Rebecca Pompano
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pompanolab.bsky.social
Rebecca Pompano
@pompanolab.bsky.social
2.2K followers 240 following 140 posts
Assoc Professor @ University of Virginia. Microfluidics | Bioanalytical Chem | Ex vivo models of immunity | Organs-on-chip | Vaccines | DEI | www.pompanolab.com
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pompanolab.bsky.social
Wait, is the whole Gordon Research Conference #GRC for #SexDifferencesInImmunity just ... gone?

Understanding the fundamentals of sex differences contributes to precision medicine. It helps everyone. Eliminating this meeting or targeting these scientists harms everyone.
Screenshot of website, https://www.grc.org/sex-differences-in-immunity-conference/2025/, which shows "Apologies. You've landed on a missing page."
February 16, 2025 at 10:08 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Interestingly, lymph nodes (LN) from mice bearing early stage tumors were 20-25% less receptive to invasion than LN from naive mice! Chemokine signaling was not reduced, leaving the mechanism of protection an open question, as well as why the protection presumably fails at later tumor stages.
Plot showing the area of the lymph node tissue occupied by tumor cells, 1 hour and 20 hours after adding tumor cells to the tissue ex vivo. Inguinal (iTDLN) and axillary (aTDLN) lymph nodes from tumor-bearing mice both had about 20-25% less tumor-positive area than lymph nodes from naive animals.
February 13, 2025 at 5:02 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Katerina did so much beautiful imaging for this project. Here is a glimpse of tumor cells that invaded the subcapsular sinus and the area near the B cell follicles.
Immunofluorescence images of murine lymph node, stained for podoplanin (lymph node stroma), CD19 (B cells), and Lyve-1 (lymphatics), with tumor cells in cyan. Left: Whole tissue slice; scale bar 200 um. Right: Zoomed view; scale bar 20 um; subcapsular sinus outlined in white dashes. Tumor cells are visible in the sinus as well as around the B cell follicle.
February 13, 2025 at 5:02 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Perhaps predictably, the website for the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research is also down.
404 Page not found message with White House logo, for URL: https://www.whitehouse.gov/womenshealthresearch/
January 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
The entire website for the Sexual and Gender Minority Research office appears to be down. 😢
URL: https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sgmro/directors-corner Webpage says "404 Error page" ... "We can't find the page you're trying to view"
January 22, 2025 at 9:24 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
We are hiring! Now recruiting for either Research Scientist (PhD or MS) or Postdoc. Lead projects in chemical biology, bioanalytical methods in live tissues, and/or understanding the immunobiology of the lymph node. Join our supportive + inclusive group!
Apply at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
Collage of fluorescence images of lymph nodes, photo of lab group smiling outside at UVA in Summer 2024, and schematic of immunofluorescence labeling in live tissue explants.
January 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
My whole team is excited to share our preprint with you, on an #OrganOnChip model of T cell-B cell interactions in the human lymph node! This is a model of antibody production starting from naive T cells and B cells, in a 3D microenvironment. #immunoengineering

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Figure from paper. (a) Immunofluorescence images of human tonsil, showing adjacent zones for T cells and B cells. (b) Schematic of T and B cell differentiation and interaction, leading to IgM production. (c) Schematic of a planar microfluidic chip with three adjacent lanes for cell-laden hydrogel, in which T cells and B cells can be loaded separately or mixed together.
January 15, 2025 at 11:00 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Also, earlier this year @jwlamberink.bsky.social was kind enough to answer my question on Twitter, prior to its meltdown. His clear answer helped us make sense of the convoluted literature in this field and informed our own figure, and is thanked in the paper. Fun science community moment.
Post from Rebecca Pompano. "I have a question for my polymer chemist and biomaterials colleagues. In the radical mediated crosslinking reaction of GelMA (gelatin methacryol, here shown as methacrylate), what is the proper product?" Hand drawing of reaction, with a question for the product. Post from jwLamberink-Ilupeju, PhD. "It looks like the schemes are missing a carbon atom. There should be a bond between 1 and 2 in your drawing, the photoinitiator would add to one of the methyl groups and then the radical would propagate. Please forgive the messy drawing!" Hand drawn reaction diagram shown, not that messy. Final drawing of crosslinking of GelMA.
December 6, 2024 at 11:51 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Our new pub is out in #AnalyticalChemistry! Recent PhD grad Jon Zatorski and undergrad Isabella Lee developed a clever approach for solution phase NMR on #photocrosslinked hydrogels, and showed that Degree of Crosslinking predicts physical stability of the gel. #biomaterials #NMR #ChemSky
Table of contents graphic: Photoexposure of a gel crosslinks it in a microchamber. NMR spectra show vinyl peaks decaying, with lower peaks showing greater stability in a microscale Earth pattern.
December 6, 2024 at 10:41 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Feeling very modern as I finalize my doc on "Example allowable and un-allowable uses of Generative AI" for my course this fall. Ironically I wrote this myself instead of using AI. Thoughts? #AcademicSky #ScienceSky
May I use generative AI in this class? My current viewpoint in this evolving space is that generative AI is a useful tool to accelerate some tedious routine tasks, similar to how calculators and Excel accelerate mathematical calculations and data analysis. It can be gainfully used to accelerate information gathering, summarize texts, generate flashcards, and help study. However, similar to how a calculator is best used after students first learn to do long division by hand, for essential scientific skills, generative AI is best used only after students first learn those skills themselves. This includes composing scientific communication for writing and presentations, and answering conceptual and quantitative scientific questions (e.g. in a problem set). Therefore you may use AI to help you study and learn, but not to provide answers to problem sets or to write any portion of a paper or content of a presentation. Detailed examples of this policy are in a separate document.
August 23, 2024 at 2:17 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Interestingly, several adjuvants known to induce complement fixing antibodies (IgG2c in this strain) also induced IFNg and CXCL9. But, knocking out the receptor for CXCL9, CXCR3, did not prevent IgG2c polarization. This raises lots more interesting questions.
Schematic of proposed cascade. Poly I:C leads to IFNa, which leads to IFNg, which induces CXCL9 in the interfollicular region. cGAMP adjuvant also induces IFNa, IFNg, and CXCL9, whereas adjuvants R848 and Flagellin induce IFNg and CXCL9 only.
August 21, 2024 at 1:45 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Bonus: Alex developed a cool intracellular staining method in the live tissue slices to image where IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha were produced. It's also in the interfollicular region. A separate paper on this staining method is coming.
#bioanalytical

Pink=IFNa, blue=IFNg, white=B220
Immunofluorescence imaging after intracellular staining in lymph node slices. White outlines of B220+ cells (B cells), with some blue lymphoid cells (IFN-gamma producing) and a few larger, non-lymphoid pink cells (IFN-alpha producing).
August 21, 2024 at 1:44 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Type I interferons were required for the CXCL9 after poly I:C vaccination, as was IFN-gamma. Using LN slices, he showed that type I IFN on its own was sufficient to induce IFN-gamma and CXCL9 in this tissue.
Experimental design: Adding IFN-gamma and/or IFN-alpha to the media over ex vivo lymph node slices induced the production of CXCL9 and/or CXCL10 in a dose-dependent manner.
August 21, 2024 at 1:43 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Huge congratulations to new PhD grad Dr. Alex Ball, whose paper is out in Cytokine! #ImmunoSky #Vaccination

Is there a chemokine signature in the lymph node for Th1 responses after vaccination? Alex used in vivo and ex vivo models and some beautiful imaging to ask this. 🧵
Graphical abstract. Vaccination with poly I:C leads to IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma production, which causes CXCL9 upregulation in the lymph node. In contrast, vaccination with alum does not induce IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma, or CXCL9.
August 21, 2024 at 1:40 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
New preprint! Katerina Morgaenko showed that #ExVivo lymph node tissue supports cancer cell invasion. Ex vivo = mix/match cancer cells and tissue to study chemotactic mechanisms without lymphatic entry barriers. #CancerImmunology #ImmunoEngineering

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Images of lymph node tissue labeled by immunofluorescence. Breast cancer cell line (BRPKp110) in teal; B cells in green (CD19), lymphatics in purple (Lyve-1), stromal cells in grey (podoplanin).
July 23, 2024 at 2:08 AM
pompanolab.bsky.social
New #bioanalytical chemistry and #biomaterials preprint! Dr. Jon Z and undergrad Isabella Lee worked how to quantify bond formation in photocrosslinked gels, and linked crosslinking to physical stability of wet gels. Beautiful + useful! #photopatterning #ChemSky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Graphical abstract: Schematic of photopatterning, with NMR spectrum showing a methacrylate peak going down, and a photopatterned earth that is less stable at higher peak heights and more stable at lower peak heights.
July 3, 2024 at 2:13 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Netherlands vs US:
+ Dedicated bike roads with major roads
+ Huge bike parking garages and areas by hospitals, train stations, etc
+ Frequent and ubiquitous public transit in small cities
+ Bambooware instead of plasticware with takeout food
+ Giant Nutella jars
Two-lane bike lane next to each major road that I saw. Easy bike parking by each Metro and major building. Bamboo cutlery from takeout places Nutella jar! Yes I had to show it in this post too.
June 26, 2024 at 6:51 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Had a great weeklong tour of the Netherlands, including #Leiden Univ Med Center visit, #CBMS board meeting, and #SelectBio's Organoid Europe meeting! So many great connections made and nice people met. Plus some sightseeing.
Rotterdam's Cube houses! People really live in these tilted cubes. Mix of old and new architecture in Rotterdam. Giant nutella jar with pump dispenser! yum.
June 26, 2024 at 6:31 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
I had a wonderful time visiting with Dr. Simon Jochems and colleagues at Leiden Univ Med Center today! #LymphNode science day. Forgot to take a picture, so here are some photos from LUMC and beautiful #Leiden downtown instead.
Statue in LUMC... "the one who waits" Dinner on a floating dock over the river, with a boat in the background. Leiden's windmill tower, which is actually a windmill museum, overlooking the river.
June 21, 2024 at 4:12 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Congratulations to Dr. Katerina Morgaenko, brand new PhD! Her work on an ex vivo model of lymph node metastasis is beautiful. #Immunoengineering Watch for a preprint coming soon!
Pompano lab poses after Katerina's defense, smiling at camera. Dr. Katerina is in the center in white dress.
June 17, 2024 at 9:45 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Proud of PhD student Djuro Raskovic, who is representing our team's lymph node #OrganOnChip model at the MPS World Summit in Seattle. Non-stop attention at his poster yesterday and a reprise today. Say hi to him if you are there!
Smiling student in front of poster.
June 13, 2024 at 6:49 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
I'm looking forward to being in Rotterdam for the SelectBio Organoids/Spheroids and LOC/Microfluidics meetings in a few weeks! Hope to meet up with lots of people there. #OrgansOnChip #Microfluidics

selectbiosciences.com/conferences/...
Logo for conference: Brain slice on a computer chip, very colorful. Organoids and Spheroids Europe 2024, 24-25 June 2024, Hilton Rotterdam - The Netherlands
June 1, 2024 at 8:59 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
All of the Challenge Prize winning ideas sound so exciting to advance models of human biology. I look forward to seeing what new programs might be announced from the Complement-ARIE program at the NIH Common Fund! #NewApproachMetholodolgies #InVitro #InSilico #InChemico
Graphic with four parts: In vitro, in silico, in chemico, and (centrally) data ecosystem.
May 8, 2024 at 9:33 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Huge congrats to the three newest PhD students from my lab
at UVA Chemistry: Dr. Hannah Musgrove, Dr. Jon Zatorski, and Dr. Parastoo Anbaei!

Tip: Jon (#OrganOnChip/bioanalytical) + Parris (#bioanalytical/tissue/imaging) are on the job market and awesome. Reach out if hiring.
Pompano lab smiles for the camera after Hannah's PhD defense. Hannah is in the center in blue and gold.
April 24, 2024 at 7:35 PM
pompanolab.bsky.social
Fun to walk in to lab and find this! Newly minted Dr. Hannah Musgrove, PhD trains three lab members who are new to Comsol simulations. Passing on knowledge is such a rewarding part of a scientific career.
Hannah in orange sweater leans into computer, while three other researchers take notes beside her.
March 22, 2024 at 1:52 PM