Jarrod Shilts, Yannik Severin, Francis Galaway, Nicole Müller-Sienerth, Zheng-Shan Chong, Sophie Pritchard, Sarah Teichmann, Roser Vento-Tormo, Berend Snijder & Gavin J. Wright 
Nature volume 608, pages397–404 (2022)

The human immune system is composed of a distributed network of cells circulating throughout the body, which must dynamically form physical associations and communicate using interactions between their cell-surface proteomes1. Despite their therapeutic potential2, our map of these surface interactions remains incomplete3,4. Here, using a high-throughput surface receptor screening method, we systematically mapped the direct protein interactions across a recombinant library that encompasses most of the surface proteins that are detectable on human leukocytes. We independently validated and determined the biophysical parameters of each novel interaction, resulting in a high-confidence and quantitative view of the receptor wiring that connects human immune cells. By integrating our interactome with expression data, we identified trends in the dynamics of immune interactions and constructed a reductionist mathematical model that predicts cellular connectivity from basic principles. We also developed an interactive multi-tissue single-cell atlas that infers immune interactions throughout the body, revealing potential functional contexts for new interactions and hubs in multicellular networks. Finally, we combined targeted protein stimulation of human leukocytes with multiplex high-content microscopy to link our receptor interactions to functional roles, in terms of both modulating immune responses and maintaining normal patterns of intercellular associations. Together, our work provides a systematic perspective on the intercellular wiring of the human immune system that extends from systems-level principles of immune cell connectivity down to mechanistic characterization of individual receptors, which could offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

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Yanbo Zhang, Sara Imari Walker
The high-dimesionality, non-linearity and emergent properties of complex systems pose a challenge to identifying general laws in the same manner that has been so successful in simpler physical systems. In Anderson’s seminal work on why “more is different” he pointed to how emergent, macroscale patterns break symmetries of the underlying microscale laws. Yet, less recognized is that these large-scale, emergent patterns must also retain some symmetries of the microscale rules. Here we introduce a new, relational macrostate theory (RMT) that defines macrostates in terms of symmetries between two mutually predictive observations, and develop a machine learning architecture, MacroNet, that identifies macrostates. Using this framework, we show how macrostates can be identifed across systems ranging in complexity from the simplicity of the simple harmonic oscillator to the much more complex spatial patterning characteristic of Turing instabilities. Furthermore, we show how our framework can be used for the inverse design of microstates consistent with a given macroscopic property — in Turing patterns this allows us to design underlying rule with a given specification of spatial patterning, and to identify which rule parameters most control these patterns. By demonstrating a general theory for how macroscopic properties emerge from conservation of symmetries in the mapping between observations, we provide a machine learning framework that allows a unified approach to identifying macrostates in systems from the simple to complex, and allows the design of new examples consistent with a given macroscopic property.

Read the full article at: arxiv.org

European Parliament, Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Sipido, K., Fajardo-Ortiz, D., Vercruysse, T., et al., Fostering coherence in EU health research : strengthening EU research for better health, European Parliament, 2022,

The COVID 19 pandemic prompted reinforced investment in health research, to support rapid research and innovation for vaccine development and health care measures. The European Union response highlighted strengths and weaknesses in EU research organisation and funding. Over time, EU investment in health research has been aimed at increasing knowledge and transfer of knowledge into innovation, for better health. To this end, several instruments have been developed, but the impact of these efforts is hampered by fragmentation and a lack of synergy between strategies at different levels. Inequalities in health and research across Member States need further measures. Policies can take inspiration from successful health research organisation and policies inside and outside the EU, for more coherence and throughput to implementation. Health research needs strong leadership to engage in global health and to tackle the challenges of the interconnectedness of health with environmental and climate challenges, and durable economic development. Stakeholder involvement in a formal structure will secure permanent dialogue for fruitful research and development.

Read the full article at: op.europa.eu

Allison C. Morgan, Nicholas LaBerge, Daniel B. Larremore, Mirta Galesic, Jennie E. Brand & Aaron Clauset
Nature Human Behaviour (2022)

Despite the special role of tenure-track faculty in society, training future researchers and producing scholarship that drives scientific and technological innovation, the sociodemographic characteristics of the professoriate have never been representative of the general population. Here we systematically investigate the indicators of faculty childhood socioeconomic status and consider how they may limit efforts to diversify the professoriate. Combining national-level data on education, income and university rankings with a 2017–2020 survey of 7,204 US-based tenure-track faculty across eight disciplines in STEM, social science and the humanities, we show that faculty are up to 25 times more likely to have a parent with a Ph.D. Moreover, this rate nearly doubles at prestigious universities and is stable across the past 50 years. Our results suggest that the professoriate is, and has remained, accessible disproportionately to the socioeconomically privileged, which is likely to deeply shape their scholarship and their reproduction.

Read the full article at: www.nature.com