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Peer Support in Online Women’s Health Communities: Mixed Methods Formative Analysis of Reddit Discourse

Background: Stigmatized women’s health issues, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, are often marginalized or dismissed in traditional clinical settings. This drives individuals to seek peer support in anonymous online communities such as Reddit. While these digital platforms host critical discussions, they are often designed as static information repositories, failing to account for the complex emotional, temporal, and cultural dynamics that shape users’ support needs. There is a disconnect between the lived experiences of users—particularly feelings of clinical dismissal and the need for culturally specific advice—and the design of the sociotechnical systems they rely on. Objective: This study aimed to deconstruct support practices in online women’s health forums to provide a formative basis for designing more responsive digital health systems. We analyzed the intersections of discussion topics, emotional expression, temporal shifts (specifically the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic), and culturally situated discourse to identify unmet user needs and effective peer-support patterns. Methods: We conducted a large-scale, mixed-methods analysis of 4995 posts and 460,317 comments from 5 major women’s health subreddits (r/WomensHealth, r/TwoXChromosomes, r/BirthControl, r/Endometriosis, and r/PCOS). Computational methods included Latent Dirichlet Allocation for topic modeling, Valence Aware Dictionary for Sentiment Reasoning for sentiment analysis, and the NRC Emotion Lexicon for granular emotion classification. We segmented the data into pre-, during-, and post–COVID-19 periods to analyze temporal shifts. This quantitative analysis was complemented by a 2-phase qualitative thematic analysis to identify and characterize engagement patterns within 147 validated culturally situated threads. Results: Our analysis revealed that the most prevalent and emotionally negative topic was “Pain & Doctor Visits,” which was uniquely characterized by high levels of fear and sadness linked to systemic clinical dismissal. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a significant topical “turn inward,” with discussions shifting away from social or political issues and toward somatic concerns (eg, “PCOS” “Pain & Doctor Visits”). Paradoxically, this period saw a simultaneous rise in both negative emotions (eg, fear and sadness) and expressions of community trust. Critically, our qualitative analysis of culturally situated discourse uncovered a consistent three-stage “playbook” for effective support: (1) to establish psychological safety and validate cultural experiences; (2) to provide actionable, culturally tailored advice; and (3) to facilitate community-wide learning and empathy. Conclusions: Online health forums operate as essential, resilient sociotechnical infrastructures that actively compensate for failures and gaps in formal health care. The “Affirmation-Scaffolding-Bridging” model identified in our research provides a clear, formative framework for designing future digital health interventions. These findings can guide the development of new platforms that are emotionally aware, culturally responsive, and adaptive to user needs and external crises.
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At-Home Sleep Electroencephalography Assessment in Young and Older Adults Using a Novel Wireless Soft Electronics Sleep Monitoring System: Experimental Study

Background: Sleep quality declines with age and is a known contributor to multiple chronic health conditions, including Alzheimer disease. Emerging evidence suggests that certain electroencephalography (EEG) neural signatures measured during sleep may be predictive of cognitive decline in older adults. Sleep EEG signals are traditionally measured using bulky, rigid, and uncomfortable equipment in an unfamiliar laboratory setting, which can negatively impact sleep signals. Due to these limitations, sleep EEG data acquisition is typically limited to a single night. Objective: This study aimed to validate our recently developed portable, skin-like EEG monitoring patch for 7 nights in the home environment in a pilot sample of young and older adults by evaluating usability and acceptance, and replicating age-related differences in sleep architecture observed in the polysomnography literature. Methods: Eighteen young adults and 18 cognitively unimpaired older adults without sleep disorders were enrolled (data from 11 young adults and 12 older adults were included in the analyses) in a 7-night study during which they wore novel, gel-free, wireless, ultrathin, skin-conforming, sleep monitoring, fabric-based patches. These patches were self-applied to the forehead and face for optimal usability and comfort. The patches incorporate laser-cut mesh electrodes with low-profile electronics (including a rechargeable battery and amplifier) and transmit EEG signals to a participant-controlled, Bluetooth-enabled, tablet-based data acquisition app. An automated algorithm was used to stage sleep and assess microarchitecture features from the EEG commonly impacted for each participant. Averages across nights were computed for these sleep features for each participant. Results: Young and older adults reported that the sleep patch was easy to use and comfortable to wear. There was no loss of signal power over 7 nights of wear across participants (retained-data signal-to-noise ratio over the 7-d period: young adult, mean 20.69, SD 12.78, maximum 52.13, minimum 5.19; older adult, mean 22.10, SD 9.39, maximum 49.96, minimum 13.79). Most datasets not retained were lost due to poor reference electrode adhesion on the nose (75/101, 74% of lost datasets in young adults and 57/88, 65% in older adults). Trained sleep technologists verified that the retained datasets were of sufficient quality to be scored without difficulty. Expected age-group differences in sleep features were observed, including age-related reductions in stage N3 sleep (young adult, mean 18.55, SD 6.70; older adult, mean 10.40, SD 6.43; Mann-Whitney =42.0; =.01) and reduced sleep spindle density (young adult, mean 2.92, SD 2.24; older adult, mean 0.94, SD 1.33; Mann-Whitney =45.0; =.006). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that our novel, comfortable, wearable patch can reliably measure physiological sleep data over multiple nights at home in adults across the lifespan, thereby making multinight sleep assessment in cognitive aging studies and clinical research more accessible than traditional polysomnography. In future studies, the small, lightweight system, which is highly scalable, can be shipped inexpensively to participants’ homes, making this technology and research accessible to individuals who may have difficulty traveling or who are hesitant to travel to a laboratory or clinic.
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Protein Biomarkers in Practice: Strategies to Reduce Drug Development Risk

Drug development demands scientific rigor, sustained investment, and confident decision-making under uncertainty. As programs move from early discovery into clinical development, teams must balance biological complexity, timelines, and capital allocation— often without sufficient translational insight. Selecting the wrong target or patient population can result in costly delays and increased clinical risk.

Protein biomarkers are becoming central to how pharmaceutical leaders reduce that risk and guide strategy. Unlike static genomic associations, proteins provide dynamic, functional insights into disease biology, reflecting pathway activity, target engagement, and treatment response in real-time. Advances in high-throughput proteomic technologies have transformed protein biomarkers from exploratory tools into strategic assets applied across the drug development lifecycle.

When integrated early, biomarker-driven approaches can strengthen target validation, support proof-of-mechanism studies, enable more precise patient segmentation, and provide measurable indicators of efficacy and safety. The result is more informed decision-making, improved trial design, and greater confidence as programs advance.

This eBook is designed to deliver both strategic insight and practical guidance. It opens with a White Paper informed by expert perspectives from senior translational leaders at leading pharmaceutical organizations. These experts explore how protein biomarkers mitigate risk across the drug development continuum, from early target validation to clinical trial design, by strengthening biological confidence and enhancing decision quality.

Building on these strategic insights, the eBook presents seven real-world application examples that illustrate how these approaches are implemented in practice. Together, these perspectives provide readers with actionable frameworks and concrete use cases to help reduce uncertainty, optimize patient selection, improve trial efficiency, and make more confident, data-driven decisions earlier in development.

The post Protein Biomarkers in Practice: Strategies to Reduce Drug Development Risk appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

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The Role of Trust in Text Messaging for Promoting Patient Portal Activation Among Low-Income Patients: Quality Improvement Project

Background: The increasing reliance on patient portals for electronic health records has widened the digital health care access gap, particularly among low-income and Medicaid-insured populations. However, resources exist to assist low-income patients with portal enrollment; in obtaining a free smartphone; and, in New York, in obtaining low-cost internet. Automated bidirectional SMS text messaging offers a scalable and cost-effective strategy for identifying low-income patients’ digital health needs and eligibility for resources by using screening questions and providing tailored information on how to access available resources. Objective: This study aimed to increase portal access among low-income patients using automated bidirectional SMS text messaging and assess its feasibility and acceptability. Methods: This quality improvement initiative involved sending automated, bidirectional SMS text messages in English to 12,381 Medicaid-insured and/or low-income patients from a primary care practice. Messages assessed patients’ digital health needs and provided adaptive, personalized resources and assistance for enrolling in the patient portal and for accessing digital technology. We assessed response rates and follow-up portal enrollment rates. We surveyed participants regarding the acceptability, appropriateness, and usability of the SMS text messaging intervention, as well as their subsequent use of the patient portal. We performed descriptive statistics and a binomial probability test. Results: In total, 9.2% (1140/12,381) of patients responded to the SMS text messages, with 3.9% (481/12,381) opting out and 5.3% (659/12,381) actively engaging. Among respondents, 71.1% (469/659) completed the follow-up survey. Respondents were predominantly female (336/469, 71.6%), with ages ranging from 18 to 65 years or older. Most respondents rated the message’s clarity (420/469, 89.6%), its usefulness (400/469, 85.2%), and the demonstration of care by their health team (350/469, 74.6%) favorably. Concerns regarding privacy (61/469, 13%) and trustworthiness (71/469, 15%) were noted. Notably, 71% of initially unenrolled patients activated their patient portals after the intervention (=.007), exceeding the hypothesized expectations. Conclusions: Automated bidirectional SMS text messaging had mixed effects on promoting patient portal use among low-income patients. Response rates to SMS text messages were low when delivered from an unknown phone number. Among responders, most reported that these messages were useful and that they would recommend them to others. Research is needed to determine optimal strategies for introducing the program and vendor phone numbers to patients to improve engagement.
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Curiosity in a Novel Virtual Reality Scenario and Its Association With Symptoms of Depression: Observational Pilot Investigation

Background: Curiosity plays a fundamental role in human learning, development, and motivation, and emerging evidence suggests that reduced curiosity is linked to poorer mental health outcomes, including depressive symptoms (DS). However, to date, the majority of curiosity research relies on self-report assessments and thus risks biased reporting. Virtual reality (VR), a novel tool increasingly used within mental health research and treatment, might represent a potent tool for offering ecologically valid insights into curiosity-driven behaviors while circumventing issues related to self-report assessments, including demand characteristics and recall bias. Objective: The study aimed to enhance the assessment of curiosity by using a novel VR environment and to examine its relevance to DS. Specifically, we tested 2 hypotheses using a novel VR environment: first, that curiosity, as assessed through spontaneous exploratory interactions and behaviors in VR, positively correlates with self-reported curiosity, and second, that VR-based curiosity is inversely associated with DS. Methods: This exploratory study used an observational design that included 100 volunteers. All participants completed self-reported assessments of DS and curiosity before engaging in a novel VR scenario. Although progression in the virtual environment required solving cognitive tasks, these were embedded as structural elements rather than framed as the primary objective. Instead, participants’ free explorations and interactions with objects formed the basis for the 4 curiosity metrics used in this study. After VR exposure, participants completed a questionnaire assessing cybersickness symptoms. Results: Hypothesis 1 was not supported, as only one curiosity metric, namely object interactions, was positively associated with one aspect of curiosity relating to motivation to seek new knowledge and experiences. Further, diminishing significance after correction for multiple testing warranted caution. Results relating to hypothesis 2 indicated partial support, in that object interaction was significantly associated with DS while controlling for age, sex, and cybersickness levels. Sensitivity analyses showed no associations between object interactions and self-reported anxiety and stress symptoms. Conclusions: VR may be a potent tool for assessing exploratory behaviors in a controlled, yet ecologically valid, environment that avoids issues related to self-report. However, whether such motivations translate to established curiosity constructs warrants further research. This study also provided preliminary insights into how assessing exploratory interactions in VR may be a promising avenue that could enhance the understanding of the etiology and assessment of DS—particularly its early stages.
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TRACS Enables Strain-Level Tracking of Microbial Transmission

Tracking microbes is challenging, particularly when there are coexisting strains of the same species within metagenomic data. However, overcoming that challenge is important for inferring transmission of both pathogenic and commensal microbes.

A new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), distinguishes between closely related bacterial strains. The “highly accurate algorithm” can be used for “estimating genetic distances between strains at the level of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms, which is robust to intra-species diversity within the host.”

Researchers used the TRACS tool to map the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Plasmodium falciparum (the causative agent of malaria) across different populations. The tool may play an important role in infection prevention, outbreak response, and the development of treatments designed to help the human microbiome fight infection. They note that this tool can be used across microbial kingdoms to uncover strain dynamics.

“Traditionally, this has been very difficult for us to achieve, yet it is incredibly important to know, as people can carry several slightly different versions or strains of the same species at once, which makes it challenging to understand how microbes move between individuals,” notes Gerry Tonkin-Hill, PhD, group leader at the the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Peter Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia. “Using this new technology, we can now overcome this challenge and gain a clearer picture of how microbes are shared between people. This will give us a better understanding of how microbes spread to help us prevent infection in vulnerable populations, like our cancer patients.”

This work is published in Nature Microbiology in the paper, “Strain-level transmission inference across multi-kingdom metagenomic data using TRACS.”

Being able to track the spread of pathogens using genomics has become a major tool in public health and can help inform new ways to prevent transmission. Additionally, it can help understand more about how lifestyle and environmental factors are involved in the transmission of these pathogens, and their role in the microbiome.

Currently, genomic tools used to track multiple bacterial species do not have the speed and flexibility required for routine public health monitoring and can struggle to distinguish between samples transmitted recently and those transmitted years ago. Furthermore, it can be difficult to continuously add in new samples, making real-time surveillance difficult.

The TRACS algorithm identifies and analyzes Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) to estimate how closely related the pathogens are, and if they are likely to have recently been transmitted. This approach allows for the continuous integration of new samples, making it an ideal tool for accurately identifying transmission networks and ruling out transmission events in ongoing public health applications.

In this new study, the team used TRACS to map pathogen transmission networks across three different populations, all of which had different genomic data. They applied it to SARS-CoV-2 data from U.K. hospitals, deep population sequencing data of Streptococcus pneumoniae and single-cell genome sequencing data from malaria patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum. They found that the tool was able to identify different pathogens in one sample and infer where these were each transmitted.

They also used TRACS to study how microbes are passed from mothers to infants and found that one beneficial bacterium, Bifidobacterium breve, persisted in infants longer than previously recognized, something that previous methods have missed.

More superficially, the authors note that “applying TRACS to gut metagenomic samples from a mother–infant cohort revealed species-specific transmission rates and identified increased the persistence of Bifidobacterium breve in infants, a finding previously missed owing to the presence of multiple strains.”

“This research could support the development of new treatments that use beneficial microbes to improve health,” notes Trevor Lawley, PhD, group leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. “By understanding exactly how microbes move between people and which of them are more likely to thrive in their microbiome, we could design better ways to increase helpful gut microbes and investigate whether there are ways to use these to help prevent infections, opening the door to safer healthcare environments and new microbiome-based therapies.”

The post TRACS Enables Strain-Level Tracking of Microbial Transmission appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

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Natural Compounds in Cranberry Juice May Enhance Antibiotic Treatment of UTIs

Researchers at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Montreal have found that compounds in cranberry juice may enhance the effectiveness of a commonly used antibiotic for urinary tract infections (UTIs) by altering how bacteria take up the drug. The findings, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, show that cranberry juice increased the activity of fosfomycin against uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in laboratory testing and reduced the emergence antibiotic resistance mutations in 72% of the E. coli strains studied.

While the findings are encouraging, the researchers noted that the work didn’t show whether consumption of cranberry juice would have the same effects as those shown in the lab. “We don’t know if the metabolites will reach the infection,” said lead author Eric Déziel, PhD, a professor at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique. “But if they could, then juice may increase the efficacy of antibiotic treatment.”

UTIs are most often caused by UPEC, which accounts for the majority of community-acquired infections and a substantial proportion of catheter-associated infections. Standard treatments include antibiotics such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, nitrofurantoin, and fosfomycin. While fosfomycin is a recommended first-line therapy because of its broad activity and low resistance rates, past studies have shown that some resistant variants can emerge through mutations that influence bacterial transport systems.

Cranberry products have long been associated with UTI prevention. Earlier theories surmised this was due to fruit’s acidity. Subsequent research, however, has identified specific compounds, including proanthocyanidins and fructose, that interfere with the ability of bacterial to attach to cells lining the urinary tract.

Déziel said that cranberry juice has a long history as folk remedy for preventing and treating urinary tract infections. It was the recent finding of the anti-adhesive properties that prompted further investigation into whether cranberry could influence antibiotic performance.

To test this, the research team exposed 32 clinical isolates of UPEC to cranberry juice in combination with fosfomycin under controlled laboratory conditions. The results showed that in 72% of the strains tested, cranberry juice increased the antibiotic’s inhibitory activity. At the same time, the frequency of spontaneous mutations conferring resistance dropped substantially, in some cases by several orders of magnitude.

The effects of the cranberry juice seems to involve changes in how bacterial cells regulate the uptake of sugars and, by extension, the antibiotic since fosfomycin enters bacterial cells through carbohydrate transport systems, primarily the GlpT and UhpT pathways. Resistance often arises when mutations reduce the activity of these transporters, which then limits the drug entering cells.

Specifically, cranberry juice reduced expression of the GlpT transporter while maintaining or promoting activity through the UhpT system. This shift allowed fosfomycin into the bacterial cell even as other pathways were downregulated. Reporter assays showed that this change sustained antibiotic uptake, while genomic sequencing revealed distinct mutation patterns depending on whether cranberry juice was present.

While the researchers were able to characterize the activity related to the presence of cranberry juice, the compounds responsible for this effect have not been fully identified. Déziel noted that “something in the cranberry juice” induces bacteria to increase uptake through one of these channels, leading to greater absorption of fosfomycin. Previous research has pointed to cranberry-derived molecules that interact with bacterial communication and adherence systems, but their role in modulating antibiotic transport has not been identified.

The study builds on earlier work from Déziel’s lab showing that cranberry extracts can act synergistically with antibiotics. The current research showed that this is also the case with cranberry juice itself. The hope is that simply consuming cranberry juice could produce the same effects as the extracts studied previously.

Despite the promising laboratory data, the researchers said that the findings cannot yet be translated to the clinic. It is still unclear whether the active compounds in cranberry juice are found at the needed concentrations in the urinary tract after consumption, or how much juice would be required to produce a measurable effect.

Future research will seek to identify the specific compounds responsible for the effects shown in this study, determine how they behave in vivo, and assess whether they can be incorporated into treatment strategies.

The post Natural Compounds in Cranberry Juice May Enhance Antibiotic Treatment of UTIs appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

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Breast Cancer Prevention Drug Endoxifen Shows Promise at Low Doses

A lower-dose alternative to tamoxifen may offer a safer path to breast cancer prevention, according to new research from Karolinska Institutet. The study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that endoxifen, the most active metabolite of tamoxifen, can reduce mammographic breast density to a similar extent while causing fewer side effects, a balance that has long been difficult to achieve in preventive treatment.

A long-standing trade-off in prevention

Tamoxifen has long been a cornerstone of breast cancer therapy and prevention. It is widely used to reduce recurrence in patients and is also approved for women at increased risk of developing the disease. Yet despite its proven efficacy, its use in prevention has been limited.

Many patients discontinue treatment because of side effects, particularly symptoms resembling menopause such as hot flushes and night sweats. These challenges have highlighted a persistent problem in preventive medicine: therapies can be effective, but if they are not tolerable, adherence—and therefore real-world benefit—remains low.

A more direct and potentially precise approach

Endoxifen offers a different strategy. As the active form of tamoxifen produced in the body, it acts directly on estrogen receptors without requiring metabolic conversion. This makes its effects more predictable and may reduce variability between patients.

It also raises an important question: if endoxifen is the molecule responsible for tamoxifen’s therapeutic effect, could it be used at lower doses to achieve the same benefit with fewer side effects?

Strong biological effects at low doses

To test this idea, researchers administered low daily doses of endoxifen to healthy premenopausal women and monitored changes in mammographic breast density over six months.

Breast density is an established risk factor for cancer and is increasingly used as a marker of response to preventive therapy. Higher density is associated with increased risk, while reductions during treatment suggest a beneficial biological effect.

The results were notable. Even at very low doses, endoxifen significantly reduced breast density. A daily dose of one milligram led to a reduction of around 19 percent, while two milligrams achieved a reduction of approximately 26 percent. These effects are comparable to those typically seen with standard-dose tamoxifen, despite using a fraction of the dose.

Improved tolerability at lower doses

Equally important was how patients tolerated the treatment. While the higher dose of endoxifen was associated with an increase in menopausal symptoms, the lower dose showed a safety profile similar to placebo.

“Our results suggest that a lower dose may be sufficient to affect breast density, whilst also appearing to be better tolerated,” said Mattias Hammarström, head of operations KARMA project at the Karolinska Institute and co-author of the study

This finding is particularly significant because tolerability is one of the main barriers to preventive therapy. A drug that maintains efficacy while minimizing side effects could substantially improve adherence and expand the use of preventive strategies.

Rethinking dosing in preventive therapy

The study highlights a broader shift toward precision dosing, finding the minimum effective dose rather than relying on traditional high-dose approaches.

In this case, the data suggest that maximal biological effect may be achieved at relatively low levels of drug exposure. Increasing the dose further may not provide additional benefit but can increase the likelihood of adverse effects.

This principle has important implications not only for breast cancer prevention but also for other areas of medicine, where balancing efficacy and tolerability is critical.

Implications for clinical practice

If confirmed in larger studies, low-dose endoxifen could become an attractive option for women at increased risk of breast cancer who are currently reluctant to use tamoxifen.

By offering a similar reduction in breast density with fewer side effects, it may lower the threshold for initiating preventive treatment and improve long-term adherence.

However, it is important to note that reductions in breast density do not directly prove a reduction in cancer risk. Longer-term studies will be needed to determine whether these biological changes translate into meaningful clinical outcomes.

Looking ahead

The findings provide a strong proof of concept that targeting the active metabolite directly, and at lower doses, may offer a more refined approach to prevention.

Future research will focus on confirming these results in larger populations and evaluating long-term effects on cancer incidence. There is also growing interest in integrating such approaches into broader prevention strategies, potentially alongside lifestyle interventions and risk-based screening.

For now, the study offers a promising step toward making preventive therapy both effective and tolerable. By reducing side effects without compromising efficacy, low-dose endoxifen could help overcome one of the key barriers in breast cancer prevention, and bring precision medicine principles into preventive care.

The post Breast Cancer Prevention Drug Endoxifen Shows Promise at Low Doses appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.

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STAT+: French regulator fines Novo and Lilly over weight loss ad campaigns

As competition mounts in the red-hot market for weight loss drugs, France’s medicines regulator fined Novo Nordisk approximately $2 million for running “misleading” advertisements for its Wegovy and Saxenda medications.

At the same time, the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety also fined Eli Lilly roughly $127,000 over advertising for its Mounjaro obesity treatment that purportedly amounted to indirect promotion of a medicine for which a prescription is required.

The penalties reflect increasing concern among regulators that weight loss medicines may be misused and, as result, promotions run by pharmaceutical companies are being closely scrutinized. Two years ago, the regulator issued a bulletin on the risks associated with the drugs, especially inappropriate use.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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Optical Pooled CRISPR Screen Reveals Regulators of NF-κB Dynamics in Human Cells



Image of Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD

Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD

CSO
Myllia Biotechnology

Panelist

Image of Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD

Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD

Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD, is a CRISPR enthusiast since the early days of CRISPR. Originally trained as a biochemist, he joined Haplogen as principal scientist and later became their CSO. Following the acquisition by Horizon Discovery, Tilmann served as director of research and development and later as head of innovation, where he oversaw the company’s technology platform and innovation agenda. In 2018, he co-founded Myllia Biotechnology which focuses on single-cell CRISPR screens. He is also the CEO of bit.bio discovery, a joined venture between Vienna-based Myllia Biotechnology and Cambridge-based bit.bio. Tilmann is passionate about science and enjoys working with multi-disciplinary and multi-national teams.



Image of Jens Durruthy Durruthy, PhD

Jens Durruthy Durruthy, PhD

Director of Product Management
Element Biosciences

Panelist

Image of Jens Durruthy Durruthy, PhD

Jens Durruthy Durruthy, PhD

Jens Durruthy Durruthy, PhD, is the director of product management at Element Biosciences. Prior experience includes a decade at 10x Genomics, where he developed and oversaw the product portfolio for Chromium products. Jens held the position of LSA Bio/Genomics Fellow at Life Science Angels, conducting extensive research on investment opportunities in biotech and genomics startups, and has worked in various consulting roles, focusing on product development and market analysis. Educational credentials include a PhD in biomedical engineering from Stanford University and a diploma in medical biotechnology from Technische Universität Berlin.



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Integrated pooled CRISPR screening linked to imaging readouts accelerate target identification and functional characterization of signaling pathways. A good example of this can be found in studies of NF-κB signaling, which is central to inflammatory responses and driven by rapid nuclear translocation of the p50/p65 complex to activate transcriptional programs following cytokine stimulation.

In this GEN webinar, Tilmann Buerckstuemmer, PhD, CSO at Myllia Biotechnology will show how high-throughput pooled CRISPR screening combined with cell painting readouts characterized important signaling pathways using NF-κB nuclear translocation as a case study. During the webinar, you will learn how the AVITI24™ platform from Element Biosciences profiled ~440,000 cells in a pooled CRISPR screen targeting 195 genes. Linking genetic perturbations to p65 subcellular localization and cell painting features in a single workflow enabled identification of known pathway components, uncovered regulatory roles for chromatin-modifying complexes, and improved interpretation of phenotypic outcomes using morphological features.

Key takeaways include:

  • Strategies for linking CRISPR perturbations to protein localization and morphological features at single-cell resolution

  • Identification of hitherto poorly characterized chromatin modifying complexes in regulating NF-κB signaling

  • The value of multimodal readouts, including morphology, in adding depth and confidence to recovered biology

  • How this approach supports mechanism-of-action studies and enables identification of both positive and negative regulators of signaling pathways

A live Q&A session will follow the presentation offering you a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

Produced with support from:

Element Bio logo

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