Bess Frost
@bessfrost.bsky.social
Salame-Feraud Director, Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research | Brown University
Reposted by Bess Frost
Excited to share new work from the lab showing that FTD causing mutations in tau cause widespread defects in microglia function
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cell autonomous microglia defects in a stem cell model of frontotemporal dementia tau - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - Cell autonomous microglia defects in a stem cell model of frontotemporal dementia tau
www.nature.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Excited to share new work from the lab showing that FTD causing mutations in tau cause widespread defects in microglia function
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
New Frost lab preprint from @SohnClaira: “Elevation of the mechanically-sensitive protein emerin links nuclear mechanotransduction to tau-induced cytoskeletal remodeling in neurons”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/9
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/9
October 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
New Frost lab preprint from @SohnClaira: “Elevation of the mechanically-sensitive protein emerin links nuclear mechanotransduction to tau-induced cytoskeletal remodeling in neurons”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/9
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/9
New Frost Lab Paper/Dataset Alert! bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Congrats to co-first authors @PaulRamirez42 and Dr. Gabbe Zuniga.
@carneyinstitute.bsky.social
1/5
Congrats to co-first authors @PaulRamirez42 and Dr. Gabbe Zuniga.
@carneyinstitute.bsky.social
1/5
Long-read sequencing-based analyses of the adult Drosophila brain transcriptome in physiological and pathological settings - BMC Genomics
Optimal brain function requires that neurons carry out extensive post-transcriptional RNA processing to produce a vast diversity of transcripts. Accurate reconstruction and quantification of highly pr...
bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
New Frost Lab Paper/Dataset Alert! bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Congrats to co-first authors @PaulRamirez42 and Dr. Gabbe Zuniga.
@carneyinstitute.bsky.social
1/5
Congrats to co-first authors @PaulRamirez42 and Dr. Gabbe Zuniga.
@carneyinstitute.bsky.social
1/5
We are excited to announce a new open search for a tenure track Assistant Professor position within the Brown University Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research!
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175427
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175427
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We are excited to announce a new open search for a tenure track Assistant Professor position within the Brown University Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research!
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175427
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175427
Reposted by Bess Frost
💫NEW: Sun et al. identify a subset of transposable elements that serve as mechano-response enhancer elements that control #GeneExpression and human #StemCell fate.
👉https://rdcu.be/eJqGP
bit.ly/4gYgJjm
👉https://rdcu.be/eJqGP
bit.ly/4gYgJjm
A subset of transposable elements as mechano-response enhancer elements in controlling human embryonic stem cell fate - Nature Cell Biology
Sun et al. identify a subset of transposable elements that serve as mechano-response enhancer elements that control gene expression and human stem cell fate.
bit.ly
October 4, 2025 at 2:24 PM
💫NEW: Sun et al. identify a subset of transposable elements that serve as mechano-response enhancer elements that control #GeneExpression and human #StemCell fate.
👉https://rdcu.be/eJqGP
bit.ly/4gYgJjm
👉https://rdcu.be/eJqGP
bit.ly/4gYgJjm
Reposted by Bess Frost
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
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 🧵 👇
Reposted by Bess Frost
Incredible!!!
🧵 BREAKING: Gene therapy shows promise in slowing Huntington’s disease progression. A major milestone in neurodegenerative disease research. @uclqsion.bsky.social @ucl-hd.bsky.social
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Incredible!!!
Reposted by Bess Frost
Brain on standby — how torpor made ‘tauopathy’ reversible — a Journal Club article by Nina M. Rzechorzek
@dynamicbrain.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@dynamicbrain.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Brain on standby — how torpor made ‘tauopathy’ reversible - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
In this Journal Club, Nina Rzechorzek explores a 2003 article showing that, during hibernation, ground squirrels reversibly accumulate highly phosphorylated tau in the brain (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s...
www.nature.com
August 21, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Brain on standby — how torpor made ‘tauopathy’ reversible — a Journal Club article by Nina M. Rzechorzek
@dynamicbrain.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@dynamicbrain.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Bess Frost
I just got the notice that all the FlyBase people at Harvard, including me, will be laid off on October 12. I'm devastated.
August 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
I just got the notice that all the FlyBase people at Harvard, including me, will be laid off on October 12. I'm devastated.
If you are at #AAIC25 and want to see new, unpublished data on #tau, #retrotransposons and circular DNA, check out poster #847 by Morgan Lambert @BrownUniversity from 3:30-4:15 today!
July 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
If you are at #AAIC25 and want to see new, unpublished data on #tau, #retrotransposons and circular DNA, check out poster #847 by Morgan Lambert @BrownUniversity from 3:30-4:15 today!
Reposted by Bess Frost
1/2 Great article by Amber Dance in @knowablemag.bsky.social, a lay explanation of the @annualreviews.bsky.social that @bessfrost.bsky.social and I wrote about the “retrotransposon storm” hypothesis of Neurodegeneration.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
How rogue jumping genes can spur Alzheimer’s, ALS
Our genomes are peppered with DNA segments called retrotransposons that can move from place to place. When unleashed, some can kill nerves and promote inflammation — a discovery that may inspire treat...
knowablemagazine.org
June 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
1/2 Great article by Amber Dance in @knowablemag.bsky.social, a lay explanation of the @annualreviews.bsky.social that @bessfrost.bsky.social and I wrote about the “retrotransposon storm” hypothesis of Neurodegeneration.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Bess Frost
More complete analysis of NIH outlays (or lack thereof) from grant-watch.us
grant-watch.us/posts/trends...
grant-watch.us/posts/trends...
Trends in NIH outlays: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern funding drops to $0 – Grant Watch
grant-watch.us
June 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
More complete analysis of NIH outlays (or lack thereof) from grant-watch.us
grant-watch.us/posts/trends...
grant-watch.us/posts/trends...
Reposted by Bess Frost
The Trump HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon is a flat liar. Peer review selects the best grants and awards them for several years and that’s it.
The Trump admin has politicized American science in an unprecedented way and now lies about it. Journalists: ask scientists about what’s happened for the truth.
The Trump admin has politicized American science in an unprecedented way and now lies about it. Journalists: ask scientists about what’s happened for the truth.
June 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
The Trump HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon is a flat liar. Peer review selects the best grants and awards them for several years and that’s it.
The Trump admin has politicized American science in an unprecedented way and now lies about it. Journalists: ask scientists about what’s happened for the truth.
The Trump admin has politicized American science in an unprecedented way and now lies about it. Journalists: ask scientists about what’s happened for the truth.
Reposted by Bess Frost
In case you needed a smile this Tuesday: 10-month-old baby KJ, who received a bespoke gene-editing therapy after a six month scientific sprint - "graduated" from the hospital @childrensphila.bsky.social today and went HOME!
YAY SCIENCE!
Here's his story: wapo.st/451ZQjT
YAY SCIENCE!
Here's his story: wapo.st/451ZQjT
June 3, 2025 at 8:39 PM
In case you needed a smile this Tuesday: 10-month-old baby KJ, who received a bespoke gene-editing therapy after a six month scientific sprint - "graduated" from the hospital @childrensphila.bsky.social today and went HOME!
YAY SCIENCE!
Here's his story: wapo.st/451ZQjT
YAY SCIENCE!
Here's his story: wapo.st/451ZQjT
Reposted by Bess Frost
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
My lab studies bacterial infections. We spend a lot of time looking at (or for) species-specific genetic and genomic databases for hosts and microbes. FlyBase is the best of all—there is literally no comparison. Its existence is under threat. Please donate.
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Drosophila Genetic Database
The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
An amazing PhD student in my lab just received notice that her individual F31 fellowship focused on Alzheimer’s disease/Tauopathy was terminated.
May 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
An amazing PhD student in my lab just received notice that her individual F31 fellowship focused on Alzheimer’s disease/Tauopathy was terminated.
Reposted by Bess Frost
Progress with rapid & accessible biomarkers of neurodegeneration! Fujirebio received FDA clearance for a blood assay that predicts amyloid plaque pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease. The assay measures the plasma ratio of pTau217:β-Amyloid1-42.
www.fujirebio.com/en-us/news-e...
🧪
www.fujirebio.com/en-us/news-e...
🧪
May 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Progress with rapid & accessible biomarkers of neurodegeneration! Fujirebio received FDA clearance for a blood assay that predicts amyloid plaque pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease. The assay measures the plasma ratio of pTau217:β-Amyloid1-42.
www.fujirebio.com/en-us/news-e...
🧪
www.fujirebio.com/en-us/news-e...
🧪
Reposted by Bess Frost
The title tells the story and the 5 graphs amplify it
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
154 million lives and counting: 5 charts reveal the power of vaccines
But public-health specialists worry that misinformation and funding cuts could affect vaccination rates.
www.nature.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:08 PM
The title tells the story and the 5 graphs amplify it
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Does anyone know what kind of jellyfish this is? Spotted on a beach in Narragansett Bay.
March 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Does anyone know what kind of jellyfish this is? Spotted on a beach in Narragansett Bay.
Reposted by Bess Frost
NfL beats GFAP in a head-to-head FTD biomarker competition. Gendron et al. show plasma GFAP and NfL correlate with FTD disorder severity; however, NfL outperforms GFAP as a prognostic biomarker and potential susceptibility marker.
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Comprehensive cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light across FTD spectrum disorders - Molecular Neurodegeneration
Background Therapeutic development for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is hindered by the lack of biomarkers that inform susceptibility/risk, prognosis, and the underlying causative pathology. Blood gli...
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com
March 17, 2025 at 3:54 PM
NfL beats GFAP in a head-to-head FTD biomarker competition. Gendron et al. show plasma GFAP and NfL correlate with FTD disorder severity; however, NfL outperforms GFAP as a prognostic biomarker and potential susceptibility marker.
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Reposted by Bess Frost
1/ Transposable elements are often called "jumping genes" because they mobilize within genomes. 🧬
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
March 17, 2025 at 11:56 AM
1/ Transposable elements are often called "jumping genes" because they mobilize within genomes. 🧬
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇