Rebecca Seal
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rpseal.bsky.social
Rebecca Seal
@rpseal.bsky.social
290 followers 300 following 24 posts
Neurobiologist
Professor
Facilitator
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
iasp.bsky.social
Have you heard of MDFIC2, the newly identified sensory neuron-enriched modulator of PIEZO channels? Check out Habib et al. in @pnas.org, one of this week’s #EditorsPick papers chosen by @rpseal.bsky.social bit.ly/4renN08 #PRF
PRF 24 November 2025
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Have you been wondering what the role is of non-neuronal cells in modulating sensory neuron activity? Check out this review from @psalmotoxin.bsky.social et al. in @sfnjournals.bsky.social’s #JNeurosci, one of this week’s #EditorsPick papers chosen by @rpseal.bsky.social bit.ly/3XEp2rE #PRF
November 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Have you heard of MDFIC2, the newly identified sensory neuron-enriched modulator of PIEZO channels? Check out Habib et al. in @pnas.org, one of this week’s #EditorsPick papers chosen by @rpseal.bsky.social bit.ly/4renN08 #PRF
November 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
minakimes.bsky.social
Just an absolutely gutting essay by Tatiana Schlossberg, a writer, mother of two young children, and cousin of RFK Jr who is dying of leukemia.

www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers; slashed billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the world's largest sponsor of medical research; and threatened to oust the panel of medical experts charged with recommending preventive cancer screenings. Hundreds of N.I.H. grants and clinical trials were cancelled, affecting thousands of patients. I worried about funding for leukemia and bone-marrow research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I worried about the trials that were my only shot at remission. Early in my illness, when I
November 22, 2025 at 4:09 PM
rpseal.bsky.social
#SfN25 Wednesday 2:30 Sensory and motor spinal cord. Allen Institute, Seal lab, Pool lab and Pfenning labs. Symposium.
allanhpool.bsky.social Allan-Hermann Pool @allanhpool.bsky.social · 11d
We have a great line-up of speakers from the @alleninstitute.org , @rpseal.bsky.social and Andreas Pfenning's labs and UTSW reporting the latest updates from the Brain Initiative BICAN network and beyond.
November 18, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Have you wondered what it’s like creating a special journal issue is like? Listen to Episode 2 of the Pain Exchange #podcast from @iasp.bsky.social with @karenddavis.bsky.social discussing the 50th Anniversary supplement of @painthejournal.bsky.social bit.ly/4ox3B7i #PRF #academicpublishing
October 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
nicolecrust.bsky.social
A thought-provoking piece in Nature Neuroscience by many neuroscience colleagues: "Science must break its silence to rebuild public trust". Lots to think about here.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Public engagement: building common ground How can we help to bridge this divide? Simply producing more excep­ tional science will not be enough to rebuild public trust. Rather, we must adopt a new model that recognizes communication and advocacy as core pillars of science, on a par with rigor and reproducibility. Public engagement efforts should be valued for faculty promotions, much like obtaining grants and publishing our findings in scientific journals. Researchers should be recognized and rewarded for activities such as giving public talks, working with local schools, engaging with policy­ makers, developing social media campaigns and platforms or writing accessible articles for general audiences. Developing these skills must be an integral part of scientific training, reinforcing the notion that the responsibility to champion science lies with us. Courses that teach graduate students and postdocs to communicate complex ideas clearly, to use social media effectively and to advocate for evidence­based policies must be deemed critical and supported by our universities. These efforts should not be viewed as distractions from research but woven into the fabric of what we do as scientists. Rebuilding public trust requires a cultural paradigm shift: scientists must see themselves not just as producers of knowledge, but also as its ambassadors and translators. Such a fundamental change will occur only if it is embraced by our scientific leaders and institutions, emphasizing the critical role of public engagement for science to succeed.
October 14, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Hey pain scientist, if you are looking for a condensed list of the top pain literature released each week, come check out #PRF's new #PapersoftheWeek selections from Greg Scherrer and
@drjerinmathew.bsky.social,
who also commented on the latest Editor's Picks painresearchforum.org/paper/preval...
October 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Hey pain scientist, if you are looking for a condensed list of the top pain literature released each week, come check out #PRF's new #PapersoftheWeek selections from Greg Scherrer and @drjerinmathew.bsky.social, who also commented on the latest Editor's Picks painresearchforum.org/paper/preval...
October 7, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social
This is incredible and so inspiring on so many levels. This is what science can do.
September 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
katesadlerphd.bsky.social
1st paper from Sadler Lab is out!! Highlights: 1) A. muciniphila reverses sickle cell (SCD) pain, 2) fecal transplant from SCD mice induces pain via bilirubin-TRPM2 vagal signaling, 3) BilR+ bacteria less abundant in SCD patient poo, 4) RNAseq on HUMAN nodose ganglia! www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Gut microbiota and metabolites drive chronic sickle cell disease pain in mice
Brandow et al. describe how the gut microbiome drives chronic sickle cell disease (SCD) pain. SCD guts contain excessive heme catabolites, fewer bacteria that metabolize bilirubin, and low levels of A...
www.cell.com
September 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
alexchesler.bsky.social
My editor’s pick:

painresearchforum.org/paper/mitoch...

“...the findings suggest that nociceptors have evolved to “dial down” the ETC pathway, enabling them to be unusually resilient to oxidative and other intracellular stresses.“
Mitochondrial activity tunes nociceptor resilience to excitotoxicity - Pain Research Forum
Source: Cell Authors: Lin Yuan, Navdeep S Chandel, David Julius, Publication Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Cell. 2025 Aug 22:S0092-8674(25)00914-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.07.048. Online ahea...
painresearchforum.org
September 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
The latest papers published in pain research are now on PRF! Dr. Alex Chesler provides a curated list for Aug. 22-28, 2025 and a commentary on his pick for Paper of the Week! painresearchforum.org/paper @utdpaincenter.bsky.social @nyupainresearch.bsky.social @iasp.bsky.social @usasp.bsky.social
August 31, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
middletonsj.bsky.social
We've found a new gene linked to chronic pain in humans! The gene SLC45A4 encodes (the long-awaited) neuronal polyamine transporter, which is important for pain signalling in nerves. We hope this discovery might lead to new chronic pain treatments in the future!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
SLC45A4 is a pain gene encoding a neuronal polyamine transporter - Nature
The SLC45A4 gene encodes a neuronal polyamine transporter and is linked to pain response in humans and mice.
www.nature.com
August 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
sutherlandphd.bsky.social
I’ve resurrected my monthly newsletter, Notes on Pain eepurl.com/jh0VaM
Notes on Pain Aug 2025
eepurl.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
aluckmann.bsky.social
Academia may not give you job security, flexibility, or wealth, but it will let you unexpectedly connect to eduroam in foreign cities
August 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
deonandan.bsky.social
Five years ago, a very close relative died of a glioblastoma brain tumor at the age of 13. Today would have been his 19th birthday. And now comes news that an mRNA vaccine is being trialed to treat this very (incurable) malady. Fingers crossed.

mbi.ufl.edu/2024/05/01/v...
Vaccine triggers fierce response to fight brain tumor » McKnight Brain Institute » University of Florida
UF-developed mRNA vaccine quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma.
mbi.ufl.edu
August 20, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
ohsuknight.bsky.social
Phil and Penny Knight announced today a record-breaking $2 billion gift to the Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute to transform the future of cancer care and set a new standard globally.

Thank you to Phil and Penny Knight for their incredible generosity.

#GiveCancerHell
White text over a black background; “Give Cancer Hell” An OHSU Knight Cancer Institute logo is placed below. The top text reads: Cancer is the biggest fight in the history of the world. We will win. It will be hard. We're built for it. We care. Every breath. Of every second. Of every day. Great things come from the most unexpected places. Look around. We're surrounded by heroes. This is not a job. This is our life. Cancer does not discriminate. Neither will we. Bold moves only. Cancer doesn't see us coming. We will outlast, and we will outwit it. This fight is and always will be personal. "GIVE CANCER HELL." in bold at the bottom.
August 14, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
martinowk.bsky.social
Not actual fluorescence for #FluorescenceFriday, but this is pretty, colorful and something I am super excited about. Colors represent spatial clustering of gene expression in human basal forebrain at 2 levels (300um apart) of the lateral septum 🧠🔬🧪
August 15, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
firedbutfighting.bsky.social
After the past few days, it's more important than ever that we speak out against the war on science and research.

Make your voice heard. Join us this Saturday: bit.ly/SoundScience....
A graphic promoting the Sound Science Saves Lives rally. There is a picture of a man speaking in a megaphone in front of a globe. Text at the top says "Science and research are under attack, so we're fighting back. August 16th 10:30 am 10th @Peachtree St Atlanta, GA" At the bottom, it says "mobilize link in caption."
August 12, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
standupforscience.bsky.social
pssst...have you seen our new quick-guides for talking about science to your friends and family?

#31daysofaction
August 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
dricks.bsky.social
Katalin Kariko won the Nobel Prize for mRNA vaccine technology. She is certain that RFK Jr is endangering public health by killing $500 million in mRNA research www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...
I developed mRNA vaccines. RFK Jr is endangering US public health
Katalin Karikó says the health secretary’s decision to pull research funding for the technology is akin to ‘dropping a bomb on the US’
www.thetimes.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
sutherlandphd.bsky.social
Have you checked out the relaunch of PRF? Editors’ picks are selected by rotating editorial board members like @gregscherrer.bsky.social @painresforum.bsky.social
painresforum.bsky.social Pain Research Forum @painresforum.bsky.social · Aug 8
Just posted on Pain Research Forum! Dr. Greg Scherrer's curated list of pain-related papers published August 1-7, 2025 and his choice for Editor's pick. Check it out at painresearchforum.org @iasp.bsky.social @nyupainresearch.bsky.social @utdpaincenter.bsky.social @sutherlandphd.bsky.social
August 9, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
painresforum.bsky.social
Just posted on Pain Research Forum! Dr. Greg Scherrer's curated list of pain-related papers published August 1-7, 2025 and his choice for Editor's pick. Check it out at painresearchforum.org @iasp.bsky.social @nyupainresearch.bsky.social @utdpaincenter.bsky.social @sutherlandphd.bsky.social
August 8, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Seal
labwaggoner.bsky.social
‘Congress has your back’: US senators tell scientists they want to protect NIH budget
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Congress has your back’: US senators tell scientists they want to protect NIH budget
Senate budget bill includes small increase for the health-research agency — but faces a long road before being signed into law.
www.nature.com
August 1, 2025 at 2:51 PM