Peri Kurshan
@pkurshan.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Love synapses and C elegans, science and mentoring, NYC and mountains. Mom of 2. www.KurshanLab.org
Our new tool for automating the quantification of synapses (or any other fluorescent puncta) in C. elegans is published- please try it out!! journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
WormSNAP: A software for fast, accurate, and unbiased detection of fluorescent puncta in C. elegans
Author summary Here we describe software designed to increase the ease, speed and reliability of analyzing images of fluorescently tagged proteins in C. elegans, a microscopic worm proven to be a powe...
journals.plos.org
October 31, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Our new tool for automating the quantification of synapses (or any other fluorescent puncta) in C. elegans is published- please try it out!! journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
October 4, 2025 at 8:17 PM
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
🚀 NY-CURES Launch — Championing State-Wide Investment in Science! 🚀
Our new coalition advocates for sustained public support of New York’s vibrant biomedical research ecosystem — creating cures, economic gains & strengthening communities.
Sign up. Stay informed. Join the movement: www.nycures.org/
Our new coalition advocates for sustained public support of New York’s vibrant biomedical research ecosystem — creating cures, economic gains & strengthening communities.
Sign up. Stay informed. Join the movement: www.nycures.org/
September 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM
🚀 NY-CURES Launch — Championing State-Wide Investment in Science! 🚀
Our new coalition advocates for sustained public support of New York’s vibrant biomedical research ecosystem — creating cures, economic gains & strengthening communities.
Sign up. Stay informed. Join the movement: www.nycures.org/
Our new coalition advocates for sustained public support of New York’s vibrant biomedical research ecosystem — creating cures, economic gains & strengthening communities.
Sign up. Stay informed. Join the movement: www.nycures.org/
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
While I’m a big fan of new technologies that help us study human biology…there’s still no replacement for animal research! See my article in Gen News. www.genengnews.com/topics/trans...
Why We Still Need Animal Research in a World of AI and Organoids
The portrayal of uncaring scientists without any thought for the animals being used in their research is far from the truth.
www.genengnews.com
July 12, 2025 at 2:56 AM
While I’m a big fan of new technologies that help us study human biology…there’s still no replacement for animal research! See my article in Gen News. www.genengnews.com/topics/trans...
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
If someone had said, “Who cares how desert lizard venom works? Let’s not fund that research,” we never would have discovered semaglutide, a key component of drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic, which have helped millions of Americans lose weight.
“Why Are We Funding This?”
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
www.americanscientist.org
June 19, 2025 at 10:44 AM
If someone had said, “Who cares how desert lizard venom works? Let’s not fund that research,” we never would have discovered semaglutide, a key component of drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic, which have helped millions of Americans lose weight.
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
Important update about local impacts of funding cuts.
Depressing but compelling...
Thanks to @joshuasweitz.bsky.social and his team for putting this together.
scienceimpacts.org
Depressing but compelling...
Thanks to @joshuasweitz.bsky.social and his team for putting this together.
scienceimpacts.org
SCIMaP - Impacts of Federal Cuts to Science and Medical Research
Developed by an interdisciplinary research team, this website shows how funding cuts reduce economic activity and employment nationwide
scienceimpacts.org
June 19, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Important update about local impacts of funding cuts.
Depressing but compelling...
Thanks to @joshuasweitz.bsky.social and his team for putting this together.
scienceimpacts.org
Depressing but compelling...
Thanks to @joshuasweitz.bsky.social and his team for putting this together.
scienceimpacts.org
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
The National Science Foundation is critical to our future, but Trump wants to cut it by $5 billion. Here are 5 things we wouldn't have today if it wasn't for the NSF.
June 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The National Science Foundation is critical to our future, but Trump wants to cut it by $5 billion. Here are 5 things we wouldn't have today if it wasn't for the NSF.
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
"Our calculations suggest that the proposed budgetary cuts to the NIH will create a social cost that is 16 times greater than the savings that the administration is attempting to achieve."
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe
This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...
jamanetwork.com
May 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
"Our calculations suggest that the proposed budgetary cuts to the NIH will create a social cost that is 16 times greater than the savings that the administration is attempting to achieve."
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
🧪 Basic science boosts the economy:
"The proposed dismantling of NSF [and NIH] raises an urgent question: do these cuts actually save money or merely delay spending until the bill gets larger?
The answer is clear: these cuts will cost the economy billions."
"The proposed dismantling of NSF [and NIH] raises an urgent question: do these cuts actually save money or merely delay spending until the bill gets larger?
The answer is clear: these cuts will cost the economy billions."
Trump’s NIH And NSF Cuts Estimated To Cost The U.S. Economy $10 Billion Annually
Economists find public R&D drives a quarter of U.S. productivity growth — and pays for itself
www.forbes.com
May 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
🧪 Basic science boosts the economy:
"The proposed dismantling of NSF [and NIH] raises an urgent question: do these cuts actually save money or merely delay spending until the bill gets larger?
The answer is clear: these cuts will cost the economy billions."
"The proposed dismantling of NSF [and NIH] raises an urgent question: do these cuts actually save money or merely delay spending until the bill gets larger?
The answer is clear: these cuts will cost the economy billions."
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
important historical perspective on the value of federal funding of basic research at universities: "These are the building blocks of America's extraordinary strength, created over the last 100 years, and they are now being dismantled in 100 days" 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...
Fareed’s Take: Trump is gutting what made American science great
YouTube video by CNN
www.youtube.com
May 13, 2025 at 5:12 PM
important historical perspective on the value of federal funding of basic research at universities: "These are the building blocks of America's extraordinary strength, created over the last 100 years, and they are now being dismantled in 100 days" 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
Ever wonder how many lives have been saved by NIH-funded research - including your own? Enter any medical condition and instantly see how your tax dollars transformed science into survival.
www.ourhealthroi.com
www.ourhealthroi.com
Our Health ROI
Explore how your tax dollars fund life‑saving medical research.
www.ourhealthroi.com
April 21, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Ever wonder how many lives have been saved by NIH-funded research - including your own? Enter any medical condition and instantly see how your tax dollars transformed science into survival.
www.ourhealthroi.com
www.ourhealthroi.com
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
The NYT wants you to think universities became dependent on government. This is false.
The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.
The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.
April 19, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The NYT wants you to think universities became dependent on government. This is false.
The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.
The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.
FACULTY JOB ALERT! The Albert Einstein Dept of Neuroscience is hiring a new assistant professor in any area of neuroscience! We have funds specifically earmarked for this search. #Neuroscience #AcademicJobs #NeuroSky Job just posted: faculty-einstein.icims.com/jobs/17175/f... Please share widely!!
Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Medical Education | Biomedical Research
faculty-einstein.icims.com
March 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
FACULTY JOB ALERT! The Albert Einstein Dept of Neuroscience is hiring a new assistant professor in any area of neuroscience! We have funds specifically earmarked for this search. #Neuroscience #AcademicJobs #NeuroSky Job just posted: faculty-einstein.icims.com/jobs/17175/f... Please share widely!!
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
🚨 Everyone needs to call their Dem Senator right now. They are starting to cave.
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
March 12, 2025 at 2:19 PM
🚨 Everyone needs to call their Dem Senator right now. They are starting to cave.
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
Finally, those of us with Blue State Senators have something we can do- call your Senator (especially those of you with centrist Democrats!) and tell them to vote NO on the dirty CR that lets Trump/Musk keep gutting the govt. A full shutdown will show that Dems have a spine and are not OK with this!
March 12, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Finally, those of us with Blue State Senators have something we can do- call your Senator (especially those of you with centrist Democrats!) and tell them to vote NO on the dirty CR that lets Trump/Musk keep gutting the govt. A full shutdown will show that Dems have a spine and are not OK with this!
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
WHERE WILL YOU BE ON MARCH 7TH!?
Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one!
#standupforscience2025
Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one!
#standupforscience2025
March 2, 2025 at 2:04 AM
WHERE WILL YOU BE ON MARCH 7TH!?
Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one!
#standupforscience2025
Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one!
#standupforscience2025
This is the type of work being conducted at research institutions across the country (including in our lab, which conducts research on similar disorders through the same amazing program), that are now being disrupted by the administration's executive orders.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=At2d...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=At2d...
The Gene Team and Rare Disease in Children: Where Research Meets Hope
YouTube video by Albert Einstein College of Medicine
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This is the type of work being conducted at research institutions across the country (including in our lab, which conducts research on similar disorders through the same amazing program), that are now being disrupted by the administration's executive orders.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=At2d...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=At2d...
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
Interested in career development and postdoctoral training opportunities at Einstein? Registration is now open for the second EDGE (Einstein Dialogues in Graduate Education) symposium for senior #phd students. Register by March 1 at #postodoclife
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to register.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to register.
January 11, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Interested in career development and postdoctoral training opportunities at Einstein? Registration is now open for the second EDGE (Einstein Dialogues in Graduate Education) symposium for senior #phd students. Register by March 1 at #postodoclife
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to register.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to register.
Reposted by Peri Kurshan
➡️ January 20: FAA director fired
➡️ January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
➡️ January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
➡️ January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
➡️ January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
Making America Great Again!
➡️ January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
➡️ January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
➡️ January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
➡️ January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
Making America Great Again!
January 30, 2025 at 3:37 PM
➡️ January 20: FAA director fired
➡️ January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
➡️ January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
➡️ January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
➡️ January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
Making America Great Again!
➡️ January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
➡️ January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
➡️ January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
➡️ January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years
Making America Great Again!
Our newest preprint is out: an automated code-free method developed for quantifying synapses in C. elegans (but also useful for other fluorescent puncta/organisms!) that we're calling "WormSNAP" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #wormfeed #neuropapers
WormSNAP: A software for fast, accurate, and unbiased detection of fluorescent puncta in C. elegans
The detection and characterization of fluorescent puncta are critical tasks in image analysis pipelines for fluorescence imaging. Existing methods for quantitative characterization of such puncta ofte...
www.biorxiv.org
January 30, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Our newest preprint is out: an automated code-free method developed for quantifying synapses in C. elegans (but also useful for other fluorescent puncta/organisms!) that we're calling "WormSNAP" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #wormfeed #neuropapers
Our newest paper is out! Congratulations to lead author @elisafrankel.bsky.social! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#Neuroscience #WormFeed #NeuroPapers #Celegans
#Neuroscience #WormFeed #NeuroPapers #Celegans
Intracellular protein-lipid interactions drive presynaptic assembly prior to neurexin recruitment
Neurexin cell-adhesion molecules regulate synapse development and function by recruiting synaptic components. Here, we uncover a mechanism for presyna…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 15, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Our newest paper is out! Congratulations to lead author @elisafrankel.bsky.social! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#Neuroscience #WormFeed #NeuroPapers #Celegans
#Neuroscience #WormFeed #NeuroPapers #Celegans
Interested in doing a postdoc in NYC? Registration is now open for the second EDGE symposium for senior Ph.D. students, hosted by the Department of Neuroscience. Registration deadline is March 1. The event takes place in NYC on May 7.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to learn more and register.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to learn more and register.
January 11, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Interested in doing a postdoc in NYC? Registration is now open for the second EDGE symposium for senior Ph.D. students, hosted by the Department of Neuroscience. Registration deadline is March 1. The event takes place in NYC on May 7.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to learn more and register.
Visit bit.ly/3Wa6G1C to learn more and register.
First lab paper is officially published!
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
January 23, 2024 at 2:31 AM
First lab paper is officially published!
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
New paper out from the lab! We propose a new model for how synapses are initially pre-assembled, prior to the arrival of cell adhesion molecules (it involves protein-lipid interactions!). Also propose a role for that pesky short gamma neurexin isoform... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein-lipid interactions drive presynaptic assembly upstream of cell adhesion molecules
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
November 18, 2023 at 2:30 PM
New paper out from the lab! We propose a new model for how synapses are initially pre-assembled, prior to the arrival of cell adhesion molecules (it involves protein-lipid interactions!). Also propose a role for that pesky short gamma neurexin isoform... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...