Katie Thompson-Peer

Katie Thompson-Peer

@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

My lab studies how neurons respond to injury. Dept of Developmental & Cell Biology at UCIrvine.

1K followers316 following68 posts

Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

Published! Our story about damaging not just the neuron, but also the surrounding tissue, and what it reveals. www.bio.uci.edu/uc-irvine-st...

bio.uci.eduUC Irvine Study Reveals How Damaged Tissue Can Limit Nerve Cell Repair - Charlie Dunlop School of Biological SciencesWhen a traumatic injury damages the nervous system, understanding what prevents nerve cells from repairing themselves is critical to improving recovery.
SfN Journals@sfnjournals.bsky.social

#eNeuro: Brantley et al. develop a method modeling real-world dendrite injury by damaging neuron, dendrites and surrounding tissue in Drosophila. The findings show that neurons preferentially regrow into intact, undamaged tissue environments https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0058-26.2026

Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

Nice article about some beautiful work from my colleague, Momoko Watanabe, at @ucirvine.bsky.social and @ucirvinemedschool.bsky.social

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social

Exposing organoids to signaling molecules can lead to cortical patterning in these models: “a very significant step,” says Arnold Kriegstein, professor of neurology at UCSF, who did not contribute to the work. By Holly Barker www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/pol...

thetransmitter.orgPolarized cortical organoids mimic brain’s regional layoutThe organoids show shifts in gene expression along the anterior-posterior axis that match those seen during the second trimester of fetal development.
Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

Hot off the press! "Optimizing CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis in Drosophila dendritic arborization neurons to avoid cytotoxicity" in G3 @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Are you getting cytotoxicity with just expression of Cas9 alone or w/ a control guide.RNA? We've got a fix for you! doi.org/10.1093/g3jo...

doi.orgOptimizing CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis in Drosophila dendritic arborization neurons to avoid cytotoxicityAbstract. Genetic perturbations are one of the great strengths of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, with approaches such as classical mutagenesis

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Dr Dorota SK
@drdorotask.bsky.social

Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Leigh Turner
@leighturner.bsky.social

My UCI colleague Dr. Sydney Prange (@sciencey-syd.bsky.social) & I recently published an article on LGBTQ+ persons, queer bioethics, & the importance of diversity, equity, & inclusivity in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, & other "STEM" fields. OA link: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SHJBX...

tandfonline.comLGBTQ+ persons, queer bioethics, and inclusivity in stem cell research and regenerative medicineDespite the increasing visibility of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other expansive genders or sexual orientations) community, LGBTQ+ persons continue to face significa...

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬
@schmittwitt.bsky.social

I was a UC PPFP fellow when I was a postdoc at UCSD. This program is invaluable--aside from support for two years of my postdoc, I received excellent mentoring from faculty at the UCs. This fellowship set me up for success and gave me a cohort of fellow postdocs who are now UC faculty. 1/2

Tessa Hill@tessahill.bsky.social

A devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

insidehighered.comUC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc ProgramEstablished in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Veena Dubal
@veenadubal.bsky.social

The President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is one of the most coveted & prestigious positions for UC graduates. It gives a hiring incentive to campuses who hire recipients for a tenure track position. What a DAMN travesty. This is capitulation to Trump's demand letter & anti-diversity agenda.

Tessa Hill@tessahill.bsky.social

A devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

insidehighered.comUC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc ProgramEstablished in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Alejandro Montenegro
@aemonten.bsky.social

PREACH! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comReaffirming the value of model organisms in training scientific minds - Nature Cell BiologyAs biomedical research prioritizes human models and translational promise, classic model organisms are increasingly dismissed. Here we argue that they have a lasting value, both in enabling discovery and in cultivating scientific thinking, by training researchers in systems reasoning, integrative thinking and independent inquiry.

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Liz Neeley
@lizneeley.bsky.social

We cannot scicomm our way out of this, part …I-don’t-know-I’m-tired-of-counting

Christian Elliott@christianelliott.me

NASA just won an Emmy for our live broadcast of the total solar eclipse last year. We produced a documentary film about the James Webb Space Telescope that's out in theaters and on Netflix. We have podcasts, we write feature stories. People wear the agency logo on t-shirts. We're still getting cut.

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Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Mark A. Hanson
@hansonmark.bsky.social

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.

Marc Dionne@marcsdionne.bsky.social

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...

philanthropy.cam.ac.ukDrosophila Genetic DatabaseThe 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 ...
Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

I loved training as part of the Boston C elegans research community. The generosity and curiosity were infectious.

Dr. Ahna Skop@ahnaskop.bsky.social

“I was starting to think that these worms have a way of bringing out the best in humans—generosity, cooperation, and an unbridled curiosity about life. But these days, the worm people are worried.”

bostonmagazine.comBoston Has Worms (The Good Kind)Inside the world of C. elegans worms and the scientists who know them best.
Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social

In this midst of everything, I'm delighted to share that I've been selected for the Tom Angell Fellowship Award from the UCI Graduate Division. Award recipients demonstrate outstanding mentorship by going above and beyond their normal duties to create new opportunities to mentor UCI students.

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
@lastweektonight.com

This week’s main story is about the budget and staffing cuts being made to public health agencies in the U.S. under RFK Jr.’s leadership, how those cuts will impact all of us, and some foolproof ideas for what scientists can do in the absence of totally superfluous stuff like, y’know, centrifuges.

Katie Thompson-Peer reposted

Ardem Patapoutian
@ardemp.bskyverified.social

Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.” A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world. www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...

cnn.comNobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger | CNNDr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...