Curtis Pickering

Cancer biologist working on translational genomics of head and neck cancer. Tweets and opinions are my own.
Also, @cpickering.bsky.social

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

I posted another HNSCC article in the Blue place. This is the recent phase 1/2 trial from the Johnson lab.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

I just posted another HNSCC article over in the Blue place. This one is from the Brakenhoff lab.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

I'm going to be posting a HN research paper each week at the Blue place. The first one is up now. It's from the Scheff lab at Pitt.
@HSkinnerMDPhD @nicole_scheff

https://t.co/5PWmB8OkEQ

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

I haven't been posting much on here lately, and now I'm going to be mostly at the Blue place.
There still isn't much of a head & neck cancer community over there, but there can be if you join us.
I'm going to be posting a HN paper each week at the Blue place.

[Tanentzapf Lab @TanentzapfLab]

1. This summer I've been thinking a lot about "cognitive load" which is term that has multiple definitions but for me means something like "the amount of processing, analysing, thinking, & deciding I can do in a day before my brain stops working" here's a short thread about that

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@duvvuri_md @nyugrossman Thanks for coming. It was a great meeting. There is so much good work going on around here.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

Very useful thread. Know your data.
The goal of biological data analysis is not just to find something statistically significant, but to find what is biologically meaningful. Truly understanding the data can help you find the important things within it.

[Ming "Tommy" Tang @tangming2005]

1/ What are some hidden gems beyond the typical programming skills that have been instrumental in my journey. These are the often-overlooked yet crucial practices that have empowered me to tackle challenges and make sense of data in meaningful ways.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@JSheltzer Do you know if the winning research topics changed over time, perhaps from more basic science to more technology? Similarly, did the student mentors change over time from more academic to more industry? Those kinds of shifts could change the perspective of the winners.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@Jeff_Mold @duvvuri_md Here's the link to a review by Bissell on this topic. https://t.co/pj0MzOL426
The ratio of laminin to collagen in the ECM influences cell polarity, organization, and cancer-like features. Tissue stiffness, controlled by ECM, can also be a factor.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@duvvuri_md @Jeff_Mold I think a reasonable explanation is selection for that phenotype. Mina Bissell did a lot of work on breast epithelial cells in the early 2000’s to show that COLL expression promotes cancer phenotypes in epithelial cells. We only see the ones that express COLL and thus grow.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@HSkinnerMDPhD @UPMCHillmanCC @PittTweet Congratulations Heath!

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

Yale just increased their starting postdoc salaries to $65,000.

Come join my lab at Yale! Contact me if you would like to work on translational genomics of head and neck cancer. Cell/molecular biology and/or computation experience desired.

https://t.co/GjYgsMBGTu

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@pipcosper With a different genomic instability mechanism in HPV+ tumors, do you think this leads to selection for different events, i.e. drivers? Is there any benefit of the CIN for HPV+ tumors, or is it all negative (genomic instability, immune activation, radiation sensitivity)?

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

Has anyone used a digital business card? Would you recommend it? Which platform is best for academics?

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@MuthrNaturzSon @Nature Nice tweetorial and very interesting work. Thank you for sharing it.
FYI, Yale Cancer Center is has an open faculty search in Cancer Biology with a March 15 deadline, https://t.co/K6bW46wWl0.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@JSheltzer I'm generally inclined to include people as coauthors if they contribute to a manuscript, but there is a small space between work and contribution. You didn't specify the level of skill/experience. Trustworthy results = include. Questionable results = more training.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@Elkabetslab @CR_AACR TP53 wt is also associated in TCGA, but the need for it and the mechanism are still unknown. One possible mechanism is that HRAS induces TNF or TRAIL. That could be independent of TP53 status.

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@JSheltzer Also cisplatin by Rosenberg at Michigan State (Go Green!).
This was discovered somewhat by accident during experiments with Pt electrodes .

[Curtis Pickering @crpickering]

@JSheltzer Interesting question. I don't know all of the history but a few possibilities come to mind.
Prions by Prusiner
PCR by Mullis
Microarrays by Brown
H. pylori in ulcers by Warren/Marshal (working together)