Verena Straub
@verenas.bsky.social
PostDoc in Experimental Hematoloy
Groningen 🇳🇱
Groningen 🇳🇱
Reposted by Verena Straub
Happy to share our new preprint! We analyzed lipid metabolism in a unique cohort of controls, AD patients, and individuals resilient to AD. We found reduced lipid droplets in resilience compared to AD. Interesting finding as more literature converges on an important role for lipid droplets in AD!
Reduced triacylglycerols and lipid droplets are associated with resilience to Alzheimer’s disease
Introduction While it has become clear that alterations in lipid metabolism are associated with AD, it is unclear how they contribute to both cognitive decline and the pathophysiology of AD.
Methods ...
www.biorxiv.org
May 26, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Happy to share our new preprint! We analyzed lipid metabolism in a unique cohort of controls, AD patients, and individuals resilient to AD. We found reduced lipid droplets in resilience compared to AD. Interesting finding as more literature converges on an important role for lipid droplets in AD!
Reposted by Verena Straub
Due to donor shortages, #liver #transplantation may require use of fatty livers. This #proteomic and #lipoprotein profiling study reports on machine # perfusion under #hyperthermia (40 C) as a potential strategy to improve functionality and use of #fattyliver grafts.
doi.org
May 19, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Due to donor shortages, #liver #transplantation may require use of fatty livers. This #proteomic and #lipoprotein profiling study reports on machine # perfusion under #hyperthermia (40 C) as a potential strategy to improve functionality and use of #fattyliver grafts.
Reposted by Verena Straub
Direct sensing of dietary ω-6 linoleic acid through FABP5-mTORC1 signaling | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Direct sensing of dietary ω-6 linoleic acid through FABP5-mTORC1 signaling
Diet influences macronutrient availability to cells, and although mechanisms of sensing dietary glucose and amino acids are well characterized, less is known about sensing lipids. We defined a nutrien...
www.science.org
March 16, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Direct sensing of dietary ω-6 linoleic acid through FABP5-mTORC1 signaling | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Verena Straub
🧠🔬 Researchers at Leiden University have uncovered how the brain's own marijuana travels between nerve cells. 2-AG is transported in fatty vesicles, revealing a novel form of neural communication. This breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for pain and neurological disorders.
Finally solved: how the body's own marijuana spreads through the brain
Since its discovery thirty years ago, it remained a mystery: how does the body’s own marijuana move between nerve cells in the brain? Mario van der Stelt and his research group have now uncovered the ...
www.universiteitleiden.nl
February 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
🧠🔬 Researchers at Leiden University have uncovered how the brain's own marijuana travels between nerve cells. 2-AG is transported in fatty vesicles, revealing a novel form of neural communication. This breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for pain and neurological disorders.
Our paper is now out in PNAS, a journal that has a history of publishing seminal papers on endocannabinoid transport and therefore is the perfect home for this story:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Thank you to everyone that has contributed!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Thank you to everyone that has contributed!
Happy to announce on my first bsky post that today our manuscript “The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol is released and transported on demand via extracellular microvesicles” has been published in its final form in PNAS n/1
www.pnas.org
February 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Our paper is now out in PNAS, a journal that has a history of publishing seminal papers on endocannabinoid transport and therefore is the perfect home for this story:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Thank you to everyone that has contributed!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Thank you to everyone that has contributed!
Reposted by Verena Straub
It’s incredibly hard to study lipids in biological membranes on the nanoscale. You need near-perfect information on both membrane ultrastructure and lipid density, which usually isn’t attainable. Lipid-CLEM brought to you by @mathilda95.bsky.social changes that.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 31, 2025 at 10:28 AM
It’s incredibly hard to study lipids in biological membranes on the nanoscale. You need near-perfect information on both membrane ultrastructure and lipid density, which usually isn’t attainable. Lipid-CLEM brought to you by @mathilda95.bsky.social changes that.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Verena Straub
Could one envision a synthetic receptor technology that is fully programmable, able to detect diverse extracellular antigens – both soluble and cell-attached – and convert that recognition into a wide range of intracellular responses, from gene expression and real-time fluorescence to modulation..
December 4, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Could one envision a synthetic receptor technology that is fully programmable, able to detect diverse extracellular antigens – both soluble and cell-attached – and convert that recognition into a wide range of intracellular responses, from gene expression and real-time fluorescence to modulation..
Fantastic work and a masterclass in multi-omics data integration and visualization 🎨
If you're interested in microglial states and lipids in MS: Check out our recent preprint on foamy microglia! We show that foamy microglia in MS lesions determine the molecular profile of lesions and these might steer towards chronic lesion expansion. #lipidtime #MS #microglia
Foamy microglia link oxylipins to disease progression in multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease characterized by expanding demyelinating lesions, leading to severe and irreversible disability. The mechanisms driving lesion expansion, however...
www.biorxiv.org
November 28, 2024 at 9:12 PM
Fantastic work and a masterclass in multi-omics data integration and visualization 🎨
Reposted by Verena Straub
Since leaving his perch in Big Pharma, drug developer extraordinaire Ed Scolnick has sought to find effective treatments for mental-health conditions like bipolar disorder. One reason: He’s trying to help his son.
A Scientist’s Final Quest Is to Find New Schizophrenia Drugs. Will He Live to See Them?
Edward Scolnick led the development of dozens of medicines while at Merck. His current mission pits him against time and the mental illness of millions, including his son.
www.wsj.com
November 27, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Since leaving his perch in Big Pharma, drug developer extraordinaire Ed Scolnick has sought to find effective treatments for mental-health conditions like bipolar disorder. One reason: He’s trying to help his son.
Reposted by Verena Straub
A bluetorial about some challenges for our two-career family and some flaws in the culture of biomedical research.
homer simpson from the simpsons is holding a cup in front of a picture
ALT: homer simpson from the simpsons is holding a cup in front of a picture
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2024 at 11:31 AM
A bluetorial about some challenges for our two-career family and some flaws in the culture of biomedical research.
Reposted by Verena Straub
Need more starter packs for haters.
“We refuse to propose doing AI in our grants” starter pack
“What does the Golgi even do” starter pack
“We refuse to propose doing AI in our grants” starter pack
“What does the Golgi even do” starter pack
November 19, 2024 at 9:43 PM
Need more starter packs for haters.
“We refuse to propose doing AI in our grants” starter pack
“What does the Golgi even do” starter pack
“We refuse to propose doing AI in our grants” starter pack
“What does the Golgi even do” starter pack
Preprint on lipid changes in postmortem AD patient brains and the 5xFAD mouse model. Increased BMP, LPC and LPE levels in amyloidosis. Microglia depletion reduces AA-containing BMP but not LPC and LPE. LPC accumulation is associated with astroglial activation, LPE with oxidative stress
Microglia-Dependent and Independent Modulation of Brain Lipid Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease Revealed by Pharmacological and Genetic Microglial Depletion https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.18.624173v1
Microglia-Dependent and Independent Modulation of Brain Lipid Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease Revealed by Pharmacological and Genetic Microglial Depletion https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.18.624173v1
Abnormal lipid metabolism in Alzheimer's disease (AD) was first documented by Alois Alzheimer in his
www.biorxiv.org
November 19, 2024 at 11:33 AM
Preprint on lipid changes in postmortem AD patient brains and the 5xFAD mouse model. Increased BMP, LPC and LPE levels in amyloidosis. Microglia depletion reduces AA-containing BMP but not LPC and LPE. LPC accumulation is associated with astroglial activation, LPE with oxidative stress
Endocannabinoid biology in Cell this week!
Anandamide is involved in memory generalization induced by stress. Find the paper here and a nice write-up below
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
Anandamide is involved in memory generalization induced by stress. Find the paper here and a nice write-up below
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
November 17, 2024 at 4:10 PM
Endocannabinoid biology in Cell this week!
Anandamide is involved in memory generalization induced by stress. Find the paper here and a nice write-up below
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
Anandamide is involved in memory generalization induced by stress. Find the paper here and a nice write-up below
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
So much chemistry history in Heidelberg. I can’t believe I never visited the Bergfriedhof during my time in Heidelberg even though I lived closeby. I guess I was too busy studying in rooms named after the chemists buried there 😅
All Saints Day here in the Catholic South of Germany. A bank holiday where people visit family graves. A few years ago I went to the Bergfriedhof in Heidelberg and did a tour of notable chemists. This is a recreation of the tour I shared on Twitter, starting at the side entrance.
November 1, 2024 at 1:41 PM
So much chemistry history in Heidelberg. I can’t believe I never visited the Bergfriedhof during my time in Heidelberg even though I lived closeby. I guess I was too busy studying in rooms named after the chemists buried there 😅
Check out CellEKT, an effort from Joel Rüegger and Berend Gagestein to expand the ligandable kinome for cellular target engagement using chemical proteomics 🎯
Including new broad-spectrum kinase probes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Including new broad-spectrum kinase probes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 4, 2024 at 8:58 AM
Check out CellEKT, an effort from Joel Rüegger and Berend Gagestein to expand the ligandable kinome for cellular target engagement using chemical proteomics 🎯
Including new broad-spectrum kinase probes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Including new broad-spectrum kinase probes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Verena Straub
CellEKT: A robust chemical proteomics workflow to profile cellular target engagement of kinase inhibitors https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.01.616061v1
CellEKT: A robust chemical proteomics workflow to profile cellular target engagement of kinase inhibitors https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.01.616061v1
The human genome encodes 518 protein kinases that are pivotal for drug discovery in various therapeu
www.biorxiv.org
October 3, 2024 at 6:55 PM
CellEKT: A robust chemical proteomics workflow to profile cellular target engagement of kinase inhibitors https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.01.616061v1
Reposted by Verena Straub
Effect of chronic upregulation of endocannabinoid signaling in vivo with JZL184 on striatal synaptic plasticity and motor learning in YAC128 Huntington disease mice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.25.614804v1
Effect of chronic upregulation of endocannabinoid signaling in vivo with JZL184 on striatal synaptic plasticity and motor learning in YAC128 Huntington disease mice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.25.614804v1
Synaptic dysfunction underlies early sensorimotor and cognitive deficits, and precedes neurodegenera
www.biorxiv.org
September 27, 2024 at 10:17 PM
Effect of chronic upregulation of endocannabinoid signaling in vivo with JZL184 on striatal synaptic plasticity and motor learning in YAC128 Huntington disease mice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.25.614804v1
There’s a desperate need for new and better therapies for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders so the approval of Cobenfy is great news. Nice thread on its discovery:
Wow: the first new FDA-approved treatment for schizophrenia in many, many years. The discovery story is also long and remarkable, and the NYT story touches on it. 1/
F.D.A. Approves the First New Schizophrenia Drug in Decades
Available antipsychotic treatments work by blocking dopamine receptors. The new drug, Cobenfy, takes a different approach.
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2024 at 11:17 AM
There’s a desperate need for new and better therapies for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders so the approval of Cobenfy is great news. Nice thread on its discovery:
Reposted by Verena Straub
Charged Molecular Glue Discovery Enabled by Targeted Degron Display https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.24.614843v1
Charged Molecular Glue Discovery Enabled by Targeted Degron Display https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.24.614843v1
Small molecules that induce protein interactions hold tremendous potential as new medicines, as prob
www.biorxiv.org
September 26, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Charged Molecular Glue Discovery Enabled by Targeted Degron Display https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.24.614843v1
I’m happy to share that my PhD work is now out on #biorxiv. We propose an ‘on-demand release’ model for the release of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol in extravellular vesicles (EVs) #lipidtime #neuroskyence #biosky
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol is released and transported on demand via extracellular microvesicles
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
September 25, 2024 at 6:10 AM
I’m happy to share that my PhD work is now out on #biorxiv. We propose an ‘on-demand release’ model for the release of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol in extravellular vesicles (EVs) #lipidtime #neuroskyence #biosky
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/5
Register for the Virtual @chembiotalks.bsky.social next Tuesday (Sep 24th) to hear Joel talk about his amazing PhD work. Registration is free!
web.cvent.com/event/7b3b6c...
web.cvent.com/event/7b3b6c...
The fourth Flash Talk of the 4th Virtual ChemBioTalks will be given by Joel Rüegger from the lab of Mario van der Stelt of the LED3hub: "CellEKT: A Chemical Proteomics Platform to Profile Cellular Target Engagement of Kinase Inhibitors Across >80% of the Kinome"
web.cvent.com/event/...
web.cvent.com/event/...
September 20, 2024 at 1:31 PM
Register for the Virtual @chembiotalks.bsky.social next Tuesday (Sep 24th) to hear Joel talk about his amazing PhD work. Registration is free!
web.cvent.com/event/7b3b6c...
web.cvent.com/event/7b3b6c...
Reposted by Verena Straub
Oligodendrocytes and neurons contribute to amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.11.570514v1
Oligodendrocytes and neurons contribute to amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.11.570514v1
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid-{beta} (A{beta}) is thought to be of neuronal origin. However,
www.biorxiv.org
December 11, 2023 at 10:15 PM
Oligodendrocytes and neurons contribute to amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.11.570514v1
First (I think) evidence of the importance and functional role of PLAAT3 in humans. The authors show that absence of functional PLAAT3 leads to a lipodystrophy syndrome as well as neurological symptoms and are able to link PLAAT3 to PPARγ signalling
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Loss of phospholipase PLAAT3 causes a mixed lipodystrophic and neurological syndrome due to impaired...
Homozygous loss-of-function variants in phospholipase A/acyltransferase 3 (PLAAT3) underlie a new lipodystrophy syndrome. Functional studies link PLAAT3 loss with peroxisome proliferator-activated rec...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2023 at 9:53 AM
First (I think) evidence of the importance and functional role of PLAAT3 in humans. The authors show that absence of functional PLAAT3 leads to a lipodystrophy syndrome as well as neurological symptoms and are able to link PLAAT3 to PPARγ signalling
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...