Shows
Paper Talk389-TransBrain: Mapping Whole-Brain Between Humans and MiceThe paper details the development of TransBrain, a computational framework designed to bridge the gap between human and animal neuroscientific research. By integrating spatial transcriptomics, structural connectivity, and functional imaging, the tool enables the mapping of molecular and circuit-level data across species. Researchers used this platform to translate mouse optogenetic experiments into predicted human brain activation patterns, linking animal circuit manipulations to human cognitive maps. Furthermore, the study demonstrates TransBrain's clinical utility by aligning structural brain alterations in autism mouse models with individual patient data. This approach successfully identified conserved gene-brain-behavior relationships, particularly concerning the Magel2 gene and intellectual...
2026-01-1117 min
聊聊Sci356-LINUX 试验：AI 辅助亚型精准治疗乳腺癌这项名为LINUX的二期临床试验研究了人工智能辅助分型在治疗晚期乳腺癌中的有效性。研究人员利用深度学习技术分析病理切片，将患者分为四种独特的SNF分子亚型，并据此提供定制的精准治疗方案。实验结果显示，该方法在SNF2（免疫型）和SNF4（受体酪氨酸激酶驱动型）亚型中取得了显著的临床疗效，其客观缓解率（ORR）明显优于医生选择的传统化疗方案。此外，精准治疗组表现出可控的安全性，且部分亚型患者的无进展生存期得到了实质性延长。这项研究证明了AI引导的精准医疗能有效优化传统“一刀切”的治疗模式，为耐药性乳腺癌患者提供了新的治疗路径。References: Fan L, Zhang W J, Li H P, et al. Precision treatment with artificial intelligence assisted subtyping enhances therapeutic efficacy in HR+/HER2− breast cancer: The LINUXtrial[J]. Cancer Cell, 2025.
2026-01-0318 minPaper Talk356-The LINUXtrial: AI Enhances Precision TreatmentThe LINUX trial investigated the effectiveness of using artificial intelligence to guide precision medicine for patients with advanced HR+/HER2– breast cancer who failed initial treatments. By utilizing digital pathology and deep learning to analyze tumor images, researchers categorized patients into four distinct molecular subtypes (SNF1–4) without the high cost of traditional genomic sequencing. Each group received a specific targeted therapy tailored to their subtype’s unique biological characteristics or a standard treatment chosen by their doctor. The study found that this AI-assisted subtyping significantly improved response rates and survival outcomes, particularly for the SNF2 and SNF4 groups. While some e...
2026-01-0315 min
聊聊Sci355-潘氏样分化驱动结直肠癌耐药这项研究揭示了结直肠癌（CRC）在接受KRAS与EGFR联合靶向治疗时，会通过一种非遗传性的谱系可塑性机制产生耐药性。研究人员发现，存活的癌细胞会向类潘氏细胞（Paneth-like）状态转变，从而逃避药物杀伤，且这一现象在小鼠模型、类器官及临床患者样本中均得到了验证。通过CRISPR筛选和转录组分析，研究确认了SMAD1-FGFR3信号轴是驱动这种细胞状态转换及MAPK信号通路重新激活的关键因素。研究进一步证明，利用FGFR抑制剂（如futibatinib）阻断该轴线，可以有效抑制细胞向类潘氏状态转变并恢复药物敏感性。该成果为克服结直肠癌靶向治疗耐药提供了新的三联疗法策略。References: Zhang Y, Chen J, She Y, et al. Paneth-like transition drives resistance to dual targeting of KRAS and EGFR in colorectal cancer[J]. Cancer Cell, 2025.
2026-01-0319 minPaper Talk355-Paneth-like Transition Drives Cancer ResistanceThis research identifies a Paneth-like cell transition as a primary driver of non-genetic resistance to combined KRAS and EGFR inhibition in colorectal cancer (CRC). By utilizing genetically engineered mouse models and patient-derived organoids, the authors demonstrate that CRC cells adopt a secretory lineage state to evade therapeutic pressure and reactivate MAPK signaling. The study reveals that the SMAD1-FGFR3 signaling axis orchestrates this cellular plasticity and lineage switch. Importantly, the researchers found that pharmacological or genetic inhibition of FGFR3 effectively blocks this transition and restores drug sensitivity. These findings suggest that triple combination therapy—targeting KRAS, EGFR, and FGFR3—coul...
2026-01-0313 min
聊聊Sci350-PhenoProfiler：图像药物发现的表型学习框架这项研究介绍了一种名为 PhenoProfiler 的创新深度学习框架，旨在通过端到端的方式从高通量多通道细胞图像中提取药物诱导的表型特征。该模型整合了梯度编码器、Transformer 以及融合分类、回归和对比学习的多目标学习模块，有效克服了传统方法流程复杂且计算量大的局限。通过对数百万张图像的验证，该框架在生物匹配精度和鲁棒性上均显著优于现有技术，并能精准识别药物的作用机制。此外，研究提出的表型校正策略显著消除了批次效应，使生物信号更加清晰可辨。作为一种可扩展且具有解释性的工具，该系统为 AI 驱动的新药筛选和精准医疗研究提供了强大的技术支撑。References: Li B, Zhang B, Zhang C, et al. PhenoProfiler: advancing phenotypic learning for image-based drug discovery[J]. Nature Communications, 2025.
2025-12-3119 min
Paper Talk350-PhenoProfiler: Image-Based Drug Discovery LearningThe paper introduces PhenoProfiler, a sophisticated deep learning framework designed to revolutionize image-based drug discovery by analyzing how cells respond to chemical treatments. Unlike traditional methods that require complex preprocessing and image segmentation, this end-to-end system directly converts high-content microscopy images into compact, biologically meaningful representations. The model utilizes a unique multi-objective learning strategy—combining classification, regression, and contrastive learning—to ensure high accuracy and robustness against technical noise. Extensive testing on hundreds of thousands of images proves that PhenoProfiler significantly outperforms existing tools in identifying drug mechanisms and generalizing across different cell lines. Furthermore, its specialized phenotype correction stra...
2025-12-3116 min
聊聊Sci343-交感神经功能单位的遗传编码这篇文章介绍了一项关于交感神经功能单位的研究，重点是遗传定义的节后神经元。研究人员利用解剖追踪、单细胞转录组学和化学遗传学技术，系统地分析了腹腔-肠系膜上神经节 (CG-SMG) 中的交感神经元多样性。核心发现是识别出两个分子上不同的神经元亚群：Calb2阳性神经元主要支配胃肠道的肌层并调节肠道蠕动（内脏运动单元），而Nxph4阳性神经元则倾向于支配多个内脏器官的血管，充当内脏血管收缩剂来控制血流。这些发现表明，交感神经系统通过遗传确定的神经元类型和特定的神经末梢形态，以“标记线”逻辑实现对器官生理功能的精确控制。References: Wei Y, Ma Z, Zhang B, et al. Sympathetic functional units encoded by genetically defined postganglionic neurons[J]. Neuron, 2025.
2025-12-2817 min
Paper Talk343-Sympathetic functional units encodingThe paper details an article and associated research focusing on the molecular and functional diversity of sympathetic postganglionic neurons within the celiac-superior mesenteric ganglia (CG-SMG) complex. Through single-cell transcriptomics and functional assays like chemogenetics and optogenetics, the study identifies two genetically distinct subpopulations of CG-SMG neurons: Calb2-positive neurons and Nxph4-positive neurons. The research establishes that these distinct genetic identities correlate with specific anatomical projections and physiological roles, with Calb2-positive neurons acting as sympathetic visceromotor units regulating gut motility, and Nxph4-positive neurons functioning as visceral vasoconstrictor units controlling organ blood flow. This work suggests the sympathetic...
2025-12-2817 min聊聊Sci327-Paneth 样转变驱动结直肠癌双靶向耐药这篇文章重点探讨了KRAS突变结直肠癌 (CRC)对KRAS和EGFR双靶向治疗产生获得性耐药的机制。研究人员发现，CRC细胞通过谱系可塑性，转化为一种特殊的潘氏细胞样状态以逃避药物作用。该耐药机制的关键在于SMAD1-FGFR3信号轴的激活，该信号轴驱动了细胞转变，并促使癌细胞内的MAPK通路重新激活。通过在多种模型和患者活检样本中进行验证，作者证实了这种潘氏细胞样可塑性是保守的耐药策略。功能性实验表明，靶向FGFR3能够有效阻断这一细胞状态转变，并恢复肿瘤细胞对双重抑制剂的敏感性。因此，联合使用FGFR3抑制剂为克服CRC中由细胞可塑性驱动的耐药性提供了一种有前景的临床策略。References: Zhang Y, Chen J, She Y, et al. Paneth-like transition drives resistance to dual targeting of KRAS and EGFR in colorectal cancer[J]. Cancer Cell, 2025.
2025-12-2019 minPaper Talk327-Paneth Plasticity in KRAS Colorectal CancerThe paper investigates the molecular basis for acquired therapeutic resistance in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer (CRC) following dual inhibition of KRAS and EGFR. The research establishes that CRC cells utilize lineage plasticity, adopting a secretory Paneth-like cell state to survive the targeted therapy. Mechanistically, this adaptive transition is orchestrated by the SMAD1-FGFR3 signaling axis, which drives resistance by allowing the crucial MAPK pathway to reactivate within the surviving Paneth-like cell population. Through extensive preclinical models and analysis of human patient biopsies, the authors confirm that these resistant cells are significantly enriched after combination treatment. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that...
2025-12-2013 min
聊聊Sci319-Spacedust揭秘微生物基因组暗物质这篇文章引入了 Spacedust，这是一种用于在微生物基因组中系统地、从头开始发现保守基因簇的新型计算工具，旨在解决当前宏基因组学数据中蛋白质功能注释的难题。该方法的核心创新在于利用 Foldseek 进行快速且敏感的蛋白质结构比较来识别同源匹配，这比传统的序列搜索更具优势。为评估基因簇的显著性，Spacedust 采用了新颖的统计学指标，即聚类 P 值和排序 P 值，使其能够检测到顺序部分保守的基因邻域。通过对 1,308 个细菌基因组的测试，Spacedust 展现出极高的灵敏度，不仅发现了绝大多数已知的抗病毒防御系统，而且在识别生物合成基因簇 (BGCs) 方面优于几种专门工具。作者总结，Spacedust 的高灵敏度和速度使其成为加速对大量测序细菌、古菌和病毒基因组进行功能注释的有力资源。References: Zhang R, Mirdita M, Söding J. De novo discovery of conserved gene clusters in microbial genomes with Spacedust[J]. Nature Methods, 2025: 1-9.
2025-12-1618 min
Paper Talk319-Spacedust: Discovery of Conserved Gene ClustersThe paper introduces Spacedust, a novel computational tool created for the systematic, de novo discovery of conserved gene clusters (CGCs) in microbial and viral genomes, aiming to overcome the bottleneck of poor functional annotation in metagenomics. The software improves upon prior methods by employing highly sensitive protein structure comparison via Foldseek to find remote homologous matches that sequence-based methods often miss. To confirm the significance of these genetic neighborhoods, Spacedust utilizes novel statistical metrics based on clustering and ordering P values, allowing it to detect partial gene arrangement conservation. Validation demonstrated its high performance, as the tool identified CGCs...
2025-12-1618 min
聊聊Sci318-细胞构筑驱动的全脑纤维精绘本文介绍了一种名为细胞结构链接估计（CABLE）的新方法，用于实现高分辨率全脑轴突纤维束图谱绘制，旨在克服传统技术在复杂白质区域的局限性。与依赖水分子扩散的扩散磁共振成像（dMRI）不同，CABLE通过分析细胞核和胞体的空间排列与形状所体现的细胞结构各向异性来推断纤维方向。这种方法能够准确地解开复杂交叉或弯曲的纤维束，而这在dMRI纤维束追踪中往往是不确定的。研究人员通过在灵长类动物大脑中使用病毒标记的个体轴突追踪进行验证，结果显示CABLE生成的方向分布函数（cODF）比dMRI更为精确。CABLE已成功应用于猕猴和狨猴的大脑，展示了其重建复杂投射纤维的能力，包括腹侧海马连合等难以辨别的结构。最后，研究表明CABLE可用于检测新生儿人类脑组织中的纤维束损伤，为神经系统疾病的高分辨率脑图谱绘制开辟了道路。References: Zhang Y, Song T, Yang C Y, et al. Whole-brain reconstruction of fiber tracts based on cytoarchitectonic organization[J]. Nature Methods, 2025: 1-10.
2025-12-1516 minPaper Talk318-Whole-brain reconstruction of fiber tractsThe paper details the development of the Cytoarchitecture-Based Link Estimation (CABLE) method, a novel technique for reconstructing whole-brain fiber tracts using high-throughput fluorescence imaging at cellular resolution. This method determines fiber orientation by interpreting the inherent anisotropy of cell nuclei and somata and their precise spatial arrangement within the tissue. CABLE provides a significant advantage over existing methods, such as diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), because it can accurately resolve complex intersecting or bending fibers that are otherwise difficult to map. The method was validated through detailed viral tracing in primate brains and applied successfully to detect fiber tract...
2025-12-1518 min
聊聊Sci308-听不懂外语是大脑缺了什么本研究深入探究了人类颞上回（STG）如何处理语音，旨在区分独立于语言经验的普遍机制和依赖于学习的特定语言机制。通过对单语和双语参与者进行高密度皮层电图（ECoG）记录，研究人员发现STG对母语和外语均表现出相似的总体活动，并且一致地编码了共享的声学-语音特征。然而，只有在听母语时，STG才显示出对更高级别语言结构信息的显著增强编码，包括词边界、词频和特定于语言的音序统计信息。在双语者中，这种强大的词汇和序列信息编码则体现在所有熟悉的语言中，且使用相同的神经元群体。这些结果表明，语言经验会动态地影响STG的功能，显著增强大脑将连续语流分割成词汇的能力，以弥补纯粹声学信号的不足。References: Bhaya-Grossman I, Leonard M K, Zhang Y, et al. Shared and language-specific phonological processing in the human temporal lobe[J]. Nature, 2025: 1-12.
2025-12-1016 minPaper Talk308-Neural Coding of Universal Phonetics and Word StructureThis research investigates the neural mechanisms in the human temporal lobe that differentiate between processing familiar and unfamiliar spoken languages, using high-density brain recordings (ECoG) in monolingual and bilingual speakers. The study determined that the superior temporal gyrus (STG) exhibits similar cortical activation and feature encoding for basic acoustic–phonetic features, such as vowels and consonants, regardless of whether the language is known or foreign. Critically, only when listening to their native language did the participants show enhanced neural encoding for higher-level linguistic structures, including word boundaries, word frequency, and specific sound sequence statistics. This strong dependency on experience in...
2025-12-1015 min
Paper Talk298-scPRS: Risk Scores Dissect Complex Disease HeterogeneityThe paper introduces a novel computational approach called the single-cell Polygenic Risk Score (scPRS), which is designed to overcome the limitations of conventional risk prediction by accounting for cellular and molecular heterogeneity in complex human diseases. This methodology integrates single-cell epigenome profiling, specifically scATAC-seq data, with a Graph Neural Network (GNN) to calculate genetic risk scores at the individual cell level. Researchers applied scPRS to four major conditions, including Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer Disease, and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, consistently demonstrating superior predictive performance compared to established polygenic score methods. Critically, scPRS is capable of prioritizing and identifying disease-relevant cell types, such...
2025-12-0614 min聊聊Sci298-单细胞多基因风险评分揭示复杂疾病细胞异质性这份研究详细介绍了多基因风险评分（PRS）的一种先进变体，称为 scPRS（单细胞多基因风险评分），它旨在结合个体遗传信息和单细胞数据来预测疾病风险并探索疾病机制。文章通过比较 scPRS 与其他六种既有 PRS 方法在预测2 型糖尿病 (T2D)、阿尔茨海默病 (AD)、肥厚型心肌病 (HCM) 和 重症 COVID-19 等复杂疾病方面的表现，展示了其优越的预测性能和对噪音的鲁棒性。此外，该方法能够优先识别疾病相关的特定细胞类型，如 T2D 中的胰岛细胞和 AD 中的小胶质细胞，并进一步细化与疾病风险相关的遗传变异、调控元件和基因，提供了更深入的生物学见解。实验验证了 scPRS 发现的新型遗传调控路径，例如 AD 风险变异体 rs7922621 通过影响小胶质细胞中 ANXA11 和 TSPAN14 基因的表达，从而损害吞噬功能。References: Zhang S, Shu H, Zhou J, et al. Single-cell polygenic risk scores dissect cellular and molecular heterogeneity of complex human diseases[J]. Nature Biotechnology, 2025: 1-17.
2025-12-0616 min
聊聊Sci272-OTX2调控人类早期胚胎基因组激活和发育这篇研究文章重点介绍母源因子OTX2在调控人类胚胎基因组激活（EGA）和早期发育中的关键作用。研究人员通过敲低OTX2蛋白，发现它对于四细胞阶段的EGA和随后的早期发育至关重要，因为OTX2促进了关键EGA基因（如TPRX1和TPRX2）和重复元件的激活。通过进行CUT&RUN和ATAC-seq等实验，该研究直接证明了OTX2结合在EGA基因的调控元件上，并增强了染色质的可及性，特别是富含OTX2基序的Alu和MaLR重复元件。此外，研究还发现OTX2的功能可能与另一个母源转录因子TPRXL存在冗余，因为联合敲低OTX2和TPRXL会加剧八细胞阶段EGA和染色质可及性的缺陷。最终，这些发现确立了OTX2作为启动人类生命首次转录事件的关键母源转录因子，并揭示了EGA调控的层次结构和进化意义。References: Wang Q, Zhang C, Dang Y, et al. Maternal factor OTX2 regulates human embryonic genome activation and early development[J]. Nature Genetics, 2025: 1-13.
2025-11-2717 min
Paper Talk272-OTX2 Governs Human Early Embryonic Genome ActivationThe article details the critical role of the maternal transcription factor OTX2 in regulating the initiation of life through human embryonic genome activation (EGA). The research demonstrates that OTX2 is essential for minor EGA at the four-cell stage, promoting the activation of key genes like TPRX1 and TPRX2 and increasing chromatin accessibility by binding to repetitive elements like Alu and MaLR. Experimental depletion of OTX2 resulted in developmental and gene expression defects, which were partially rescued by the overexpression of its downstream targets, TPRX1 and TPRX2. Furthermore, OTX2 works redundantly with another maternal factor, TPRXL, to jointly regulate gene...
2025-11-2713 min
Paper Talk265-High-Resolution Atlas of Hematopoietic ProgenitorsThe paper details a comprehensive study employing a unified multimodal single-cell framework to redefine hematopoiesis, the process of blood cell formation, in mice. Researchers integrated transcriptional (RNA), surface protein (CITE-seq, InfinityFlow), and chromatin accessibility (TEA-seq) data to identify and characterize discrete hematopoietic progenitor cell states, particularly the rare Multilineage (MultiLin) cells. This approach, using the ChromLinker computational framework, revealed hierarchical gene regulatory networks (GRNs) driving cell fate decisions and allowed for the isolation and functional validation of these novel progenitor states, which challenge previous models of continuous lineage commitment by supporting a discrete state model. The study successfully used...
2025-11-2513 min
聊聊Sci265-小鼠骨髓多模态单细胞图谱这篇研究论文详细介绍了一种用于研究小鼠造血功能的统一多模态单细胞分析框架。这项研究结合了单细胞基因组学技术（如RNA、表面蛋白和染色质分析）和高维流式细胞术，旨在克服分离对应于离散基因组状态的细胞的挑战。该方法使得研究人员能够描绘和分离罕见的骨髓多谱系细胞状态（“MultiLin”），验证预测的谱系轨迹，并揭示驱动这些状态的分层基因调控网络。最终，该研究提出了一个离散状态模型来描述稳定的造血过程，挑战了谱系承诺是一个连续过程的观点。References: Ferchen K, Zhang X, Thakkar K, et al. A unified multimodal single-cell framework reveals a discrete state model of hematopoiesis in mice[J]. Nature Immunology, 2025: 1-14.
2025-11-2515 min
Paper Talk261-Spatial Atlas of Brain Development and NeuroinflammationThis research using spatial multi-omic technologies, such as deterministic barcoding in tissue (DBiT)-based spatial tri-omics (spatial ARP-seq and spatial CTRP-seq) and CODEX multiplexed imaging, to investigate the spatial dynamics of brain development and neuroinflammation. The study profiles the epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome simultaneously in mouse brains across various postnatal developmental stages and in a focal demyelination mouse model induced by lysolecithin (LPC), benchmarking findings against human brain development samples. Key results include the spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression and chromatin accessibility in cortical layers, the lateral-to-medial progression of myelination in the corpus callosum, and the delayed activation and...
2025-11-2415 min
聊聊Sci261-空间三组学绘制脑发育与神经炎症图谱这篇文章详细介绍了小鼠和人类大脑发育以及神经炎症过程中细胞状态和分子机制的空间和时间动态。研究人员开发并应用了DBiT-based空间三组学技术（如空间ARP-seq和空间CTRP-seq），同时对组织切片中的表观基因组、转录组和蛋白质组进行分析。研究结果揭示了髓鞘形成在脑胼胝体中沿着内外侧双向顺序进行，并与投射神经元（PNs）的成熟度相吻合。此外，该研究还使用溶血卵磷脂（LPC）模型来映射脱髓鞘和随后的髓鞘再生过程，并发现小胶质细胞/巨噬细胞的活化和炎症反应在原发性病变和远端白质区域表现出不同的时空延迟。References: Zhang D, Rubio Rodríguez-Kirby L A, Lin Y, et al. Spatial dynamics of brain development and neuroinflammation[J]. Nature, 2025, 647(8088): 213-227.
2025-11-2414 min
Paper Talk256-Benchmarking Spatial Transcriptomics PlatformsThis article provides a systematic evaluation of four advanced, commercially available high-throughput spatial transcriptomics (ST) platforms with subcellular resolution: Stereo-seq v1.3, Visium HD FFPE, CosMx 6K, and Xenium 5K. To establish a robust benchmark, the researchers generated serial tissue sections from human cancer samples (colon adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and ovarian cancer) and used CODEX protein profiling and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) as orthogonal ground truth datasets. The study comprehensively assesses platform performance across technical metrics such as sensitivity, spatial accuracy, and diffusion control, as well as downstream analytical capabilities including cell segmentation, cell type annotation, and spatial clustering. The...
2025-11-2313 min
聊聊Sci256-肿瘤亚细胞空间转录组平台基准评估这篇研究文章系统性地评估了四种高通量、亚细胞分辨率的空间转录组学平台，包括 Stereo-seq v1.3、Visium HD FFPE、CosMx 6K 和 Xenium 5K。研究人员使用结肠腺癌、肝细胞癌和卵巢癌的系列组织切片生成了统一的多组学数据集，并通过 CODEX 蛋白组学分析和单细胞 RNA 测序建立了参考“金标准”。评估内容涵盖了捕获灵敏度、细胞分割准确性、细胞类型注释以及空间聚类等关键性能指标。研究结果为这些快速发展的技术提供了实际的指导，并创建了一个名为 SPATCH 的公开网络服务器，供研究人员访问和探索这些全面的数据集。References: Ren P, Zhang R, Wang Y, et al. Systematic benchmarking of high-throughput subcellular spatial transcriptomics platforms across human tumors[J]. Nature Communications, 2025, 16(1): 9232.
2025-11-2342 min
聊聊Sci239-BST2调控中风后星形胶质细胞与小胶质细胞的相互作用这篇文章介绍了星形胶质细胞在脑损伤修复中的关键作用，特别是中风后在病灶边界形成的反应性星形胶质细胞。作者通过单细胞测序和空间转录组学技术，确定了表达干扰素诱导蛋白BST2（骨髓基质细胞抗原2）的星形胶质细胞聚集在损伤边界，并将其归类为干扰素反应性星形胶质细胞。研究核心机制在于，BST2通过激活PKCβII-NF-κB信号通路，上调补体C3的表达和分泌，从而招募表达C3a受体（C3aR）的小胶质细胞。作者发现，对星形胶质细胞特异性敲除BST2，或使用BST2单克隆抗体阻断其信号传导，可以减少星形胶质细胞与小胶质细胞之间的有害串扰，减轻早期神经元损伤，并改善小鼠中风后的运动功能。References: Zhang S, Yuan M, Zhou J, et al. BST2 expression at astrocyte borders promotes microglial recruitment via the C3/C3aR signaling[J]. Neuron, 2025.
2025-11-1830 min
Paper Talk239-BST2 Astrocyte Drives Microglial Recruiting After StrokeThe article investigats the role of astrocytes at the border of a central nervous system injury, specifically after a stroke. The key finding is that interferon-responsive astrocytes (IRRAs), identified by high expression of the protein BST2 (bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2), accumulate at the lesion border and drive microglial recruitment and activation. Mechanistically, BST2 promotes the activation of the NF-κB pathway via PKCβII phosphorylation, leading to the secretion of C3, which subsequently engages the microglial C3aR to mediate harmful astrocyte-microglia crosstalk. Genetic or antibody blockade of BST2 reduces these interactions, diminishing microglial activation and improving early mo...
2025-11-1818 min
Paper Talk236-SphereDiff for Parkinson's Cell TherapyThis article presents a refined approach to Parkinson's disease cell therapy. The researchers developed SphereDiff, a robust three-dimensional (3D) culture method for generating high-purity midbrain dopaminergic progenitors (mDAPs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). By applying a novel cross-transplantation single-cell split barcoding (TX-SISBAR) technique, they traced the clonal lineage fates of donor cells after transplantation, revealing that off-target glutamatergic neurons primarily derived from diencephalic progenitors. This lineage-guided refinement using stepwise WNT activation successfully eliminated off-target cells in the donor population, resulting in grafts that yield nearly pure mDA neurons, fully restoring dopamine levels and motor function in Parkinson’s di...
2025-11-1717 min聊聊Sci236-帕金森病细胞疗法的3D多巴胺前体生成与谱系优化这篇文章详细介绍了一种名为 SphereDiff 的三维培养方法，用于高效、稳定地从人多能干细胞中生成高纯度的中脑多巴胺祖细胞（mDAP），这对于帕金森病（PD）的细胞疗法具有重要意义。研究人员开发了 TX-SISBAR（跨移植单细胞分离条形码）技术，以描绘供体细胞移植后的克隆谱系命运，发现丘脑下部祖细胞主要分化为谷氨酸能神经元，而中脑祖细胞则产生多巴胺能神经元和星形胶质细胞。基于这些谱系见解，他们通过逐步激活 WNT 信号优化了分化方案（SphereDiff stepwise），成功消除了脱靶的丘脑下部祖细胞。最终，使用优化方法生成的供体细胞在 PD 模型小鼠中移植后，产生了功能成熟且几乎纯净的多巴胺能神经元，有效恢复了多巴胺水平和运动功能。References: Zhang X, Wu Z, He H, et al. 3D-generation of high-purity midbrain dopaminergic progenitors and lineage-guided refinement of grafts supports Parkinson’s disease cell therapy[J]. Cell Stem Cell, 2025.
2025-11-171h 11
聊聊Sci214-META-SiM:单分子时间轨迹预测模型该文章介绍了一种名为 META-SiM 的新型基础模型，它是一个基于 Transformer 的模型，旨在提高单分子时间追踪数据中生物发现的效率。单分子荧光显微镜 (SMFM) 可以揭示重要的生物学见解，但识别罕见但关键的中间体通常需要耗时的人工检查；META-SiM 通过在各种 SMFM 分析任务 上进行预训练，解决了这一挑战，其性能可与顶尖算法相媲美。该模型通过生成可封装详细信息的嵌入，使得通过 META-SiM Projector 这个在线工具实现高效的整数据集可视化和探索。结合 局部香农熵 (LSE) 指标，META-SiM 能够快速识别特定于条件的罕见行为，并通过在一个现有的剪接数据集上发现一个先前未被检测到的中间状态，证明了其加速生物发现的潜力。References: Li J, Zhang L, Johnson-Buck A, et al. Foundation model for efficient biological discovery in single-molecule time traces[J]. Nature Methods, 2025: 1-12.
2025-11-0733 min
Paper Talk214-META-SiM: Foundation Model for Single-Molecule DiscoveryThe paper introduces META-SiM, a novel transformer-based foundation model designed to significantly improve the analysis and discovery process in single-molecule fluorescence microscopy (SMFM). Traditional SMFM data analysis is often hindered by the complexity, heterogeneity, and sheer volume of time-trace data, typically requiring labor-intensive manual inspection or ad hoc methods. META-SiM addresses these challenges by being pretrained on diverse SMFM tasks-including trace classification, segmentation, and idealization-and rivaling existing state-of-the-art algorithms while requiring minimal fine-tuning. The system includes the META-SiM Projector, a web-based tool for visualizing entire datasets through high-dimensional embedding vectors, and a new metric called Local Shannon Entropy (LSE...
2025-11-0719 min
聊聊Sci212-神经免疫回路调控肿瘤免疫逃逸这篇文章详细介绍了癌细胞如何利用器官间的神经免疫回路来逃避免疫监视，特别是针对头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）患者的临床数据以及小鼠口腔癌模型进行研究。研究表明，癌细胞在免疫压力下会分泌一种配体（SLIT2），通过触发肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（TAMs）的内质网应激反应，激活伤害感受性神经元，从而在引流淋巴结（TDLNs）中建立免疫抑制环境。通过光遗传学和化学遗传学等方法，该研究还证实了抑制伤害感受性神经元的活动可以重塑TDLNs的免疫状态，增强抗肿瘤免疫反应，并为免疫检查点阻断（ICB）疗法提供了新的潜在靶点。References: Zhang Y, Guo Y, Liu Z, et al. Cancer cells co-opt an inter-organ neuroimmune circuit to escape immune surveillance[J]. Cell, 2025.
2025-11-0644 min
Paper Talk212-Neuroimmune Circuit Enables Cancer Immune EvasionThis article investigates how cancer, specifically head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and murine oral cancer models, utilizes a neuroimmune circuit involving distant organs to evade the immune system, thereby compromising the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. The research details a complex mechanism where cancer cells, under immune pressure, secrete a ligand (SLIT2) to activate nociceptive neurons, which subsequently remodel tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) into an immune-suppressed state. Through various advanced techniques like CyTOF, scRNA-seq, and optogenetics, the authors demonstrate how inhibiting this neuronal activity enhances anti-tumor immunity by increasing beneficial immune cells like $\text{CD8}^+$ T...
2025-11-0613 min
聊聊Sci161-预测人类蛋白质组的蛋白质相互作用这篇来自诺奖得主David Baker组最新的Science研究论文介绍了预测人类蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用（PPI）的系统性方法，旨在克服现有实验和计算方法的局限性。研究人员通过两个关键创新显著提高了预测精度和效率：首先，他们利用7倍更深的多序列比对（MSAs），直接从大量未组装的真核基因组数据中获取更强的共进化信号，创建了omicMSA。其次，他们开发了一种名为RoseTTAFold2-PPI (RF2-PPI)的快速深度学习网络，该网络利用从AlphaFold数据库中提取的结构域-结构域相互作用（DDI）数据进行训练，训练数据集规模扩大了17倍。通过结合RF2-PPI的快速筛选能力和AlphaFold2的准确三维建模，研究团队系统筛选了超过1.91亿个人类蛋白质对，最终预测出17,849个高置信度PPI，其中包括3,631个先前未知的相互作用，特别是在跨膜蛋白中，这些发现为理解人类疾病的分子机制提供了新的见解。References: Zhang J, Humphreys I R, Pei J, et al. Predicting protein-protein interactions in the human proteome[J]. Science, 2025: eadt1630.
2025-10-1937 min
Paper Talk147-Predicting the Human Protein-Protein InteractomeThis research article from David Baker team details a novel approach for systematic and accurate prediction of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in the human proteome. The core innovation lies in the development of omicMSAs, which are deeply enriched multiple sequence alignments derived from petabytes of untapped eukaryotic genomic data to enhance coevolutionary signals, and RoseTTAFold2-PPI (RF2-PPI), a rapid deep learning network. This new network was trained on an extensive dataset, including novel domain-domain interactions (DDIs) distilled from over 200 million predicted protein structures, making it much more efficient and accurate for high-throughput screening than previous methods like AlphaFold2. Using...
2025-10-1921 min
聊聊Sci154-人工智能（AI）驱动药物研发这篇文章综述了人工智能（AI）在药物开发领域的最新进展和未来方向，重点阐述了AI如何改革传统上耗时且昂贵的药物发现流程。它详细探讨了AI技术在药物开发流程的各个阶段的具体应用，包括目标识别、药物发现、临床前和临床研究以及上市后监测。文章指出，尽管AI，尤其是大型语言模型（LLMs）和生成式AI，显著提高了效率和效果，但数据质量、模型可解释性以及算法通用性等挑战仍然存在。此外，文章还探讨了AI在生物标记物发现、药物再利用以及临床试验优化方面的应用，并强调AI是增强而非完全取代人类能力的工具。References: Zhang K, Yang X, Wang Y, et al. Artificial intelligence in drug development[J]. Nature medicine, 2025, 31(1): 45-59.
2025-10-1658 min
Paper Talk140-Artificial Intelligence in Drug DevelopmentThe review article provides a comprehensive overview of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across the entire drug development pipeline, which is traditionally costly and time-consuming. It details the application of various AI technologies, including large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, in stages such as target identification, drug discovery, preclinical and clinical studies, and post-market surveillance. The text highlights how AI is being used for complex tasks like virtual screening, de novo molecular design, and predicting ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) properties, aiming to increase efficiency and success rates. Furthermore, the source examines the current challenges...
2025-10-1624 min
聊聊Sci145-OmiCLIP与Loki：组织形态与基因组学的多模态基础模型这篇文章介绍了 OmiCLIP 模型的开发，这是一个视觉-组学基础模型，旨在通过对比学习连接组织病理学图像（如苏木精和伊红染色图像）与空间转录组学数据。作者利用一个包含来自32个器官的220万对配对组织图像和转录组数据的 ST-bank数据集 对OmiCLIP进行了训练。基于OmiCLIP，他们构建了 Loki平台，该平台提供五项核心功能：组织对齐、基于批量RNA测序或标记基因的组织注释、细胞类型分解、图像-转录组检索以及从苏木精和伊红染色图像预测空间转录组基因表达。基准测试结果表明，Loki平台在各种模拟和实验数据集上表现出 一致的准确性和鲁棒性，超越了现有的先进模型。References: Chen W, Zhang P, Tran T N, et al. A visual–omics foundation model to bridge histopathology with spatial transcriptomics[J]. Nature Methods, 2025: 1-15.
2025-10-1131 minPaper Talk132-OmiCLIP & Loki: Foundation Model for Spatial AnalysisThis paper introduce a new visual-omics foundation model called OmiCLIP, designed to integrate histopathology images and spatial transcriptomics data for computational biology. OmiCLIP was trained on a curated dataset, ST-bank, which consists of over two million paired tissue images and transcriptomic data across 32 organs, by converting gene expression into "sentences" for language model processing. Building on OmiCLIP, the researchers developed the Loki platform, an infrastructure that offers five key functions: tissue alignment, annotation using bulk RNA sequencing or marker genes, cell-type decomposition, image–transcriptomics retrieval, and spatial gene expression prediction. The platform consistently demonstrated superior accuracy and robustness compared to...
2025-10-1119 min
聊聊Sci139-巨胞饮在胰腺癌代谢应激下维持CAF亚型特征这份研究文章及其摘要讨论了巨胞饮作用在胰腺癌相关成纤维细胞（CAFs）亚型维持中的作用，尤其是在代谢压力（如谷氨酰胺缺乏）下。作者证明了抑制巨胞饮作用会促使肌成纤维细胞（myCAFs）转化为炎症性成纤维细胞（iCAFs），这是一个依赖于MEK-ERK信号通路的、代谢应激驱动的过程。这种CAF可塑性的改变重塑了胰腺肿瘤微环境，具体表现为胶原沉积减少、血管扩张以及T细胞浸润增加。研究结果表明，通过抑制巨胞饮作用来改变基质结构，可以增强胰腺导管腺癌（PDAC）对免疫疗法和化疗的敏感性，支持将这种抑制策略作为一种有前景的联合治疗方法。References: Zhang Y, Ling L, Murad R, et al. Macropinocytosis maintains CAF subtype identity under metabolic stress in pancreatic cancer[J]. Cancer Cell, 2025, 43(9): 1677-1696. e15.
2025-10-0841 min
Paper Talk126-Macropinocytosis Maintains CAF SubtypeThis paper details how macropinocytosis—a cellular process for scavenging extracellular fluids—is crucial for maintaining the identity of myofibroblasts (myCAFs), a subtype of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), in pancreatic cancer, specifically under glutamine stress. The authors, Zhang et al., demonstrate that inhibiting macropinocytosis in CAFs forces a shift from myCAFs to the inflammatory iCAF subtype via a MEK-ERK-dependent intermediate state. This CAF plasticity fundamentally alters the tumor microenvironment by reducing collagen deposition and increasing vascular expansion, which enhances the infiltration of T cells and improves the efficacy of both immunotherapy and chemotherapy in models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Cons...
2025-10-0816 min
Paper Talk077-Single-cell epigenomic rewiring in Alzheimer’s diseaseThis article explores the epigenomic and transcriptomic changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression and cognitive resilience, utilizing single-cell multi-region analysis across six brain areas. The authors reveal widespread epigenomic relaxation and information loss in AD, particularly in vulnerable neurons and exhausted glial cells. Conversely, preserved epigenomic stability is shown to correlate with better cognitive function and resilience. The study identifies key genes and regulatory networks associated with these epigenomic dynamics, offering potential insights for therapeutic strategies targeting AD.References: Liu Z, Zhang S, James B T, et al. Single-cell multiregion epigenomic rewiring in Alzheimer’s disease pr...
2025-09-1916 min
Paper Talk072-Spatially resolved cell atlas of the whole mouse brainThis paper details the creation of a comprehensive, molecularly-defined, and spatially-resolved cell atlas of the entire adult mouse brain using Multiplexed Error-Robust Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (MERFISH) technology. Researchers imaged over 1,100 genes in approximately 10 million cells, integrating this data with single-cell RNA sequencing to identify more than 5,000 transcriptionally distinct cell clusters and over 300 major cell types. The atlas was registered to the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework, allowing for the systematic quantification of cell-type composition and organization across various brain regions. This work also identified spatial modules, spatial gradients, and inferred cell-type-specific interactions, including potential molecular (ligand-receptor) bases...
2025-09-1727 min聊聊Sci086-阿尔茨海默的表观基因组信息学这篇文章深入探讨了阿尔茨海默病（AD）的细胞和分子基础，特别关注了表观基因组的改变如何影响疾病进展和认知能力。研究人员利用单细胞多区域表观基因组和转录组学技术，分析了AD患者大脑中六个区域的细胞变化。他们发现，疾病进展与表观基因组松弛和信息丢失普遍相关，尤其是在易受损的神经元中。相反，认知弹性与表观基因组的稳定性呈正相关。此外，文章还揭示了小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞激活与表观基因组动态变化之间的联系，并指出了表观基因组失稳与AD遗传风险之间的内在关联。这些发现为理解AD的发病机制提供了新的见解，并为未来的治疗策略奠定了基础。References: Liu Z, Zhang S, James B T, et al. Single-cell multiregion epigenomic rewiring in Alzheimer’s disease progression and cognitive resilience[J]. Cell, 2025.
2025-09-0124 min
聊聊Sci081-超精细小鼠全脑细胞图谱这篇文章详细阐述了利用多重错误鲁棒荧光原位杂交（MERFISH）技术绘制小鼠完整大脑分子定义和空间解析细胞图谱的研究。该研究通过成像约一千万个细胞并整合单细胞RNA测序数据，识别了超过五千个转录上独特的细胞簇，这些簇属于三百多个主要的细胞类型。文中还探讨了神经元和非神经元细胞的多样性与空间组织，分子定义的脑区（空间模块），以及细胞类型特异性的细胞间相互作用，为理解大脑的复杂结构和功能奠定了基础。References: Zhang M, Pan X, Jung W, et al. Molecularly defined and spatially resolved cell atlas of the whole mouse brain[J]. Nature, 2023, 624(7991): 343-354.
2025-08-3007 min
聊聊Sci079-非吸烟者肺癌的基因组图谱这项研究深入分析了非吸烟者肺癌（LCINS）的突变模式，利用来自28个地理位置的871名患者的全基因组测序数据。研究人员识别了影响LCINS基因组的多种突变特征，包括一种名为SBS40a的未知来源特征，这种特征在腺癌中最为普遍，并与EGFR突变相关。研究发现不同地理区域的突变类型存在差异，例如，东亚地区的KRAS突变较少，但EGFR和TP53突变较多，而SBS22a特征几乎只在台湾患者中发现。尽管流行病学研究表明二手烟与LCINS有关，但该研究发现二手烟的致突变性较低。然而，研究人员观察到高空气污染地区与更高的TP53突变率、更短的端粒以及包括SBS4和SBS5在内的多种突变类型的增加有关。这些发现强调了环境因素在塑造非吸烟者肺癌基因组中的重要作用。References: Díaz-Gay M, Zhang T, Hoang P H, et al. The mutagenic forces shaping the genomes of lung cancer in never smokers[J]. Nature, 2025: 1-12.
2025-08-2920 min
Paper Talk018-‘Killer’ cells show promise for autoimmune diseaseThese sources discuss recent breakthroughs and ongoing research in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, which are conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. Several approaches are highlighted, including therapies that aim to restore immune tolerance by re-educating or eliminating rogue immune cells, with some promising clinical trial results for conditions like lupus and type 1 diabetes. One article specifically explores Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, originally used for cancer, showing its potential to induce remission in autoimmune disorders. Another source investigates a newer, potentially more accessible alternative using CAR Natural Killer (NK) cells, which...
2025-08-0721 min
聊聊Sci011-“超级杀伤”细胞治疗自身免疫病前景广阔🛡️这些文章共同探讨了自身免疫性疾病的最新研究进展，这是一种免疫系统错误攻击自身组织的疾病。其中，一篇报道展望了治愈这些疾病的希望，特别是通过恢复免疫“耐受性”的新疗法。另一篇文章聚焦于嵌合抗原受体T细胞（CAR-T）疗法，这种最初用于治疗癌症的方法，已显示出在自身免疫性疾病治疗中的巨大潜力，使患者症状缓解甚至进入缓解期。此外，还有文章介绍了经过基因改造的“自然杀伤”细胞，作为CAR-T疗法更经济、更易得的替代方案。最后，一篇报道揭示了女性自身免疫性疾病发病率更高的原因，指向了X染色体上的一种分子涂层可能引发不必要的免疫反应。References: 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02096-7 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03968-6 3. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00169-7 4. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00267-6 5. Wang X, Zhang Y, Jin Y, et al. An iPSC-derived CD19/BCMA CAR-NK therapy in a patient with systemic sclerosis[J]. Cell, 2025.
2025-07-0714 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 32, Susan Pincus, National Careers Professional of College of LawHappy New Year everyone – welcome to the first episode of 2022 from Peace Lab podcast. In this episode, I caught up with the lovely Susan Pincus, National Careers Professional from the College of Law, a leading career college for lawyers in Australia and New Zealand. In her role, Susan provides specialised advices and guidance for graduate lawyers who wish to enter into the competitive legal market and also facilitates online seminars on diverse and interesting topics pertaining to the legal profession. Although COVID-19 has affected our professional lives in many ways, Susan strongly believes that it is i...
2022-01-2738 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 31 - Zuong Dang, from Vietnam to Melbourne & from Law to Well-BeingIn today’s episode, I had the great pleasure to speak to a dear friend – Zuong Dang. Zuong and I first met at one of the well-being workshops I facilitated a few years ago for the Law Institute of Victoria, and we reconnected last year as Zuong was curious about my master studies in Applied Neuroscience with King’s College London. Each guest on Peace Lab Podcast has a unique story about their mental health, and I am grateful that Zuong shared openly about her personal journey from law to neuroscience and well-being. Similar to many law...
2021-12-0155 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 30, Lu Ngo, Podcast Host & Lifelong Learning, sharing her international student journey and reflecting upon COVID-19 as her "rite of passage" into adulthoodHello all, Today I had the great pleasure to speak to Lu Ngo, whom I first met through a project involving working with international students. Lu works as a Project Manager in the education technology space, is a Study Melbourne Ambassador supporting international students in Victoria. Outside her day job, Lu is also a Podcast Host on the Glocals Podcast. I was curious about Lu's journey from her home country - Vietnam to Melbourne today. In her own words, coming to study in Australia three and half years ago was her 'big shot in life' and she was so excited to ex...
2021-10-2044 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 29, Judith Marychurch, Assistant Dean – Teaching & Learning at Melbourne Law SchoolHappy Wednesday everyone!This week I had the great pleasure of speaking to Judith Marychurch, who is the Assistant Dean of Teaching & Learning at Melbourne Law School (MLS) and her role also entails a strong focus on promoting well-being among the law students.I met Judith many years later after I graduated from Melbourne Law School. We bonded over our passion for advocating well-being and mental health in legal education. Judith also trusted me with the opportunity to run a programme of laughter workshops at Melbourne Law School for the 'serious law students' several years a...
2021-10-0643 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 28, Merv Neal, CEO of Laughter Australia - Reflection on 2021 & A New Phase of the COVID-19Hello everyone, we are back for Peace Lab Podcast again! In today’s Peace Lab Conversation, I spoke to Merv Neal from Laughter Yoga Australia. Some of you may remember Merv from last year's episode (Episode 2) and Merv is one of the most successful and skilled Laughter Yoga facilitators and teachers I know. Merv shared openly with me about his observations over the past year, especially the "blessing in disguise" of COVID-19. Although 2020-2021 has been extremely challenging, Merv found that many people have also grained great personal lessons and wisdom from this period of time. Merv also has...
2021-09-1551 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 27, Legal Mind Unwired - Vanessa Sharmbrook, President of the Victorian Women Lawyers (2021) and Photographer - More than Just A LawyerIn this Legal Mind Unwired episode, I spoke to the amazing Vanessa Shambrook, who is currently working as a lawyer at Women’s Legal Service Victoria with women experiencing disadvantage to assist them in relation to issues arising from relationship breakdown. In 2021, Vanessa was elected to be the 2021 President of Victorian Women’s Lawyers (“VWL”), a not-for-profit organisation which seeks to achieve equality for female identifying lawyers.Vanessa and I met through VWL and bonded over our collective passionate for advocating well-being in the legal profession. In 2018, Vanessa founded the ‘Wellbeing Series: The Road to Resilience in Law’, to encourage initiatives f...
2021-04-281h 02Peace Lab 2020Episode 26 - Elva Li, Branding Expert and Creative Director, on the Secrete of Successful Personal Branding and being a "Femme Boss"It is not often I meet another 'Elva' - that is one of the reasons why I was so excited to invite Elva from Elva Li Personal Branding and Lifestyle Studio to the podcast. Elva is not your usual branding expert, because she integrates holistic brand strategy, creative direction, and mindset work to translate the soul of a person onto screen. To Elva, personal branding is about shining the light from inside out, and her role is to guide her clients towards their inner light and make it shine! Her unique approach to branding reflects the...
2021-04-2146 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 25 - Diana Marshall, Internationally Accredited Breathing Expert on the Wisdom and Science of BreathingWe breathe in and out on average between 20,000 and 23,000 times per day on average. Yet, how much do you know about breathing and the proper way our bodies are designed to breathe? Do you breathe fast, shallow, loud? Do you catch yourself breathe using mouth? In this episode, Diana Marshall, an internationally accredited breathing expert will share with us how important breathing is really for us. This simple act of breathing "in and out" affects the totality of our well-being such as our sleep, energy levels, focus, physical and emotional health. It also...
2021-04-1442 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Monday PJ Meditation, 12 April 21, Watching the Movie of Our Own Life in One DayMonday PJ Meditation before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm (Melbourne Australia). The PJ Monday Meditation recorded from 12 April 2021 from Hobart, as I have been traveling around Hobart for the past few days. Today we experimented watching one day in our life as a movie. What difference would you make in the creating of your tomorrow’s movie? The unscripted meditation is guided from my home live which typically lasts between 20mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why...
2021-04-1332 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 24 - Elva's Monologue, on Presence and Meditating with LifeHello, I am back for a monologue to talk to myself or about myself? :) The past few months have been rather interesting, learning at a deeper level about a different way to relate to life experiences. The biggest lesson for me is the realisation that in the past I used to spend lots of time meditating in silence and in solace, yet, an equally important (if not more important practice in life) is to carry the meditating mind with ourselves in daily life. I often share with us that the greatest meditation is whe...
2021-04-0734 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - Monday PJ MeditationMonday PJ Meditation before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm (Melbourne Australia). Monday 29 March 2021: the full moon is high and shining beautifully. Receiving wisdom from ourselves. The unscripted meditation is guided from my home live which typically lasts between 20mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seeking peace within at this time is an act of kindness f...
2021-03-2923 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 23 - Catherine Tan, her journey from an international student to a Passionate Commercial LitigatorIn this Legal Mind Unwired for March 2021, I wanted to speak to a lawyer who (like myself) was of an international student background. I am always curious about the journey of other international law students - whether they faced similar struggles at law school and whether they felt challenged when trying to carve out a legal career in Australia. So my talented friend Catherine Tan popped in my mind and I am so pleased that she was able to join me today - to share her story. Formally an international student from Brunei, Catherine holds a Ba...
2021-03-2457 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 22 - Story IS Connection with Catherine Simmonds and Feifei LiaoAs we continue to focus on the well-being of international students, this week I spoke to Catherine Simmonds and Feifei Liao, the two master-minds behind the Australia's leading international students community theatre organisation - Story IS Connection (SIC). At the core of SIC is the vision of creating diversity in action through the language of theatre. Catherine, one of Australia’s leading community cultural development theatre makers, has an amazing ability of translating the ‘lived experiences’ of communities through the language of art. As the Artistic Director of SIC, Catherine applies her unique creative process ‘Act in Action’ to int...
2021-03-171h 09
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - Monday PJ Meditation 15 March 2021 - Focusing on the Present Moment of Now Monday PJ Meditation before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm (Melbourne Australia). Monday 15 March 2021: tonight we focused on exploring the NOW moment, as I find myself spending much time sometimes in the past and/or in the future - worries and concerns. So it was essentially a gentle reminder of myself to let go and stay in the present. The unscripted meditation is guided from my home live which typically lasts between 20mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with fri...
2021-03-1642 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 21 - Coby Liew, Registered Counsellor, on Resilience and International Students Well-BeingIn this second episode of the March’s series focusing on international students, I had the great pleasure of speaking to Coby Liew, a registered counsellor and social worker, and also works as a Senior International Student Support Officer at the Deakin University.A former international student from Malaysia, Coby is exceptionally passionate in international education and mental health practice with extensive experiences working with individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, helping individuals to identify their inner strengths, maximising their potentials and abilities to strive for success throughout their life journey.Our conversation started with Coby’s own journey of leav...
2021-03-1049 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - Monday PJ MeditationMonday PJ Meditation before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm (Melbourne Australia). The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 20mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seeking peace within at this time is an act of kindness first to ourselves. Yet by finding solace within we ar...
2021-03-0832 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 20 - Sahil Chandan, the experience of Covid-19 as an international student from India In March 2021, Peace Lab 2020 Podcast will focus on the stories of international students - their struggles, their resilience, their success. So first up, I spoke to Sahil Chandan, an international student from India who is studying information technology in Australia. Sahil's story is about his experience of dealing with the impact of Covid and how resilient he was despite all the challenges he faced. In fact, Sahil adopted a positive mindset and chose to see 2020 as an opportunity for self-learning and self-improvement. Sahil had to return to India at the end of 2019, because his father fell ill. He retu...
2021-03-0341 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - Monday PJ Meditation 2 March 2021 - Welcome Autumn with Body RelaxationMonday PJ Meditation runs before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. 2 March 2021: since it is the start of March, we focused on welcoming March and Autumn (for those of us who live in Australia). We focused on 'turning off' our body switches and how we may learn something from the falling autumn leaves to let go and to surrender. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 20mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are u...
2021-03-0237 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 19, Virginia Warren, the Conflict Alchemist & the Lawyer for Love, brining more LOVE to the legal systemIn the last episode of this month of Love, I managed to find a lawyer who is passionate about brining more LOVE into the legal system - Virginia Warren. Virginia got into law "accidentally" (although looking back she noted that everything happens for a reason in life), and became a parter in a law firm, specialising family law. Then one day in 2012 as she was walking across a busy street in her suit and leopard printed high heels, she 'accidentally' fell down. As a result of the fall, she was introduced to the world of yoga, which took her on a j...
2021-02-2452 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - Monday PJ Meditation 22nd Feb 2021Hello everyone, after taking some time off, Monday PJ Meditation is back from tonight (Monday 22nd Feb) at the usual time 9pm Melbourne time. It’s an open invite, so pls feel free to share - join via Zoom directly: https://zoom.us/j/96233254368?pwd=WkMvUTBrc2htNWxVU2FuUkdKMVI4UT09 Meeting ID: 962 3325 4368 Password: 2021 When: 9pm - 9:30pm, Monday Nights, Melbourne Time Where: from your home If you want to carve some time out for yourself, to connect, to breathe, and to listen, pls feel free to pop by! As I mentioned, contemporary neuro...
2021-02-2231 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 18, Pat Armitstead, the World's First Joyologist, her journey to joy through lived experiences of grift and shameIn this episode, I spoke to Pat Armistead, the worlds' first joyologist. Often referred to as “Australasias answer to Patch Adams “, Pat embraces good humour, unwavering positivity and creativity in her being and her work. She has a rare capacity to meld her creativity and compassion to champion the human spirit leading people to find joy where it appeared there was none. In this episode, Pat shared with me her path to joy and how she became a 'joyologist' after enduring various traumas. As she elegantly said, she did not learn about joy by studying joy; instead, it is t...
2021-02-1749 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 17, Adam Wang, the Spiritual Entrepreneur, on abundance, on relationships andAdam Wang is not your typical entrepreneur. Oh yes, he is a Fintech Founder at Luca Plus (www.lucaplus.com/), which utilises blockchain technology to deploy accounting & auditing processes on decentralised networks. In 2020, Adam and his team won 2020 Alibaba & HSBC Jump Starter competition thanks to their passion and innovative ideas! Although I don't know much about blockchain, I invited Adam to share with us his amazing story and how his meditation practice and inner work helps him create a high state of energy - the 'Beautiful State', which has facilitated and accelerated his achievement in the external worl...
2021-02-1052 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 16, Elva's Monologue - Thoughts on Love, offered by ancient wisdom, contemporary science and personal insightHello all, welcome to this new episode of Elva’s Monologue. Since we are in February, which is traditionally the month of love because of the V Day, why not talk about love? Of course, LOVE is a big topic. Like everyone else, I have been fascinated by it - its nature, its power and its mystery. Often we think of love as romantic love (which can be either beautiful or heart-breaking like in the move “Love, Actually”), or as our love of chocolate or as that deep bonding between parents and children. Although I am not an expert in love, in t...
2021-02-0340 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 15 - Nathalie Heynderickx, Well-being Coach for Tech Professionals, on how we can create a mindful self and a mindful tech futureIn this episode of Peace Lab Conversation, I spoke to Nathalie Heynderickx, an IT and data governance specialist, who for many years worked as a leader for global consulting companies such as IBM, EY and Accenture. Nathalie found her way into yoga and mindfulness when she was looking for means to effectively manage her highly stressful corporate job. Slowly she became known among her colleagues as the well-being "go-to-person". Then in 2015 this 'side-interest' of hers has turned into the creation of Zen High Achiever, a boutique consultancy specializing in leadership development and wellbeing programs for tech professionals.Nowadays (if you are...
2021-01-2058 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 14 - Dave Berman, Finding the Inner Light through Laughter and HypnosisIn this episode of Peace Lab Conversation, I spoke to Dave Berman, an original New Yorker who has since left the Big Apple, travelling around the world and have been staying in Melbourne Australia since January 2020. Graduated from one of the Ivy League - the Cornell University, Dave spent his first 10 years career in radio DJ (I keep picturing Dave as Dr Frasier Crane in another dimension), then the next 10 years as a businessman in California. However, since 2011, led by the beautiful dance of life Dave has been working as a coaching expert and hypnotherapist, whe...
2021-01-1350 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 13 - Elva’s Monologue- 2021, a Year of “Not So Planning”?Happy 2021! I cannot believe that 2020 has ended... This FIRST episode of Peace Lab 2020 Podcast is a 'short' and 'sweet' monologue with a 10mins meditation on 2020-2021. In my meditation, interestingly 2020 was seen like being in the 'Eye of the Storm' - all the scary thunders, lightings, heavy rain and wild wind. It clears out and cleanses our personal life, our social life and even the fabric of our societal structures and establishment. On the other hand 2021 feels like that immediate aftermath of the big storm, I can still feel the occasional raindrops on my body and face, I can see all...
2021-01-0632 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 12 - Legal Mind Unwired - Lara Wentworth, the Lawyers' CoachIn this last episode of Peace Lab 2020 Podcast, which is also the Legal Mind Unwired episode, we close this unusual and unprecedented year of 2020 with an insightful and interesting conversation - with Lara Wentworth, THE Lawyers' Coach Lara is a former Family Law Partner, but now works full time as a Performance and Wellness Coach who specialises in coaching members of the legal profession. I was interviewed by Lara in April 2020 on her popular YouTube channel, focusing on well-being for lawyers. We bonded over our similar passions and our drives to help others especially our fellow lawyers through a deeper unde...
2020-12-2350 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 11 - Peace Lab Conversation with Louise Hvala, the CEO who priorities mindset change for successLouise Hvala is my guest for this episode, and to me Louise is a power-house when it comes to create business ventures. Louise is the CEO and co-founder at Gatehouse Legal Recruitment, Founder at Alifery Freelance Legal Experts, Producer & Host of Gatehouse Insights and most recently in 2020 she started Maeja gifting. I was excited to speak to Louise, as she first invited me to be on the Gatehouse Channel to share my work with Peace Lab in 2017. She has interviewed many lawyers and successful leaders across Australia; however, having known Louise for several y ears now, but I kn...
2020-12-1649 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 10, Peace Lab Conversation - Dr Rudy Lopez, on Prevention-Focused Public Health and MindfulnessGrab a cup of coffee, and listen in this FUN Peace Lab Conversation I had with Dr Rudy Lopez (Rudy), who has recently successfully transitioned out of clinical obstetrics and gynaecology where he worked as a private consultant for over a decade into the challenging field of public health. He is currently working with the Victorian department of health in the COVID response team. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Rudy came to Australia as a 16 year old international student. He shared with me the beautiful experience when he was undertaking medical training that cemented his decision to specialise in obs...
2020-12-0952 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 9 - Elva’s Monologue - Perception & 2020Hello everyone - welcome to December 2020. What a year we have all had. In this last Elva's Monologue of 2020, I guided a reflective meditation from January 2020 to December 2020, observing our changing perceptions of things, events and people. And to me, 2020 is the year I have learned and am still learning about perception and how our brain constructs and reconstructs perceptions based on our expectations, intentions, beliefs etc. This contemporary understanding validates what the ancient saying that "when you change your perception, the things you perceive changes too." So, what is your perception of 2020? From fe...
2020-12-0234 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 30/11/20, Welcome DecemberPJ Meditation Since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of see...
2020-12-0124 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 8 - Legal Mind Unwired - Dash, Work & Life in Geneva 2020In this episode of Legal Mind Unwired, I spoke to a good friend of mine - Darshika Bandaranayake (oh yes, I never try to pronounce her name in full - So I just call her Dash), whom I met in Geneva back in 2013 when we were both studying our masters in International Law. I still remember the first time Dash and I met - it was on a sunny Summer afternoon at a cafe by the Lake Geneva and we bonded over studying long nights at the library at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
2020-11-2551 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 10, 23 November 2020, Emotional Release as in Eastern PhilosophyPJ Meditation Since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of see...
2020-11-2332 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 7 - Peace Lab Conversation- Annie Harvey, the Still EffectIn this Episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking to Annie Harvey, the creator of Still Effect, Wellbeing Educator, mindfulness teacher and laughter yoga leader. I met Annie at the Laughter Conference 2019 in Gold Coast and I still remember I was so impressed with her beautiful English accent! In today's episode, Annie shared with me about her journey as the creator of the Still Effect. The idea of Still Effect was initially planted when Annie was finding ways to manage her stress as she was caring for her mother. Her search took her to...
2020-11-1840 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 9, 16/11/20 - Listen to my heart, seeing and sensing my feelingsPJ Meditation Since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of see...
2020-11-1627 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 6 - Peace Lab Conversion with Abhi Rajguru, the Modern GuruThis week I am joined by a modern guru - Abhi Rajuru! Abhi has a fascinating story - born and grew up in a spiritual family India, and then came to study in Brisbane as an international student who cleaned toilet and slept on the floor, and then became one of the top sale representatives in one of the largest account software company in Australia. You may think in his mid-thirty, Abhi has it all? Yet in 2019, he left his successful career and took one year off, traveling around South East Asia to search for meaning, for a deep state of...
2020-11-1147 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 8, 9/11/20 - Loving Kindness for Unity&Hope (US Election) + Self Lovesince the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seeking peace wit...
2020-11-0919 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 5 - Elva’s Monologue - Beginners Mind & Neuro-plastic BrainWelcome to another month of Peace Lab 2020 Podcast, and to another Elva's Monologue. In the past, scientists used to think that our human brains become hardwired once we enter adulthood. However, thanks to the cutting-edge discoveries in neuroscience and the advancement in imaging technology of the past decades, now we know that our human brain is rather plastic. According to neuroplasticity, neurons that “fire together, wire together”. Repeated mental activities (sustained thinking and belief patterns) result in repeated neural activity, which eventually cause neurological changes to the brain. Interestingly this new understanding of the relationship between mind an...
2020-11-0450 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 7 - 2 Nov 2020 - Setting Intention for November, star MeditationPJ Meditation Since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of see...
2020-11-0323 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 6 - 26/10/20, Releasing the Old Script of Thoughts and EmotionsPJ Meditation Since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of see...
2020-10-2622 min
Peace Lab 2020Episode 4 - Legal Mind Unwired - A New Perspective to Well-being in Law - Elva & ZuongThis is the first segment of Legal Mind Unwired, I invited my friend and fellow lawyer Zuong to interview me (instead of just me talking myself or interviewing others): 1. Why there is a dedicated segment focusing on the legal profession; 2. Why it is called 'Legal Mind Unwired'; 3. What is the unique challenges faced by lawyers when it comes to well-being and how we can overcome it. We talked about how there is an inherent stigma on mental health in general, which is even more acute among the legal profession due to the potential damage on professional reputation and image. Zuong shared...
2020-10-2151 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 5 - 19/10/20: Body, Mind & Heart Scan - Inner ReflectionsHello everyone, since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seek...
2020-10-1922 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 3 - Peace Lab Conversion with Wesa Chau, the System HealerWesa Chau is what I would call a "master multitasker", a thought leader in cultural diversity and its impact on leadership, the Young Victorian of the Year (2010), and the Labor's Deputy Lord Mayor candidate for the City of Melbourne 2020 Election. However, there is another side to Wesa, which is not well-known by many others - her Eastern philosophy, spiritual curiosity and her amazing sound healing ability. In this episode, Wesa will talk about how she has grown to become comfortable to share openly about her identity as a 'healer'. This identity is not in conflict with her political career; rather, in...
2020-10-1452 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 4 - Creating Inner Emotions - Calm, Positive & Content (12/10/20)Hello everyone, since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seek...
2020-10-1228 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 2 - Peace Lab Conversion with Merv Neal, the Laughing Man Do you laugh? Do you laugh even during this year of global pandemic? Why laughter is the best medicine? In this Episode of Peace Lab Conversation, I speak to Merv Neal, who is the CEO of Laughter Yoga Australia and a laughter trainer, speaker, trainer, and researcher. He is a medically published author for his Research Study with people undergoing Kidney Dialysis, and author of the Book The Business of Laughter (Amazon). As a laughter yoga teacher (since 2015 after returning from Geneva - listen to Episode 1 Elva's Monologue to learn more about my journey), I was trained in la...
2020-10-0746 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 3 - Readying Yourself To ReceiveHello everyone, since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The act of seek...
2020-10-0626 minPeace Lab 2020Episode 1 - Elva’s Monologue - the Great Realisation, the Inner Reflection & the 2020 Recaliberation = the Journey to Peace Lab 2020Each month the first episode of Peace Lab 2020 is Elva's Monologue, whereby I (your host Elva Zhang) will share valuable ancient philosophy and science information researched and collected by me broadly on topics of stress management, well-being, mindset shift and essentially on how to lead a successful life with peace, purposes and positivity in this modern age of constant change. However, in this opening episode, I will share about my own journey and what it has led to the creation of Peace Lab 2020. Hopefully this will provide some insight about me as your host, and also for you...
2020-09-3049 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 2 - Setting Intention + Smiling Meditation (28/9/20)Hello everyone, since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while. The...
2020-09-2927 min
Peace Lab 2020Bonus Episode - PJ Meditation 1Hello everyone, since the second lockdown in Melbourne in July 2020, I (your host - Elva Zhang) started running PJ meditation on Zoom before bedtime from 9pm to 9:30pm, Melbourne Australian time. The unscripted meditation is guided by me (in my PJs) from my home live which typically lasts between 15mins and 30mins (it varies). Just a simple idea to connect with others at this time - as by now we are used to catch up with friends over Zoom, why not meditate together, quieting down our chatty mind, disconnecting with the external world for a short while.The act of see...
2020-09-2125 min2020-09-1500 min