Computational biologist @WeillCornell focusing on methods development, genomics, and the retrotranscriptome. Previously: @CBI_at_GWU @GWSMHS @jgi
Washington DC
Joined January 2009
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At the DC #StandUpForScience rally on Friday.
The question was “why are you here?” She came up with this on her own! (I helped her with the spelling)
So proud of her!
@michelebendall
ALT A young girl holding a sign in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the Stand Up For Science rally. The sign says “I am here because when I am a grown-up I want to be a scientist”
6/ 💡Key takeaway: TEs aren’t "genomic junk"—they’re informative regulators of cell identity and offer additional layers of biological insight.
eurekalert.org/news-releases…
7/ 🔗“A single-cell transposable element atlas of human cell identity” Cell Reports Methods, 2025. doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.202…
🔄RT to share with colleagues in #singlecell and #genomics!
3/ Applied to human PBMCs, it quantifies locus‑specific TE expression, which was previously hidden in standard scRNA‑seq pipelines
The surprising finding? TE activity signatures distinctly mark cell types and subsets—sometimes even more sharply than conventional mRNA markers
5/ Stellarscope is open‑source, scalable, and built to integrate with existing scRNA‑seq workflows—empowering labs to explore TE dynamics at single‑cell resolution.
github.com/nixonlab/stellars…
4/ This TE atlas uncovers novel signatures within immune compartments, offering new avenues for cellular taxonomy and understanding TE biology in health and disease.
1/ Introducing Stellarscope: an EM-based tool for quantifying locus-specific transposable element expression in single cells.
A single-cell transposable element atlas of human cell identity: @CellRepMethods
@TheNixonLab @HOPEforHIVCure @WCM_ID
cell.com/cell-reports-method…
🚨 Excited to share our latest work: 🚨
We show that locus-specific #HERV expression can reveal the origins and heterogeneity of B-cell lymphomas!
Locus-specific human endogenous retroviruses reveal lymphoma subtypes: iScience cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S…
@TheNixonLab @WCM_ID
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
This piece on the impacts of science funding cuts to young researchers and the future of science is so well said by a Nobel Prize winner 🙏🏻
timmermanreport.com/2025/03/… – at Manhattan, NY
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
Do you or a family member have a medical illness? My NIH study section that reviews cutting edge medical research was cancelled before review. This means delayed research and discoveries. Please call your representatives and senators to support the @NIH and biomedical research.
I’ve seen my feed go from almost all TEs (pre 2022) to almost nothing. Just discovered #TEsky 🦋
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
Our paper about TE's regulatory functions using ENCODE data has been published! nature.com/articles/s41467-0… @twang5 @CedricFeschotte We confirmed TEs contributed 25% of regulatory elements in the human genome. We also investigated how different TEs contributed differently. /1
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
Exciting new research shows retrotransposons, ancient viruses making up ~1/2 our DNA, can create precise biological clocks to measure our rate of aging. This is the tip of the iceberg… 🧵
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
The study shows that #retroelement #DNA #methylation can create precise age-predicting #epigenetic clocks and reveals their unique signals and utility in aging research.
By @mlbendall, @VarunDw, Lishomwa C. Ndhlovu, et al.
doi.org/10.1111/acel.14288
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
💥Excited to unleash ENCOTE: Encyclopedia of Transposable Elements with cis-regulatory activity in the human genome!
Collab w @twang5 for #ENCODE led by🔥trio Alan Du, Jason Chobirko & @XiaoyuZhuo
TEs = 25% of all cCREs = 200,000+ elements!!
Deep dive! 1/n biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
These coloring books from #KSTE23 are a hit! (Getting us a few quiet hours at home) Molecular biologist in training? Thank you @CELLECTA @CellPressNews @KeystoneSymp – at Washington, DC
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
The @LaughneyLab and @WeillCornell is recruiting innovative postdocs with expertise in variational inference, dynamical systems, and/or computational systems biology to study inter-cellular communication in the tumor microenvironment! Pls RT, job posting: laughneylab.com/join-the-tea…
matthew bendall - mlbendall.bsky.social retweeted
🍾🔥
Folks, I m Ecstatic/Enchanted/Euphoric to share this saga (my Love, my PhD, my Assassin) is finally out.
Transposons create The Selection Arena in Human embryos, a contest for the survival of fittest.
To commit and fight or just die.
⚠️long 🧵
1/16
dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.…
ALT Human embryo at day 5. Stained with H2Ax-gamma, and NANOG. It is symbolizing a battle of fire with fire between foreign invaders. One is determined to destroy while other one fights to save it. It is Adopted from Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3. Fits to the selection arena.