Postdoc @UCSF | Gut–brain communication | Hormone signaling | Pain & female physiology
San Francisco, CA
Joined January 2022
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Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Congratulations to the recipients of the Rainin Visionary Scientist Award! @Ohad_LE of @MGHMedicine, Dr. Gabriel Lozano Betancourt of @BostonChildrens and @moolakaari of @UCSF will each receive $300,000 over two years to support their work. krfoundation.org/news/health…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
It has long been recognized that millions of women, especially younger women, are disproportionately affected by pain disorders.
In a new #ScienceReview, researchers synthesize recent advances in understanding these conditions. scim.ag/3VcRS4H
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Historically, medical research has relied heavily on male participants, with findings often generalized to women and children.
If women’s health is discussed at all, it’s largely framed around reproduction.
This special issue of Science highlights the research that is seeking to close the critical gaps in women’s health. Learn more: scim.ag/4hy8ACT
ALT Women make up more than half the population, but most of what we know about women’s biology comes from extrapolation of studies in men. This has been changing in recent years, and this special issue highlights some of the progress in understanding the biological basis of sex differences in health and disease and medical issues relevant to women’s health across different stages of life. Illustration: Chiara Vercesi
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Our new review is out now on the ventral hippocampus, highlighting a large body of recent work, from the information it represents to how internal state shapes its activity to how its circuits influence behavior.
The ventral hippocampus: computations, circuits and functions — a Review by Jeremy S. Biane, Julian Wagner-Carena & Mazen A. Kheirbek
@jeremy_biane @jawagnercarena @mazen_kheirbek
nature.com/articles/s41583-0…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Out today in J Physiol: Piezo1 in intestinal smooth muscle doesn't only sense force at the cell surface. First paper built entirely at UC Davis across the causeway with trainees from several labs. This is the foundation my lab is building from!
physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.c…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Our new study: A Hormone-Sensitive Brain Node Prioritizes Movement over Excretion, led by Lucas Cabrera-Zapata, with help from @moolakaari and others.
biorxiv.org/content/10.64898…
ALT Photo from A. Venkataraman at SF Marathon
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Seats are running out fast. Be sure to register for our Integrative Brain-Body Neuroscience course on the beautiful island of San Servolo in Venice. Check it out here👇👇
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Holly Ingraham at #ENDO2026: trying to understand hormonal differences driving increased disease burden in women. IBS is much more common in women – enteroendocrine cells secrete serotonin, mediate pain @TheEndoSociety #ENDO2026 #WomensHealth #Endocrinology – at Chicago, IL
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Male octopuses use a specialized arm that acts as both a sensory and reproductive organ to navigate the female’s mantle, locate oviducts, and transfer sperm. These findings reveal how sensory systems shape reproductive behavior and drive speciation.
Learn more this week in Science: scim.ag/4clal4S
ALT Animals rely on sensory cues to choose mates before reproduction. Male octopuses use a specialized arm that acts as both a sensory and reproductive organ to navigate the female’s mantle, locate oviducts, and transfer sperm. These findings reveal how sensory systems shape reproductive behavior and drive speciation. This image shows courtship during mating.
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Mucormycosis, also called “black fungus,” is still shrouded in mystery. It’s unclear why the normally rare disease is most prevalent in India, and why it surged during the pandemic.
But a new paper suggests the fungal infection may strike when levels of albumin, the most common blood protein, are low. scim.ag/4stx0lL
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Women are dramatically more likely than men to suffer from IBS, and when male mice get estrogen, their gut pain matches females. @UCSF scientists led by @hollyingrahamSF finally discovered why. ucsf.edu/news/2025/12/431241…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
A thread acknowledging the many contributions of the @UCSF @UCDavisHealth team for our study, out online at go.nature.com/3S0vrLC
1/7—We identify a new hormone, CCN3, produced in the hypothalamus to build bones and offset bone loss during lactation - a 5-year journey. One cover idea 👇.
ALT Our cover idea
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
I am thrilled to share our work showcasing the remarkable recovery of a complex learned behavior in a predominantly unsupervised manner! This achievement is the product of a fantastic collaboration with @alfairhall and her exceptionally talented trainees.
Unsupervised restoration of a complex learned behavior, song production, after large-scale neuronal perturbation causing severe song degradation in zebra finches
nature.com/articles/s41593-0…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Women are 4-times more likely to have autoimmune diseases than men. Why is this?
From Dou et al. in Cell, today
In females, the second X chromosome is silenced by a long non-coding RNA, called Xist (pronounced 'exist') - males don't express Xist
Xist, together with almost 100 unique proteins, wraps itself around the second X chromosome, silencing it. It's thought that Xist-protein complexes are highly immunogenic, and may represent targets for autoantibodies
Dou et al. devised a system to induce expression of Xist in male mice. They found that Xist expression led to the production of autoantibodies, similar to levels found in female mice (RIBO P0/P2 are lupus autoantibodies, CENPA/B are scleroderma autoantibodies):
In a mouse model, these autoantibodies in Xist-expressing males were sufficient to cause significant lupus pathology (including in the kidney and the lung):
In humans, autoantibodies against the Xist ribonucleoprotein complex were enriched in female patients with lupus, scleroderma, and dermatomyositis
Therefore, Xist may solve the puzzle of female-biased autoimmunity
cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
We are currently hiring postdocs with experience in rodent models. Ephys and viral techniques a plus.
Please DM me or email [email protected] if interested! – at Baltimore, MD
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
GDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy | Nature nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
First-Ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health 🔬Research
“Every woman I know has a story about leaving her doctor’s office with more questions than answers. Not because our doctors are withholding information but … JB
With 💰 we can change this! whitehouse.gov/briefing-room…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
Mark your calendars & register for the Next Generation Faculty Symposium on November 17, 2023!!! This is a virtual event between Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF, & CZ Biohub to showcase rising stars across engineering, medicine, and the physical & life sciences. berkeleystanfordnextgensympo…
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
It's not okay to offer funding where the recipient uses their own money first and is reimbursed later. This barrier puts serious pressure on those in less privileged positions. Many struggle (silently) or lose out completely. Reduce inequity by offering resources up front.
Archana Venkataraman retweeted
🔥Symposium alert: @FENSorg Forum: 28 June 2024 in Vienna🔥 Come hear from @DrCriCru @GappKatharina @bjmarlin & me about how the biology of future generations is sculpted by hormones, chemosensory stimuli & early life adversity. #FENS2024
fens2024.abstractserver.com/…