Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Is sorghum the super-crop of the future? 🌱 Due to shifting consumer demands for health, sustainability, and gluten-free options, you may have noticed sorghum appearing more frequently on grocery store shelves. Meet Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory plant molecular biologist and computational scientist Doreen Ware, whose research on drought-tolerant sorghum could help shape the future of agriculture and global food security. In collaboration with the USDA, CSHL scientists are exploring how smarter crop choices can help feed a changing world. Why #sorghum? This versatile crop thrives with less water, tolerates intense heat and has a wide range of uses from human and animal food to dairy farming and aquaculture, making it a promising crop for a changing climate. #Biology #plantbiology #superfood #glutenfreefood #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

An invaluable supporter of the Laboratory and the Foundations for the Future expansion project, CSHL is excited to welcome Kevin MacMillan to the CSHL Board of Trustees. MacMillan's biological and legal background will continue to push CSHL to greater heights. Read more about our newest addition to the Board of Trustees: cshl.edu/kevin-macmillan-joi… #InspiringInnovation #Philanthropy #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

From Nobel Prize-winning discoveries to major advances in agriculture and our understanding of the genetic basis of human health and disease, CSHL’s Plant Biology and Genomics program has a history of punching above its weight. New technologies and a suite of powerful, cutting-edge tools for sequencing, analyzing, and tweaking genomes empower CSHL scientists to tackle challenges facing global agricultural systems and human health. They’re also helping unearth long-held secrets of how plants and animals use their genetic codes. Where will solutions emerge? We met with the program's chair Rob Martienssen to find out: cshl.edu/genomics-and-plant-… #InspiringDiscovery #PlantBiology #ScienceMakesLifeBetter #PlantBiology #Genomics

This photo from CSHL's Beyaz Laboratory (@beyazlab) has been selected as the Biomedical Picture of the Day! PPARD activation in the immune system increases the presence of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (green) in colorectal cancer, thereby suppressing tumor cells (blue and red) and slowing the cancer’s growth. Check out the article explaining it all! cshl.edu/the-hidden-force-be… #ColorectalCancer #endometriosis #ScienceMakesLifeBetter #CSHL

“I see myself as a steward of their legacy, carrying forward a family tradition of giving to create a healthier future for all families.” For Stephanie Gibbons, breast cancer research is personal. After losing her mother to triple-negative breast cancer at just nine years old, Stephanie and her family turned that loss into a lasting commitment to advancing science. Through the Arlindo and Evelyn Jorge Family Foundation, her family donated $1 million to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to advance breast cancer and women’s health research. Today, Stephanie sees that legacy in action through the work of CSHL researcher Minakshi Gandhi, who is advancing research into invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), or lobular breast cancer, a distinct and often understudied form of the disease. This #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, we celebrate the power of philanthropy to honor loved ones, fuel discovery, and help build a healthier future for generations to come. 🔗 Read Stephanie’s story: cshl.edu/catalyst-a-family-l… #ILCAwareness #LobularBreastCancer #BreastCancerResearch #InspiringDiscovery #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

Congratulations to DNA Learning Center (@DNALC) Executive Director David Micklos for receiving the 2026 Genetics Education Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers (@NABT_News)! This award recognizes the innovative hands-on science education programs happening at the DNALC every day. Micklos founded the DNALC in 1988 as the world’s first science center devoted to public genetics education. Since then, it has transformed into a leading global provider of hands-on science experiences for students and training for teachers.  Learn more about the DNALC curricula, experiments, and extended research projects that more than 500,000 pre-college students part in each year. cshl.edu/david-micklos-recei… #InspiringCuriosity #ScienceEducation #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

Thank you to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (@BBRFoundation) for highlighting CSHL Associate Professor Lucas Cheadle (@LucasCheadle)! Since being named as a BBRF Young Investigator in 2021, Cheadle has challenged himself and his laboratory to push the boundaries of #neuroscience and #autism spectrum disorder research. Click here for an in-depth explantation of Cheadle's most recent published research: bbrfoundation.org/content/ma… #InspiringDiscovery #CSHL

CRISPR gene editing revolutionized biological and biomedical research virtually overnight. At CSHL, CRISPR is part of multiple research projects, including in the Lippman lab where they used CRISPR to produce goldenberry crops that were easier to grow and harvest. For #WorldCRISPRDay, we're taking a look back at out 2025 @cshlmeetings on Genome Engineering: CRISPR Frontiers! Launched in 2015 by Jennifer Doudna and CSHL, this annual international meeting brings together top researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders.  Meetings, such as this one, are meant to foster fruitful and creative interactions between researchers with the hopes of expanding the field and educating junior researchers. Watch the full video here to see what the CRISPR revolution looks like at CSHL! cshl.edu/videos/enter-the-cr… #InspiringDiscovery #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

Hear from Dr. Beyaz himself about the hidden force his team has been studying!

CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz says PPARD (a gene that helps regulate how cells use energy by switching other genes on and off) is like “the force” from #StarWars. It can promote disease, like Darth Vader carrying out the will of the Emperor. Or, like Anakin Skywalker, it can see the light and kill the disease. It’s not science fiction! See how research from the @beyazlab could point to new treatment strategies for #ColorectalCancer and #endometriosis among other conditions. #ScienceMakesLifeBetter #CSHL cshl.edu/the-hidden-force-be…

CSHL Cancer Center Director Dave Tuveson featured in @SU2C's video for #WorldCancerResearchDay!

This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we’re highlighting the tools behind the research and the science working toward better treatments. So, what is a Core Facility? Think of “the cores” as shared resources that give researchers access to specialized equipment and expertise they may not have in their own labs. At CSHL, the Mass Spectrometry Core (“Mass Spec”) uses highly precise instruments to help researchers understand what’s happening at the molecular level. In prostate cancer research, the Core recently worked with CSHL Professor Lloyd Trotman’s lab to determine exactly how a drug was affecting cancer cells—helping researchers understand how the drug works and informing the search for better treatments. This is the behind-the-scenes science that helps move cancer research forward.  Did you know, these tools aren’t just for CSHL researchers? The Mass Spectrometry Core and other CSHL Core Facilities are available to external academic and industry users through iLab. Led by @paolocifani, the Mass Spec Core continually advances methods and sensitivities to provide researchers with cutting-edge tools and expertise. World-class tools. Open to the research community. #ProstateCancerAwarenessMonth #ProstateCancer #MassSpec #MassSpectrometry #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

Have you ever seen something that doesn’t quite add up? Maybe a shape in the dark resembles a face, or an orange momentarily looks like an apple. Scientists now have a new idea about how different brain regions may work together to resolve these visual mix-ups. CSHL Cynthia R. Stebbins Fellow Mitra Javadzadeh and collaborators have developed new circuit models of the brain’s primary visual cortex and lateromedial visual area. Published in @NatureNeuro, their work offers a glimpse into how these neighboring areas build consensus to process visual input. It may also inform future studies on how both the brain and AI reconcile conflicting information. cshl.edu/when-the-eyes-play-… #InspiringDiscovery#Neuroscience #ScienceMakesLifeBetter

New research from CSHL Associate Professor Lucas Cheadle and postdoc Irene Sanchez Martin identifies a biological mechanism linking maternal inflammation to autism risk. In a new study, the Cheadle lab found that inflammation during a critical window of pregnancy can contribute to autism-like traits in male mice. Researchers triggered a controlled immune response, mimicking a viral infection without introducing an infectious virus, at different stages of pregnancy. They found that fetuses were most susceptible to developmental abnormalities at 12.5 days. Across the experiments, male mice developed autism-like traits, while female mice did not show the same traits. So, why were some pups affected while others weren’t? Researchers turned to the placenta for answers. The takeaways: 🔹 A biological link: The study identifies a specific mechanism connecting maternal inflammation with autism-like traits. 🔹 The immune system matters: The findings add to evidence that immune responses during pregnancy may play an important role in neurodevelopment. 🔹 Sex differences offer clues: The results may help explain why autism is diagnosed more often in males. 🔹 Potential therapeutic implications: Understanding how maternal inflammation affects fetal development—and why effects differ by sex—could eventually help researchers develop more targeted approaches. Learn more about the study, its key findings and where the Cheadle lab is taking this research next: cshl.edu/placenta-study-iden… #InspiringCuriosity #AutismAcceptance #Autism #ScienceMakesLifeBetter