Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
@walterwchen.bsky.social
Postdoc in Ralph DeBerardinis' Lab and Neonatologist at UT Southwestern (UTSW) via Harvard/MIT MD-PhD, Harvard Pediatric Residency, UTSW Neonatology Fellowship | STAT Wunderkind, ASCI E-Gen Award, BWF CAMS
Studying #metabolism, #mitochondria, #peroxisomes
Studying #metabolism, #mitochondria, #peroxisomes
Pinned
BWF Announces 2025 Career Awards for Medical Scientists - Burroughs Wellcome Fund
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Career Awards for Medical Scientists (CAMS). This award supports early-career physician-scientists as they transition from...
www.bwfund.org
Honored to receive @bwfund.bsky.social Career Award for my research on #mitochondria #peroxisomes and be 1st neonatologist awardee! The $700K for starting my lab will enable exciting research on #organelles #metabolism to help medicine’s smallest patients. #neonatal www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Regulated decay of microRNAs plays a critical role in controlling body size in mammals! Check out our new paper in @genesdev.bsky.social and see thread previously posted with our pre-print 👇 for more info. Congrats to Collette LaVigne, Jaeil Han, and all authors!
genesdev.cshlp.org/cgi/content/...
genesdev.cshlp.org/cgi/content/...
November 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Regulated decay of microRNAs plays a critical role in controlling body size in mammals! Check out our new paper in @genesdev.bsky.social and see thread previously posted with our pre-print 👇 for more info. Congrats to Collette LaVigne, Jaeil Han, and all authors!
genesdev.cshlp.org/cgi/content/...
genesdev.cshlp.org/cgi/content/...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
1/New paper from Zheng Wu, Phong Nguyen et al. @cri-utsw.bsky.social shows how cells balance the two pathways that produce purine nucleotides: de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. The surprising mechanism involves NUDT5, a Nudix hydrolase
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NUDT5 regulates purine metabolism and thiopurine sensitivity by interacting with PPAT
Cells generate purine nucleotides through de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. Purine salvage represses DNPB to prevent excessive purine nucleotide synthesis through mechanisms that ...
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:01 PM
1/New paper from Zheng Wu, Phong Nguyen et al. @cri-utsw.bsky.social shows how cells balance the two pathways that produce purine nucleotides: de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. The surprising mechanism involves NUDT5, a Nudix hydrolase
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Interested in organellar metabolomics? Check out my talk tomorrow on how the Rapid Organellar IP technology has enabled discoveries in organellar biology over the past 10 years! Ty Tech Networks for the invite! @cri-utsw.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/o...
Advances in Proteomics & Metabolomics 2025
Proteomics and metabolomics are unlocking new dimensions in our understanding of biology and disease. This event will highlight the latest developments in mass spectrometry, single-cell proteomics and...
www.technologynetworks.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Interested in organellar metabolomics? Check out my talk tomorrow on how the Rapid Organellar IP technology has enabled discoveries in organellar biology over the past 10 years! Ty Tech Networks for the invite! @cri-utsw.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/o...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Thrilled to announce the launch of my lab
@cri-utsw.bsky.social at UTSW this January!
We will explore how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, focusing on membrane mechanics to reveal how tension and signaling work together to shape cell behavior.
@cri-utsw.bsky.social at UTSW this January!
We will explore how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, focusing on membrane mechanics to reveal how tension and signaling work together to shape cell behavior.
We're growing! Our newest Investigator @henrydebelly.bsky.social will join the CRI Tissue #Regeneration Program in January 2026. Learn more about Henry ➡️ cri.utsw.edu/faculty/henr... and 📌apply to research in his lab cri.utsw.edu/careers
October 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Thrilled to announce the launch of my lab
@cri-utsw.bsky.social at UTSW this January!
We will explore how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, focusing on membrane mechanics to reveal how tension and signaling work together to shape cell behavior.
@cri-utsw.bsky.social at UTSW this January!
We will explore how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, focusing on membrane mechanics to reveal how tension and signaling work together to shape cell behavior.
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
New paper - MAPL strikes again! Interested in mitochondrial signalling, inflammation, lysosome biology, pyroptosis, and Parkinson's disease? Have a look, there's something for everyone! Feeling grateful! @mitocollier.bsky.social Funded by #CIHR, @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org.
rdcu.be/eKKz1 🇨🇦
rdcu.be/eKKz1 🇨🇦
October 14, 2025 at 11:50 AM
New paper - MAPL strikes again! Interested in mitochondrial signalling, inflammation, lysosome biology, pyroptosis, and Parkinson's disease? Have a look, there's something for everyone! Feeling grateful! @mitocollier.bsky.social Funded by #CIHR, @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org.
rdcu.be/eKKz1 🇨🇦
rdcu.be/eKKz1 🇨🇦
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Lab’s 1st preprint!
Menstruation is understudied due to societal taboos + a biological challenge: mice (a key system for research + drug discovery) don’t menstruate.
@cagricevrim.bsky.social made menstruating mice + used them to discover early events in menstruation.
He is on the job market!
Menstruation is understudied due to societal taboos + a biological challenge: mice (a key system for research + drug discovery) don’t menstruate.
@cagricevrim.bsky.social made menstruating mice + used them to discover early events in menstruation.
He is on the job market!
I’m thrilled to share my postdoc work and the first paper from the McKinley Lab! 🎉
@karalmckinley.bsky.social
We built the first transgenic model of menstruation in mice.
We used it to uncover how the endometrium organizes and sheds during menstruation. 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
@karalmckinley.bsky.social
We built the first transgenic model of menstruation in mice.
We used it to uncover how the endometrium organizes and sheds during menstruation. 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
Induction of menstruation in mice reveals the regulation of menstrual shedding
During menstruation, an inner layer of the endometrium is selectively shed, while an outer, progenitor-containing layer is preserved to support repeated regeneration. Progress in understanding this co...
www.biorxiv.org
October 10, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Lab’s 1st preprint!
Menstruation is understudied due to societal taboos + a biological challenge: mice (a key system for research + drug discovery) don’t menstruate.
@cagricevrim.bsky.social made menstruating mice + used them to discover early events in menstruation.
He is on the job market!
Menstruation is understudied due to societal taboos + a biological challenge: mice (a key system for research + drug discovery) don’t menstruate.
@cagricevrim.bsky.social made menstruating mice + used them to discover early events in menstruation.
He is on the job market!
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Exciting study from @frisophagy.bsky.social in @chinnery in the Chinnery lab @mrc-mbu.bsky.social. Congratulations to all authors involved in the study! #mitochondria
Ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy regulates the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations | Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy regulates the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations | Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy regulates the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations
Mitochondrial synthesis of adenosine triphosphate is essential for eukaryotic life but is dependent on the cooperation of two genomes: nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). mtDNA mutates ~15 times as...
www.science.org
October 9, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Exciting study from @frisophagy.bsky.social in @chinnery in the Chinnery lab @mrc-mbu.bsky.social. Congratulations to all authors involved in the study! #mitochondria
Ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy regulates the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations | Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy regulates the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA mutations | Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Leveraging modern scientific tools and techniques, @ishahjain.bsky.social intends to transform our understanding of the critical roles that vitamins play in health and disease.
Bringing Modern Science to Vitamin Biology: Isha Jain Wins NIH Transformative Research Award
Leveraging modern scientific tools and techniques, Jain intends to transform our understanding of the critical roles that vitamins play in health and disease.
gladstone.org
October 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Leveraging modern scientific tools and techniques, @ishahjain.bsky.social intends to transform our understanding of the critical roles that vitamins play in health and disease.
Excited to present my research at the upcoming University of Utah Rising Stars Symposium and meet fellow scientists who love metabolism! @cri-utsw.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social
Please join us for the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center (DMRC) 2025 Rising Stars in partnership with the Mountain West Prevention Center (MW-PRC). This is a multi-departmental effort, aligned with the University of Utah’s synergistic approach to amplify voices and foster connections
October 3, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Excited to present my research at the upcoming University of Utah Rising Stars Symposium and meet fellow scientists who love metabolism! @cri-utsw.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Excited to share that I’ve started my lab as an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Thank you to all the mentors, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years!
Thank you to all the mentors, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years!
October 1, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Excited to share that I’ve started my lab as an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Thank you to all the mentors, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years!
Thank you to all the mentors, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years!
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
First post here! Excited to share a new paper and online resource from our lab published today. We developed a mass spectrometry approach that leverages genetic diversity to systematically nominate functional relationships between metabolites and proteins.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Covariation MS uncovers a protein that controls cysteine catabolism - Nature
A mass spectrometry-based approach globally identifies protein regulators of metabolism and reveals the role of LRRC58 in controlling cysteine catabolism.
www.nature.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:24 PM
First post here! Excited to share a new paper and online resource from our lab published today. We developed a mass spectrometry approach that leverages genetic diversity to systematically nominate functional relationships between metabolites and proteins.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Happy to share our new paper in @nature.com led by staff scientist Xuejing Liu. We report identification of a UCP1-independent pathway of brown fat thermogenesis involving ATP-consuming metabolism of BCFA in peroxisomes. #Obesity #T2D
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 17, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Happy to share our new paper in @nature.com led by staff scientist Xuejing Liu. We report identification of a UCP1-independent pathway of brown fat thermogenesis involving ATP-consuming metabolism of BCFA in peroxisomes. #Obesity #T2D
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Excited to join the @cri-utsw.bsky.social community to advance discoveries in genome instability. We are grateful to UTSW Pathology for 6 wonderful years.
🚨 We are also recruiting motivated postdocs to study how mitotic errors and aberrant nuclear structures drive cancer genome evolution—join us!
🚨 We are also recruiting motivated postdocs to study how mitotic errors and aberrant nuclear structures drive cancer genome evolution—join us!
WELCOME to the Institute, @peterlylab.bsky.social! Dr. Ly studies how cells maintain genomic integrity and how dysregulation of these processes impacts human health. 🧪Learn more about his research 👉 cri.utsw.edu/faculty/pete... #relentlessdiscovery
September 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Excited to join the @cri-utsw.bsky.social community to advance discoveries in genome instability. We are grateful to UTSW Pathology for 6 wonderful years.
🚨 We are also recruiting motivated postdocs to study how mitotic errors and aberrant nuclear structures drive cancer genome evolution—join us!
🚨 We are also recruiting motivated postdocs to study how mitotic errors and aberrant nuclear structures drive cancer genome evolution—join us!
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
I am excited to share my graduate work in the Sabatini and @bartellab.bsky.social labs. Since their discovery, we have known lysosomes possess RNase activity; however, their substrates were not known. Surprisingly we find specific RNAs are targeted for degradation! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Lysosomal RNA profiling reveals targeting of specific types of RNAs for degradation
Autophagy targets a wide variety of substrates for degradation within lysosomes. While lysosomes are known to possess RNase activity, the role of lysosomal RNA degradation in post-transcriptional gene...
www.biorxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I am excited to share my graduate work in the Sabatini and @bartellab.bsky.social labs. Since their discovery, we have known lysosomes possess RNase activity; however, their substrates were not known. Surprisingly we find specific RNAs are targeted for degradation! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
🍹 @walterwchen.bsky.social et al show that PEX39 cooperates with PEX7 in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a PTS2 site and uncover an (R/K)PWE motif in PEX39 and PEX13 that binds to PEX7 and facilitates the import of PTS2-containing proteins.
bit.ly/4lmjv2l
bit.ly/4lmjv2l
PEX39 facilitates the peroxisomal import of PTS2-containing proteins - Nature Cell Biology
Chen et al. show that PEX39 cooperates with PEX7 in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a PTS2 site and uncover an (R/K)PWE motif in PEX39 and PEX13 that binds to PEX7 and facilitates the im...
bit.ly
August 14, 2025 at 8:30 PM
🍹 @walterwchen.bsky.social et al show that PEX39 cooperates with PEX7 in the peroxisomal import of proteins containing a PTS2 site and uncover an (R/K)PWE motif in PEX39 and PEX13 that binds to PEX7 and facilitates the import of PTS2-containing proteins.
bit.ly/4lmjv2l
bit.ly/4lmjv2l
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
I’m really beyond thrilled to be included in this years Pew Biomedical Scholars cohort and to be able to meet all the incredible scientists in this program. I was in Scott Kennedy’s lab when he was a Pew Scholar and never thought I’d be lucky enough to also be one! www.pew.org/en/about/new...
Pew Awards 22 Researchers Biomedical Science Grants
www.pew.org
August 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I’m really beyond thrilled to be included in this years Pew Biomedical Scholars cohort and to be able to meet all the incredible scientists in this program. I was in Scott Kennedy’s lab when he was a Pew Scholar and never thought I’d be lucky enough to also be one! www.pew.org/en/about/new...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Happy to announce that I was awarded a pathway to independence award (K99) from the NCI/NIH today to work on studying whole-body metabolism driving cancer cachexia. None of this would be possible without support from @damonrunyon.org, @transactivator.bsky.social and @mvhlab.bsky.social.
August 7, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Happy to announce that I was awarded a pathway to independence award (K99) from the NCI/NIH today to work on studying whole-body metabolism driving cancer cachexia. None of this would be possible without support from @damonrunyon.org, @transactivator.bsky.social and @mvhlab.bsky.social.
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
RNA N-glycosylation enables immune evasion and homeostatic efferocytosis by chemically caging acp3U. Excited to report this work lead by Vinnie @vinnieviruses.bsky.social and in collaboration with @vijayrathinam.bsky.social in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 6, 2025 at 3:36 PM
RNA N-glycosylation enables immune evasion and homeostatic efferocytosis by chemically caging acp3U. Excited to report this work lead by Vinnie @vinnieviruses.bsky.social and in collaboration with @vijayrathinam.bsky.social in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
I’m extremely honored to be recognized with the WICB Junior Research Award. ASCB and WICB have been key to my career development since I attended my first annual meeting in 2005. Congrats to the other awardees!
Meet the 2025 ASCB Award Winners—trailblazing scientists honored for research, mentoring, education, and innovation. Celebrate excellence across all career stages in cell biology. Read more: www.ascb.org/society-news...
August 4, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I’m extremely honored to be recognized with the WICB Junior Research Award. ASCB and WICB have been key to my career development since I attended my first annual meeting in 2005. Congrats to the other awardees!
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
A new tragedy for the Endocrine community An outstanding scientist leaves us too soon
August 4, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A new tragedy for the Endocrine community An outstanding scientist leaves us too soon
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
I am unspeakably humbled and grateful for this honor - to "wear" Goeddel's name is simply insane. I can only promise to do my best to do it justice.
ONWARDS!!!
ONWARDS!!!
August 4, 2025 at 7:49 PM
I am unspeakably humbled and grateful for this honor - to "wear" Goeddel's name is simply insane. I can only promise to do my best to do it justice.
ONWARDS!!!
ONWARDS!!!
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Our lab has derived over 50 trophoblast organoid lines to better understand how chronic conditions like hypertension and obesity influence placental development and metabolism. (Check out this figure made with @biorender.bsky.social)
August 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Our lab has derived over 50 trophoblast organoid lines to better understand how chronic conditions like hypertension and obesity influence placental development and metabolism. (Check out this figure made with @biorender.bsky.social)
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Happy to share our work on the role of biomechanical PULSATILITY on lung vessels.
Following surgery to alleviate overload in kids with single ventricle hearts, lung arteries form AVMs. #DevBio #EndothelialCell #CHD
Beautiful work from Steve Spurgin. #DevBio 🫁 🫀 ❤️🩹
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Following surgery to alleviate overload in kids with single ventricle hearts, lung arteries form AVMs. #DevBio #EndothelialCell #CHD
Beautiful work from Steve Spurgin. #DevBio 🫁 🫀 ❤️🩹
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pulsatile flow dynamics determine pulmonary arterial architecture
BACKGROUND Single ventricle congenital heart disease (SV-CHD) is a uniformly lethal condition. Survival depends upon the Glenn surgery, which shunts venous blood directly to the pulmonary arteries wit...
www.biorxiv.org
August 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Happy to share our work on the role of biomechanical PULSATILITY on lung vessels.
Following surgery to alleviate overload in kids with single ventricle hearts, lung arteries form AVMs. #DevBio #EndothelialCell #CHD
Beautiful work from Steve Spurgin. #DevBio 🫁 🫀 ❤️🩹
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Following surgery to alleviate overload in kids with single ventricle hearts, lung arteries form AVMs. #DevBio #EndothelialCell #CHD
Beautiful work from Steve Spurgin. #DevBio 🫁 🫀 ❤️🩹
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
Major part of my PhD thesis is finally online! Thanks to everyone involved 🙏 @walterwchen.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social @tmoeckli.bsky.social @hirakdas.bsky.social and the entire @warscheidlab.bsky.social #peroxisomes #Massspec #proteomics
#Biochemistry: #PEX39, a newly discovered #peroxin protein, transports enzymes into #peroxisomes like a relay racer. New paper @natcellbio.nature.com – congratulations to @dwendscheck.bsky.social @warscheidlab.bsky.social et al!
➡️ www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-...
➡️ www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-...
July 30, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Major part of my PhD thesis is finally online! Thanks to everyone involved 🙏 @walterwchen.bsky.social @rjdlab.bsky.social @tmoeckli.bsky.social @hirakdas.bsky.social and the entire @warscheidlab.bsky.social #peroxisomes #Massspec #proteomics
Reposted by Walter W. Chen, MD, PhD
ONLINE NOW in @natcellbio.nature.com: CRI's @rjdlab.bsky.social Lab postdoc @walterwchen.bsky.social & international colleagues have discovered the first new human peroxin in 20 years. Read more ⬇️ cri.utsw.edu/deberardinis... #relentlessdiscovery 🧪
DeBerardinis Lab discovers first human peroxin in 20 years - Children's Medical Center Research Institute (CRI) | Dallas Texas
CRI researchers, international colleagues identify PEX39, which facilitates peroxisomal protein import PEX39 is the first new human peroxisomal biogenesis protein, a peroxin or PEX, to be identified i...
cri.utsw.edu
July 30, 2025 at 9:11 AM
ONLINE NOW in @natcellbio.nature.com: CRI's @rjdlab.bsky.social Lab postdoc @walterwchen.bsky.social & international colleagues have discovered the first new human peroxin in 20 years. Read more ⬇️ cri.utsw.edu/deberardinis... #relentlessdiscovery 🧪