Resources for the scientific community
Code, scripts and other computational stuff
- Our minimal computational model for WNT signalling
(from De Man et al. (2021) eLife)
-Omics datasets
- Our bulk RNAseq data from pubertal and estrous staged mouse mammary epithelial and stromal cell populations
(from Heijmans & Wiese et al. (2024) Biorxiv)
- Our bulk RNAseq data from mouse mammary organoiuds
(from Mourao & Zeeman et al. (2021) Biorxiv)
Tips, tricks & tools
Tips for writing and presenting
Here you find a growing collection of handouts that will help you in the process of writing or presenting. Use them to your advantage! If you have feedback, please contact .
- On gene nomenclature (updated February 2020)
- On writing well (updated September 2022)
- On the proper use of verbs and tenses
- On making a good Powerpoint/Keynote presentation (updated September 2022)
- On writing a good internship report (updated September 2022)
- On how to improve your figures and dazzle people with your graphic design skills (updated September 2022)
Here are some other places where you can find information on how to write and present properly.
- The University of Toronto has an excellent website with lots of tips on style and editing. This piece about using active verbs in your scientific writing may be particularly helpful.
- This piece on writing a review that people will read also contains pointers you should take in mind when writing your literature thesis.
- This is an extensive breakdown on all things you should pay attention to when giving a talk.
Our favorite resources
- Amazing drawings of human breast anatomy (on the anatomy of the breast, by Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1840)
- The mouse organogenesis cell atlas (MOCA) (a single cell transcriptional landscape of mouse organogenesis)
- FPbase for quickly comparing spectra of fluorescent proteins
- The International Mouse Strain Resource
- Bionumbers
- Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank for antibodies that actually work at cost price
- Connected Papers for finding additional papers you might miss when you only search with Google Scholar or PubMed.
Bioinformatics, Data, Statistics and Image analysis tools
- Plots of Data and other plotting tools
(handy apps developed by our SILS colleagues Joachim Goedhart and Marten Postma that plot data and statistics to allow comparison of different experimental conditions)
- Blog post by Joachim Goedhart at the Node on alternatives for p-values.
- Another blog post by Joachim Goedhart at the Node on a more intuitive way to calculate p-values.
Presentation tools
- The free PollEverywhere plugin
(for getting real-time feedback from your audience. Great for instant feedback from students in class!)
- Smart Servier Medical Art
(for a free, downloadable file of Powerpoint ready image components that you can use to draw your own pathways/protein/DNA complexes etc.)
- Biorender
(for drawing and designing your own figures from human anatomy to subcellular structures and signaling molecules).
Writing tools
- Use the Academic Phrasebank from the University of Manchester to your advantage
- Try the Edanz journal selector or
the Journal/Author Name Estimator if you need help selecting a journal that best fits your manuscript.
Graphic design tools
- This series of You Tube videos to help you develop your Adobe Illustrator graphic design skills.
Career development
Not everybody wants to, should or can stay in academia. Luckily, we need scientifically trained minds in all areas of society.
Some books that Renée has read and found insightful and helpful in either confirming you are on the right track or with figuring out what you want to do with your life:
- What color is your parachute is a classic and can help you find out what matters to you
- What is out there for me? was written by a recent PhD graduate from the Netherlands
Links and things we like
On Wnt signaling
- The Wnt homepage (maintained by Roel Nusse)
- The Reactome page on Wnt signaling
- Join the Wnt community on LinkedIn!
On Mammary gland biology and breast cancer
- Join the ENBDC (European Network of Breast Development and Cancer Labs) or follow them on Twitter
- Join the Society of Mammary Gland Biologists on Facebook
And finally...
... this remains one of the best songs ever written about biology: