉Some are bigger than others, some are elongated and align with the neighbors & others seem to move. Cool, right? But wouldn't it be cooler to quantify these observations?
I'm @juliaeckert.bsky.social. Let's explore some analysis software!
I'm @juliaeckert.bsky.social. Let's explore some analysis software!
June 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Incredibly useful thread! Thank you @juliaeckert.bsky.social !!
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
What is buckling, and why is it relevant in understanding epithelial morphogenesis? 🧐
I am @onenimesa.bsky.social and I will share some papers to understand this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics
I am @onenimesa.bsky.social and I will share some papers to understand this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics
May 25, 2025 at 1:41 PM
What is buckling, and why is it relevant in understanding epithelial morphogenesis? 🧐
I am @onenimesa.bsky.social and I will share some papers to understand this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics
I am @onenimesa.bsky.social and I will share some papers to understand this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
Modular integration of epithelial, microbial, and immune components to study human intestinal biology. Amazing team project with Rubén López-Sandoval, Marius F. Harter, Qianhui Yu, Matthias Lütolf, Mikhail Nikolaev, and Nikolche Gjorevski! biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Modular integration of epithelial, microbial, and immune components to study human intestinal biology. Amazing team project with Rubén López-Sandoval, Marius F. Harter, Qianhui Yu, Matthias Lütolf, Mikhail Nikolaev, and Nikolche Gjorevski! biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Always amazed by the sheer amount of e-mail traffic wasted by hopeless academic spam: this time, "dear Prof. [NAME]", "any contribution", from a "MEGA Journal of Case Reports" - waiting for Giga, Tera, and more!
May 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Always amazed by the sheer amount of e-mail traffic wasted by hopeless academic spam: this time, "dear Prof. [NAME]", "any contribution", from a "MEGA Journal of Case Reports" - waiting for Giga, Tera, and more!
Cannot thank you enough @neilshubin.bsky.social for such an amazing contribution 🦷!!
New paper from the lab: Our teeth arose as sensory organs on the outside of the body of ancient jawless fish.!! Congrats to Yara Haridy and the team!
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Teeth first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient fish, fossil scans find
Anyone who has ever squirmed through a dental cleaning can tell you how sensitive teeth can be. This sensitivity gives important feedback about temperature, pressure—and yes, pain—as we bite and chew ...
phys.org
May 21, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Cannot thank you enough @neilshubin.bsky.social for such an amazing contribution 🦷!!
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
YAP, a protein known to help #cancer cells survive treatment, behaves very differently in cell culture models depending on how they are grown in the lab, highlighting the importance of mimicking tumour architecture to guide better drug strategies.
buff.ly/KQ9bkLg
buff.ly/KQ9bkLg
May 18, 2025 at 8:21 AM
YAP, a protein known to help #cancer cells survive treatment, behaves very differently in cell culture models depending on how they are grown in the lab, highlighting the importance of mimicking tumour architecture to guide better drug strategies.
buff.ly/KQ9bkLg
buff.ly/KQ9bkLg
Thank you @shuntaroyamada.bsky.social and @unibergen.bsky.social for inviting me to give a talk at such a stimulating event - MRCRM 3rd International Meeting on Regenerative Medicine 2025 in Bergen, Norway!
www.helse-bergen.no/en/arrangeme...
Looking forward to our continued collaboration!
www.helse-bergen.no/en/arrangeme...
Looking forward to our continued collaboration!
May 16, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Thank you @shuntaroyamada.bsky.social and @unibergen.bsky.social for inviting me to give a talk at such a stimulating event - MRCRM 3rd International Meeting on Regenerative Medicine 2025 in Bergen, Norway!
www.helse-bergen.no/en/arrangeme...
Looking forward to our continued collaboration!
www.helse-bergen.no/en/arrangeme...
Looking forward to our continued collaboration!
Fresh out of press: our new chapter on the TBX3/WNT liaison, and how it drives metastasis-related genes expression in colorectal cancer, out on @pnas.org
Enjoy the “bluetorial” by @claudiocantu81.bsky.social below! 👇🏼
#WNT #CRC @liu.se
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Enjoy the “bluetorial” by @claudiocantu81.bsky.social below! 👇🏼
#WNT #CRC @liu.se
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
May 13, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Fresh out of press: our new chapter on the TBX3/WNT liaison, and how it drives metastasis-related genes expression in colorectal cancer, out on @pnas.org
Enjoy the “bluetorial” by @claudiocantu81.bsky.social below! 👇🏼
#WNT #CRC @liu.se
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Enjoy the “bluetorial” by @claudiocantu81.bsky.social below! 👇🏼
#WNT #CRC @liu.se
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Registration is still open for our upcoming Gordon Research Conference (GRC, June 22-27) and Seminar (GRS, June 21 -22) on Wnt Signaling in Maine, US
PhD students and postdocs, the GRS is for you, still possible to get selected for a talk - apply here!
👇🏼👇🏼
lnkd.in/d6ii4vDE
lnkd.in/dfZ_v3Qk
PhD students and postdocs, the GRS is for you, still possible to get selected for a talk - apply here!
👇🏼👇🏼
lnkd.in/d6ii4vDE
lnkd.in/dfZ_v3Qk
May 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Registration is still open for our upcoming Gordon Research Conference (GRC, June 22-27) and Seminar (GRS, June 21 -22) on Wnt Signaling in Maine, US
PhD students and postdocs, the GRS is for you, still possible to get selected for a talk - apply here!
👇🏼👇🏼
lnkd.in/d6ii4vDE
lnkd.in/dfZ_v3Qk
PhD students and postdocs, the GRS is for you, still possible to get selected for a talk - apply here!
👇🏼👇🏼
lnkd.in/d6ii4vDE
lnkd.in/dfZ_v3Qk
Reposted by Pierfrancesco Pagella
The Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine (GIMM) is one of the best research institutes in Portugal. It's currently recruiting for three Group Leaders (junior or senior) across different areas, including systems biology and bioinformatics.
gimm.pt/jobs/open-ca...
gimm.pt/jobs/open-ca...
Research Group Leaders – GIMMResearch Group Leaders – GIMM
Thank you very much for your generous donation and for sharing your testimony.We hope
to more people feel inspired to join this mission of discovery and innovation!
gimm.pt
May 1, 2025 at 8:06 AM
The Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine (GIMM) is one of the best research institutes in Portugal. It's currently recruiting for three Group Leaders (junior or senior) across different areas, including systems biology and bioinformatics.
gimm.pt/jobs/open-ca...
gimm.pt/jobs/open-ca...