EMBO’s Post

💡 This #InternationalWomensDay, dive into Becky Carlyle's insights on proteomics, mentorship and the power of diverse big data in Alzheimer’s research. Join us in celebrating the achievements of women who are changing the landscape of science #IWD #WomenInSTEM https://hubs.ly/Q02m9B_y0

In our Grantee Spotlight Interviews, AFAR’s recent grantees share their vision for their AFAR-supported research, in their own words. This month, we are pleased to share Grantee Spotlight Interviews with the 2023 Glenn Foundation Discovery Award recipients: Our first of the two recipients is Ya-Chieh Hsu: “Previously, [my lab] discovered how acute and chronic stress affects stem cells in the skin. From this work, we began to see interesting parallels between stress phenotypes and aging phenotypes...This Discovery Award, in particular, encourages researchers, like myself, who have not previously worked on aging to apply. It shows AFAR’s commitment to diversifying the research landscape and enabling scientists with diverse expertise to study aging.” notes 2023 Glenn Foundation Discovery Award recipient Ya-Chieh Hsu, PhD, of Harvard University Learn more about her AFAR-supported research, in her own words, in our Grantee Spotlight Interview here: https://ow.ly/V1xx50QW69T #aging #grantee #healthspan AFAR will be sharing more Grantee Spotlight Interviews over the coming months. Stay tuned

At the heart of the Code is a key regulatory problem, which is by no means unique to stem cell science (or even biology). How do we regulate things that don't yet exist? Rules that keep in step with scientific development are obviously desirable, but face a problem, especially where there is an ethical component. Put your rule is an Act of Parliament, and you will need time in a pressed Parliamentary schedule to amend it. Delays can take years, while science continues to advance. Should your Act permit the Secretary of State to update it? No. Hopefully we have seen enough of 'Henry VIII' clauses since the change of UK government, but in any event the practice smacks of keeping ethically consequential decisions behind closed doors. On policy grounds, it's reasonable to object to a delegation of responsibility to a clerical function, but the effect is to keep law out of kilter with science. That in turn retards scientific progress and, in turn, the benefits that flow from it. My colleagues and I on the G-SCBEM working group wrote the SCBEM Code in a legal vacuum and with no prospect of any law appearing to fill the void. However, from the outset we began with the principles of good governance, including transparency and accountability. The word 'governance' is important. Advances in embryo modelling had led some to call for regulation to control such work, and our work was accelerated by these calls. However, before leaping to the conclusion that a statutory instrument would do the job, we reasoned that the overall challenge was not regulatory but one of governance more generally. Given this, we designed the Code and its framework to meet the highest standards of governance. Is it perfect? Of course not. By consulting with international experts on an early draft and by commissioning a series of public dialogues, we were able to improve and democratise the SCBEM Code, working closely as an interdisciplinary team. This has given us confidence in what we have produced, but of course we recognise that all rules have to respond to change, and in this case we need deeper reflection on issues of bioethics in order to inform the way in which our proposed Oversight Committee decides applications. In this regard, the forthcoming recommendations of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics will surely play a significant role. The bottom-up approach to rule-making manifested by the SCBEM Code contrasts with the top-down one of statutory regulation. The fact that it is, at least initially, a 'voluntary' code, is a *strength*, not a weakness. By choosing to buy into the Code as a way of controlling scientific conduct, institutions, publishers and funders will be able to demonstrate clearly the importance they ascribe to securing public trust in science. We are confident that they will do so. #SCBEMCode

Today's short read: My Ph.D. advisor and Whitehead Institute member David Page discusses the lab's recent open-access work in Cell Genomics (Cell Press) led by Adrianna San Roman, who is recruiting for her new lab at Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies, Duke University! A highlight that ever member of the Page Lab is lucky to have nurtured in them by David's careful mentorship: Interviewer: "What advice would you give young scientists?" David: "Stay true to your ideals: rigor and integrity are the foundation of everything in science. Master the intellectual history of your field and particularly of the issues that you think are most fundamental, and then prepare to shake them up. Bring lots of data, and quantitative analysis, to bear on questions that are invisible in plain sight."

As Gilgamesh, I once sought to conquer mortality. Today, I'm intrigued by stem cells and their capacity to heal and renew. Let's connect over this modern-day quest for the elixir of #life and explore the intersection of #science, #ethics, and leadership. #Healthcare #Innovation #StemCellResearch https://lnkd.in/eswGq2x6

Science Magazine shines a spotlight on immigrant scientists, celebrating Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners Luciano Marraffini, Gerta Hoxhaj, Tomasz Jan Nowakowski, and Takanori Takebe in this feature. The Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize immigrant contributions to the arts and to scientific research, development and advancement in the United States; the prizes help to raise awareness of the importance of immigration for a robust society. #DiversityinSTEM #Immigrant #Immigrants #Immigrantstories #ImmigrantsinSTEM #Science #ScienceMagazine #ResearchScience

👋🏽 Meet Paul Turner (PhD), a microbiologist and advocate for diversity in science.  🔬Turner was initially interested in bioengineering, but switched to biology when he discovered his love for microbiology during an undergraduate lab course.  📚 He pursued his graduate studies at UC Irvine, focusing on bacterial models for host-parasite interactions. Then his field of interest shifted again, to virology, in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 👉 Now, he conducts basic research with translational impact, focusing on solving problems using viruses at Yale University.   🗣 As the only Black person in his graduate program, Turner faced skepticism and imposter syndrome. Now he leverages his position in leadership to promote diversity and inclusivity in STEM. ✅ Turner envisions an inclusive future for science, where opportunities are abundant for all individuals. His advocacy aims to contribute to broader societal shifts toward equity in STEM and academia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #successinscience #molecularscience #microbiology #biology  #dei #STEMcareer #sciencestories #sciencecareer #scientist #diversity #blackinstem #blackscientist #academia

https://lnkd.in/eZtkzStE "The Exclusion Problem in Preclinical Studies: A Case of Epistemic Injustice?" by Tanjut Raut Researchers in neuroscience and biomedicine tend to exclude female animal subjects from preclinical studies. As a result, they fail to consider sex as a biological variable (SABV) while testing some drug or treatment, and this in turn hinders the development of safer and more efficacious treatments for women patients (section 1.1). In section 2, I consider the proposal that this exclusion is an epistemic injustice to women patients and argue that it fails. More strongly, I show that if we accept Miranda Fricker’s notion of epistemic subjectivity, we cannot account for the exclusion even as an epistemic wrong against women patients. To account for the intuition that the exclusion is an epistemic wrong, I briefly outline a broader notion of what it means to be an epistemic subject. In section 3, I argue that the exclusion is an epistemic wrong because it violates the epistemic claim-rights of women patients. For this I use Lani Watson’s work on epistemic claim-rights. In 3.1, I defend the claim that women patients have an epistemic claim-right against researchers’ exclusion of female animal subjects from preclinical studies. Finally, in 3.2, I consider some important upshots of my thesis. Keywords: animal studies testimonial injustice hermeneutical injustice epistemic rights Tanjut Raut is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests include epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. #socialepistemology #journal #academia #article #research #epistemicinjustice #hermeneutics #rights #animals

Ahead of International Day of #Women and #Girls in #Science tomorrow, we are shining a light on Professor Caroline Gargett whose research touches on both #Endometriosis and #PelvicOrganProlapse (#POP). 👩🏻🔬 She is world-renowned for discovering stem/progenitor cells in the human #Endometrium, the highly regenerative lining of the #Uterus, thereby establishing a new field of research in reproductive biology. 🧬 Learn more about Prof Gargett here: https://bit.ly/3SPdSyN

"In my lab, we think of #StemCells as also living in these multicellular societies. So, we want to understand when these cells will cooperate and also when they won’t, when they might compete with each other, and when you might get bullies emerging from the midst, and how we can control that and leverage that to make #RegenerativeMedicines more robust." - Nika Shakiba" Get ready for the 2nd episode of 'Stem Cells from the Sofa.' 🛋️ Join SCN's Director of Knowledge Mobilization, Joanna Valsamis, MHSc, CHE, and Allen Distinguished Investigator and The University of British Columbia's Assistant Professor, Dr. Nika Shakiba, as they explore "The Social Lives of Stem Cells." ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gwT7FkWn