Irini Topalidou
@irinakitop.bsky.social
Researcher obsessed with little worms. Greek
Senior staff scientist @HutchBasicSci @FredHutch
Senior staff scientist @HutchBasicSci @FredHutch
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Structure and sequence fill evolutionary gaps for essential centromeric proteins.
Work by @jeremyahollis.bsky.social, @irinakitop.bsky.social, & Jason Stonick.
Article by Kelsey Woodruff.
www.fredhutch.org/content/www/...
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Work by @jeremyahollis.bsky.social, @irinakitop.bsky.social, & Jason Stonick.
Article by Kelsey Woodruff.
www.fredhutch.org/content/www/...
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Structure and sequence fill evolutionary gaps for essential centromeric proteins
Researchers in the Basic Sciences Division track evolutionary origins for an essential protein
www.fredhutch.org
September 4, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Structure and sequence fill evolutionary gaps for essential centromeric proteins.
Work by @jeremyahollis.bsky.social, @irinakitop.bsky.social, & Jason Stonick.
Article by Kelsey Woodruff.
www.fredhutch.org/content/www/...
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Work by @jeremyahollis.bsky.social, @irinakitop.bsky.social, & Jason Stonick.
Article by Kelsey Woodruff.
www.fredhutch.org/content/www/...
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Friends and colleagues, I’d like to invite you to my seminar this Thursday, the 20th, as part of the GSA Seminar Series featuring the 2026 GSA Award recipients. I’d be very happy to see you there! 😊
ECT: 1:00–2:00 PM
WCT: 10:00–11:00 AM
ECT: 1:00–2:00 PM
WCT: 10:00–11:00 AM
How can a tiny worm shape a scientific career? Join 2026 GSA Mentorship Award recipient @irinakitop.bsky.social of @fredhutch.org on August 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT as she shares how C. elegans has guided discoveries, collaborations, and approaches to mentorship. 🔗https://buff.ly/iUmQCCQ
August 17, 2026 at 4:44 AM
Friends and colleagues, I’d like to invite you to my seminar this Thursday, the 20th, as part of the GSA Seminar Series featuring the 2026 GSA Award recipients. I’d be very happy to see you there! 😊
ECT: 1:00–2:00 PM
WCT: 10:00–11:00 AM
ECT: 1:00–2:00 PM
WCT: 10:00–11:00 AM
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Discoveries can hide in plain sight. #HHMIInvestigator Steven Henikoff's lab found a surprise when revisiting their old data: a region of ribosomal DNA producing microRNAs that can be associated with cancer, revealing a new role for part of the genome overlooked for decades: bit.ly/3RQwTmy.
July 8, 2026 at 4:07 AM
Many congrats to the amazing @jeremyahollis.bsky.social and the one-and-only @harmitmalik.bsky.social So much fun to be part of this collaboration!!! Worms, fish, and many other metazoan species come together to build this beautiful story!!! 🐛🐟🐀
Jeremy Hollis’ detective story on centromeric histone chaperones (HJURP/Cal1) is now published after peer review with a few extra goodies.
@jeremyahollis.bsky.social
@nlehrbach.bsky.social
@cbmoens.bsky.social
@irinakitop.bsky.social
@basicsci.fredhutch.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@jeremyahollis.bsky.social
@nlehrbach.bsky.social
@cbmoens.bsky.social
@irinakitop.bsky.social
@basicsci.fredhutch.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
July 1, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Many congrats to the amazing @jeremyahollis.bsky.social and the one-and-only @harmitmalik.bsky.social So much fun to be part of this collaboration!!! Worms, fish, and many other metazoan species come together to build this beautiful story!!! 🐛🐟🐀
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
With heat waves shattering temperature records across the globe, leading to needless deaths, let me just say that history will not look fondly on those who put fossil fuel profits above saving the planet.
June 29, 2026 at 10:00 PM
With heat waves shattering temperature records across the globe, leading to needless deaths, let me just say that history will not look fondly on those who put fossil fuel profits above saving the planet.
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Very excited for our new paper, now out in
@cellcellpress.bsky.social! /🧵
The protein Tau forms intracellular toxic tangles in neurons in Alzheimer’s disease and Tauopathies. Tau pathology slowly spreads from cell-to-cell but the mechanisms are not clear /1 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
@cellcellpress.bsky.social! /🧵
The protein Tau forms intracellular toxic tangles in neurons in Alzheimer’s disease and Tauopathies. Tau pathology slowly spreads from cell-to-cell but the mechanisms are not clear /1 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Arc mediates intercellular tau transmission via extracellular vesicles
Tau pathology spreads cell to cell, but the mechanisms of intercellular tau transmission remain unclear. We find that the neuronal gene Arc is critica…
authors.elsevier.com
June 29, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Very excited for our new paper, now out in
@cellcellpress.bsky.social! /🧵
The protein Tau forms intracellular toxic tangles in neurons in Alzheimer’s disease and Tauopathies. Tau pathology slowly spreads from cell-to-cell but the mechanisms are not clear /1 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
@cellcellpress.bsky.social! /🧵
The protein Tau forms intracellular toxic tangles in neurons in Alzheimer’s disease and Tauopathies. Tau pathology slowly spreads from cell-to-cell but the mechanisms are not clear /1 authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
It’s been a while since I mentioned how much I appreciate the worm community! Thank you all for replying to my message and for being so generous and eager to help! I appreciate you all!
Hey C. elegans friends! What's your preferred method for cell-specific knockout or knockdown? Would love any paper recommendations too! Thank you!!!
June 26, 2026 at 4:43 AM
It’s been a while since I mentioned how much I appreciate the worm community! Thank you all for replying to my message and for being so generous and eager to help! I appreciate you all!
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Progress in cancer research has been one of the incredible areas of biomedical advancement over the past two decades. Many cancers which were absolute death sentences just a few years ago are now chronic, managed conditions.
And this was only possible through NIH/NCI/NIAID research/funding.
And this was only possible through NIH/NCI/NIAID research/funding.
"We declared a War On Cancer in the 1970s and we have not made significant progress on treating cancer despite ever-increasing funding. It's a welfare program for academic labs"
Bro what the FUCK are you talking about. The survival statistics do not bear this out even at first glance
Bro what the FUCK are you talking about. The survival statistics do not bear this out even at first glance
June 24, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Progress in cancer research has been one of the incredible areas of biomedical advancement over the past two decades. Many cancers which were absolute death sentences just a few years ago are now chronic, managed conditions.
And this was only possible through NIH/NCI/NIAID research/funding.
And this was only possible through NIH/NCI/NIAID research/funding.
Hey C. elegans friends! What's your preferred method for cell-specific knockout or knockdown? Would love any paper recommendations too! Thank you!!!
June 24, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Hey C. elegans friends! What's your preferred method for cell-specific knockout or knockdown? Would love any paper recommendations too! Thank you!!!
Thank you, @fredhutch.org and @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for this great honor!
Dr. @irinakitop.bsky.social, a senior staff scientist in the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, is the first winner of the Genetics Society of America Mentorship Award who isn’t a principal investigator or faculty member. Read more: https://bit.ly/4epmdnD
June 22, 2026 at 11:55 PM
Thank you, @fredhutch.org and @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for this great honor!
Special thanks to John Higgins for the article, Robert Hood for the photos, and the @fredhutch.org news team for bringing this piece together on the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social mentoring award. Special thanks to @singhvilabglia.bsky.social for the nomination. 💜
www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...
www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...
Fred Hutch senior staff scientist honored by Genetics Society of America
Dr. Irini Topalidou, a senior staff scientist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, is the first winner of the Genetics Society of America Mentorship Award who isn’t a principal investigator or faculty member....
www.fredhutch.org
June 19, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Special thanks to John Higgins for the article, Robert Hood for the photos, and the @fredhutch.org news team for bringing this piece together on the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social mentoring award. Special thanks to @singhvilabglia.bsky.social for the nomination. 💜
www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...
www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...
The GSA gave me the opportunity to write an article in GENETICS reflecting on my journey as an immigrant in the USA and how those experiences have shaped my life and career. Thank you to all of my mentees, friends, and family who have supported me along the way 🙏
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
A second life
Abstract. The Genetics Society of America Mentorship Award recognizes members of the scientific community for exceptional mentoring of geneticists at any c
academic.oup.com
June 9, 2026 at 8:31 PM
The GSA gave me the opportunity to write an article in GENETICS reflecting on my journey as an immigrant in the USA and how those experiences have shaped my life and career. Thank you to all of my mentees, friends, and family who have supported me along the way 🙏
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Thank you GSA! 🙏🥹
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
Join us in celebrating @irinakitop.bsky.social, recipient of the 2026 GSA Mentorship Award! 🎉
From discovering C. elegans to building a career as a staff scientist at @fredhutch.org, she advances research while mentoring the next generation.
Read more: buff.ly/5MRPgiN
From discovering C. elegans to building a career as a staff scientist at @fredhutch.org, she advances research while mentoring the next generation.
Read more: buff.ly/5MRPgiN
April 8, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Thank you GSA! 🙏🥹
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
Truly honored to be part of this inspiring story, driven by the super talented student @jeremyahollis.bsky.social and made possible through the collaboration of four different labs at @basicsci.fredhutch.org. Science at its best!!!
We have some genetic sleuth work to share with you! What started as a rotation project turned into nothing short of an amazing collaboration between 4 labs in the zoo that is @basicsci.fredhutch.org. We found an essential histone chaperone long thought to be missing in most animals 🕵️♂️
bit.ly/4uf8sxz
bit.ly/4uf8sxz
bit.ly
March 10, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Truly honored to be part of this inspiring story, driven by the super talented student @jeremyahollis.bsky.social and made possible through the collaboration of four different labs at @basicsci.fredhutch.org. Science at its best!!!
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
My awesome colleague, @yarimura.bsky.social, is recruiting a postdoc to start at the end of 2026 or early 2027! His lab uses cryo-EM to uncover structural basis of key chromatin events using native complexes isolated from human cells or Xenopus egg extracts!
careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/30706/p...
careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/30706/p...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Fred Hutch is dedicated to the elimination of cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death.
careers-fhcrc.icims.com
March 3, 2026 at 4:33 AM
My awesome colleague, @yarimura.bsky.social, is recruiting a postdoc to start at the end of 2026 or early 2027! His lab uses cryo-EM to uncover structural basis of key chromatin events using native complexes isolated from human cells or Xenopus egg extracts!
careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/30706/p...
careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/30706/p...
Big thanks to Aakanksha @singhvilabglia.bsky.social for the nomination, to J. Bai and @nlehrbach.bsky.social for supporting it, to A. Calixto, S. Karimzadegan, P. Gurung, J. Cattin-Ortola, M. Crawford, for their supportive letters and to all my mentees for making this job colorful and meaningful ♥️
Congratulations to @irinakitop.bsky.social on winning the 2026 @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Mentorship Award. She was selected in recognition of her exceptional mentorship of more than 30 trainees and her published work on mentorship, STEM education, and career choice. buff.ly/6zAwQQ1
February 25, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Big thanks to Aakanksha @singhvilabglia.bsky.social for the nomination, to J. Bai and @nlehrbach.bsky.social for supporting it, to A. Calixto, S. Karimzadegan, P. Gurung, J. Cattin-Ortola, M. Crawford, for their supportive letters and to all my mentees for making this job colorful and meaningful ♥️
Inspiring talks, signs, and crowd at today's #StandForScience2025 event in Seattle. Thanks to everyone who participated and gave us hope!
March 8, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Inspiring talks, signs, and crowd at today's #StandForScience2025 event in Seattle. Thanks to everyone who participated and gave us hope!
For this reason I was very pleased to see Tom Maniatis's article and petition on NIH’s decision to cap indirect cost reimbursement at 15% in @cellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
March 3, 2025 at 6:02 AM
For this reason I was very pleased to see Tom Maniatis's article and petition on NIH’s decision to cap indirect cost reimbursement at 15% in @cellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
that Trumpers think the US Postal *SERVICE* should be a profit-making enterprise exposes the fallacy in their conception of government
February 22, 2025 at 12:20 AM
that Trumpers think the US Postal *SERVICE* should be a profit-making enterprise exposes the fallacy in their conception of government
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Any talk you hear from the current administration about making the US more competitive in science and technology is utter bullshit. What they are doing is sabotaging our country for years if not decades to come.
The University of Pittsburgh confirmed Friday that there would be no new Ph.D. offers of admission while Pitt works to understand how reduced federal aid could impact the institution.
The University of Pittsburgh pauses its Ph.D. admissions process amid research funding uncertainty
A spokesperson for the University told WESA Friday that the school has "temporarily paused additional Ph.D. offers of admission," while Pitt works to understand how proposed federal funding cuts could...
www.wesa.fm
February 22, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Any talk you hear from the current administration about making the US more competitive in science and technology is utter bullshit. What they are doing is sabotaging our country for years if not decades to come.
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Maybe I wasn’t clear about this. I wanted more egg and no plane crash, not many plane crash and no egg.
February 17, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Maybe I wasn’t clear about this. I wanted more egg and no plane crash, not many plane crash and no egg.
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
While Trump “floods the zone,” we must stay focused.
NO to oligarchy, tax breaks for the rich and cuts to working class programs. NO to authoritarianism and unlimited power for one man.
YES to growing the union movement and raising wages. YES to health care as a human right.
NO to oligarchy, tax breaks for the rich and cuts to working class programs. NO to authoritarianism and unlimited power for one man.
YES to growing the union movement and raising wages. YES to health care as a human right.
February 16, 2025 at 3:56 PM
While Trump “floods the zone,” we must stay focused.
NO to oligarchy, tax breaks for the rich and cuts to working class programs. NO to authoritarianism and unlimited power for one man.
YES to growing the union movement and raising wages. YES to health care as a human right.
NO to oligarchy, tax breaks for the rich and cuts to working class programs. NO to authoritarianism and unlimited power for one man.
YES to growing the union movement and raising wages. YES to health care as a human right.
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Thanks to everyone who shared this request. We updated our new Trump Tracker blog today with the voices of some federal scientists who reached out. More to come.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump Tracker: Firings, lawsuits and U.S. science in chaos
Follow President Donald Trump’s impact on U.S. research and science globally
www.science.org
February 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Thanks to everyone who shared this request. We updated our new Trump Tracker blog today with the voices of some federal scientists who reached out. More to come.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Irini Topalidou
Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email ([email protected]) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.
February 14, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email ([email protected]) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.