Svasti Haricharan
@svasti.bsky.social
Cancer biologist interested in host characteristics; advocate for equitable research environments; associate professor at SDSU; posts my own
My 6 year old had to decorate this outline of a turkey for school. I came home to find him working hard at the dining table in the middle of what appeared to be a glitter explosion. His dad thinks it's the most Bollywood turkey ever. Can't disagree.
November 13, 2025 at 3:33 AM
My 6 year old had to decorate this outline of a turkey for school. I came home to find him working hard at the dining table in the middle of what appeared to be a glitter explosion. His dad thinks it's the most Bollywood turkey ever. Can't disagree.
Lastly, the exhausted immune signature thought to be race-aligned that contributes to poor outcome in black women is actually aligned to high poverty burden, independently of race. Thank you to our many collaborators on this story including @raghavanlab.bsky.social and many others #notonhere
November 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Lastly, the exhausted immune signature thought to be race-aligned that contributes to poor outcome in black women is actually aligned to high poverty burden, independently of race. Thank you to our many collaborators on this story including @raghavanlab.bsky.social and many others #notonhere
Breast cancer cells from white women placed into the collagen patterned microenvironment of black breast cancer lose metastatic potential. Counter to popular theory, breast cancer cells from black women are NOT inherently more metastatic. They need that collagen to initiate mets 2/3
November 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Breast cancer cells from white women placed into the collagen patterned microenvironment of black breast cancer lose metastatic potential. Counter to popular theory, breast cancer cells from black women are NOT inherently more metastatic. They need that collagen to initiate mets 2/3
Our latest story in preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...) and one of my favorites so far. More detailed thread to come. Tldr we show that the distinctive collagen patterning we see in black breast cancer patients is caused by tumor intrinsic signaling and is critical for metastasis 1/3 🧪
November 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Our latest story in preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...) and one of my favorites so far. More detailed thread to come. Tldr we show that the distinctive collagen patterning we see in black breast cancer patients is caused by tumor intrinsic signaling and is critical for metastasis 1/3 🧪
So close, Senator Tillis. You should have left out the first clause. Whether you're Rep or Dem, Congress has the power of the purse. You should all be requiring compliance from the Executive branch. For shame, with the partisanship at such a critical time in our history
October 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
So close, Senator Tillis. You should have left out the first clause. Whether you're Rep or Dem, Congress has the power of the purse. You should all be requiring compliance from the Executive branch. For shame, with the partisanship at such a critical time in our history
My very Californian son's rendition of rangoli. Happy Deepavali to all who fight the good fight against the darkness in our own minds and in the world around us.
October 21, 2025 at 2:11 AM
My very Californian son's rendition of rangoli. Happy Deepavali to all who fight the good fight against the darkness in our own minds and in the world around us.
This is where we're at: global trust in the US govt to do the right thing re: AI regulation, is on par with global trust in the Chinese govt. Only 44% of Americans trust their govt to regulate AI and a similar % are more concerned than excited about AI. Not a coincidence.
October 16, 2025 at 3:42 AM
This is where we're at: global trust in the US govt to do the right thing re: AI regulation, is on par with global trust in the Chinese govt. Only 44% of Americans trust their govt to regulate AI and a similar % are more concerned than excited about AI. Not a coincidence.
NCI's 2027 annual plan includes a proposed budget increase that would let them fund the same number of awards as FY24 while transitioning to MYF. They emphasize clinical trials, cancer prevention and basic cancer research and training as funding priorities. The proof is in the pudding I suppose. 🧪
September 26, 2025 at 7:01 PM
NCI's 2027 annual plan includes a proposed budget increase that would let them fund the same number of awards as FY24 while transitioning to MYF. They emphasize clinical trials, cancer prevention and basic cancer research and training as funding priorities. The proof is in the pudding I suppose. 🧪
But honestly? WE DID IT! WE CURED CANCER. progressreport.cancer.gov/after/survival And we continue to work on curing it some more. It's time to push back against the incremental, no progress narrative. Scientists are trained to ground findings in caution but there's no doubt: we're killing it. /fin
September 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
But honestly? WE DID IT! WE CURED CANCER. progressreport.cancer.gov/after/survival And we continue to work on curing it some more. It's time to push back against the incremental, no progress narrative. Scientists are trained to ground findings in caution but there's no doubt: we're killing it. /fin
Look at the leap in survival for metastatic breast cancer patients, a very hard to treat population, from the DESTINY trials that recently completed and matched an existing therapeutic to a paired diagnostic marker. dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/destiny-b... /4
September 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Look at the leap in survival for metastatic breast cancer patients, a very hard to treat population, from the DESTINY trials that recently completed and matched an existing therapeutic to a paired diagnostic marker. dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/destiny-b... /4
While there isn't one cure for cancer, because that is likely a biological impossibility, we have discovered cures for many cancers. Look at the survival of breast cancer patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors (left) vs those treated with standard care (right). link.springer.com/article/10.1... /3
September 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
While there isn't one cure for cancer, because that is likely a biological impossibility, we have discovered cures for many cancers. Look at the survival of breast cancer patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors (left) vs those treated with standard care (right). link.springer.com/article/10.1... /3
Interesting. Would have liked to see research related approval ratings in the poll. apnorc.org/projects/pes...
September 20, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Interesting. Would have liked to see research related approval ratings in the poll. apnorc.org/projects/pes...
Fox News poll shows that its own viewers think SCOTUS is too conservative and too partisan. Hmm.
July 24, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Fox News poll shows that its own viewers think SCOTUS is too conservative and too partisan. Hmm.
Fox News poll showing healthcare as a top three concern across the nation. www.foxnews.com/official-pol... Even Fox News gets it. Call your senators and representatives today 🧪
June 19, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Fox News poll showing healthcare as a top three concern across the nation. www.foxnews.com/official-pol... Even Fox News gets it. Call your senators and representatives today 🧪
Join us at a Teach In for Science event in San Diego next week, to talk about why funding cuts to biomedical research affect every person living in America. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/this-affec... 🧪
June 16, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Join us at a Teach In for Science event in San Diego next week, to talk about why funding cuts to biomedical research affect every person living in America. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/this-affec... 🧪
Similarly, trust in mass media to accurately report the facts is at an all time low: only 27% of the American public trusts mass media. And I would argue that for mass media to hold the trust of the public is significantly more germane to their direct purpose of providing news.
May 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Similarly, trust in mass media to accurately report the facts is at an all time low: only 27% of the American public trusts mass media. And I would argue that for mass media to hold the trust of the public is significantly more germane to their direct purpose of providing news.
Contrast this to public trust in the govt which has been low for decades. Noone is yelling at the govt to communicate better or be destroyed. Yet, only 20% of the public trust the govt to do the right thing most of the time. It's time to tone down the rhetoric that people have lost trust in science
May 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Contrast this to public trust in the govt which has been low for decades. Noone is yelling at the govt to communicate better or be destroyed. Yet, only 20% of the public trust the govt to do the right thing most of the time. It's time to tone down the rhetoric that people have lost trust in science
I'm hearing a lot about how people have lost faith in science and in scientists. This is not accurate and is largely based on a few polls that came out a few years ago showing a moderate decline of public trust in science, driven largely by those who are republican learning. 🧵🧪
May 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
I'm hearing a lot about how people have lost faith in science and in scientists. This is not accurate and is largely based on a few polls that came out a few years ago showing a moderate decline of public trust in science, driven largely by those who are republican learning. 🧵🧪
And I've saved the worst for last. STEM education, which lost 80% of its funding. As Ms Lofgren said "You can’t have science without scientists". So I guess, we've decided as a nation that we just can't have science. Happy future to us.
May 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
And I've saved the worst for last. STEM education, which lost 80% of its funding. As Ms Lofgren said "You can’t have science without scientists". So I guess, we've decided as a nation that we just can't have science. Happy future to us.
And then multidisciplinary projects lose 96% of their funding: projects that brought together biologists, physicists and engineers to tackle problems that so many communities face - water contamination, biodegradability, recovering value from waste. Y'know, things that would help us save our earth.
May 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
And then multidisciplinary projects lose 96% of their funding: projects that brought together biologists, physicists and engineers to tackle problems that so many communities face - water contamination, biodegradability, recovering value from waste. Y'know, things that would help us save our earth.
Or let's look at Geosciences. You may think, well, that's a relief, at least they're funding ocean sciences. But that bump is because they've funded a $39 million grant to establish an office that will manage a deep-sea drilling program. Drill, baby, drill, right?
May 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Or let's look at Geosciences. You may think, well, that's a relief, at least they're funding ocean sciences. But that bump is because they've funded a $39 million grant to establish an office that will manage a deep-sea drilling program. Drill, baby, drill, right?
Let's take biology. Cuts to infrastructure, organismal biology, environmental biology and a gain to emerging frontiers. If you strip a field of its ability to generate knowledge, and then try to fund application of knowledge that was never made, you might as well take that money and burn it.
May 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Let's take biology. Cuts to infrastructure, organismal biology, environmental biology and a gain to emerging frontiers. If you strip a field of its ability to generate knowledge, and then try to fund application of knowledge that was never made, you might as well take that money and burn it.
Want to know why universities are integral to our economy and advancement as a country? @sdsuresearch.bsky.social graduated 12,000 students this year, which adds to the more than half million alumni out in our community starting businesses, teaching our children, creating art, engaging in life
May 19, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Want to know why universities are integral to our economy and advancement as a country? @sdsuresearch.bsky.social graduated 12,000 students this year, which adds to the more than half million alumni out in our community starting businesses, teaching our children, creating art, engaging in life
Being a parent, like being an educator, is a daily reminder of how far the human spirit can swim when given limitless horizons. Happy mother's day to everyone participating in that American dream.
May 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Being a parent, like being an educator, is a daily reminder of how far the human spirit can swim when given limitless horizons. Happy mother's day to everyone participating in that American dream.
51% of republications support pulling federal funding for colleges and universities. And about a quarter of those polled are neutral on the topic. Education and research have been a cornerstone of US economic policy, fueling its rise to a global force to reckon with. What can possibly replace it?🧪
May 9, 2025 at 9:26 PM
51% of republications support pulling federal funding for colleges and universities. And about a quarter of those polled are neutral on the topic. Education and research have been a cornerstone of US economic policy, fueling its rise to a global force to reckon with. What can possibly replace it?🧪