John Rubinstein

The Canadian researcher whose discovery led to Ozempic is still making breakthroughs Tackling obesity, diabetes only the beginning for GLP-1s, which have been found to reduce risks of other major diseases

Skinny, Inc. Part 1: How Dr. Daniel Drucker's research on a stout lizard helped unlock the science behind Ozempic, a drug taken by more 1M+ Canadians.
www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the...
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article... via @theglobeandmail.com @kellygrant1.bsky.social

Thank you! I made that last section more structured and concrete on advice from one of the anonymous reviewers.

Preprint alert!
Stress granules form rapidly under stress, when translation shuts down. What stress granule proteins do under basal condition remained a mysterious. Here, we identified stress granule proteins, PRRC2A, PRRC2B, and PRRC2C, as novel regulators of translation. Work by Jie Qi Huang.

Small membrane proteins in native membrane vesicles will be challenging at present. The smallest we've had success with so far is ~300 kDa. My hope is that new methods will help bring smaller proteins into reach.

Thanks, Elisa!

Pls re-post: My department @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social are recruiting for several new faculty positions (links below). Broad search in molecular biology/biochemistry, across prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Interested in understanding life at the molecular level, this job might be for you!
1/n

Figure 1. Cryo-EM of abundant protein complexes in native membranes.

Figure 2. Cryo-EM of membrane proteins in vesicles.

Figure 3. 3D reconstruction of V-ATPase in native synaptic vesicle membranes.

Figure 4. Generation of membrane vesicles for structure determination of proteins in their native lipid bilayer.

I've written a review on what I think is an extremely exciting direction in cryo-EM:

Cryo-EM of endogenous membrane proteins in their native lipid bilayer

Open access in Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics:
doi.org/10.1017/S003...

a headshot of David Botstein

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of David Botstein, a towering figure in modern #genetics and a foundational force behind SGD.
www.yeastgenome.org/blog/in-memo... #yeast #modelOrganism

In the first preprint from the lab, @sandaru-ileperuma.bsky.social demonstrates that the P. aeruginosa NQR complex supports virulence factors and identifies inhibitors of this complex. He also uncovered some interesting NQR dynamics controlled at the substrate binding site. tinyurl.com/yush599n

Job opening for Research Group Leader in Structural Studies at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, focusing on macromolecular structures.

Are you a structural biologist pushing the boundaries of molecular science with an ambitious research programme?
Join our Structural Studies Division as a tenure-track Group Leader, with core funding, world-leading facilities & enthusiastic colleagues.
Apply by 16 MAR
www.nature.com/naturecareer...

The Structura logo with dates for the workshop listed. The bottom reads "Hosted by SickKids and Structura Biotechnology"

Deadline approaching to register for the @structurabio.bsky.social & @sickkidsto.bsky.social CryoSPARC workshop in Toronto!
Open to all, this is a unique opportunity to learn CryoSPARC from the experts at Structura.
April 30/May, 2026.
For more information and to register:
tinyurl.com/y42pf4wy

Reminder to register for an upcoming in-person #CryoSPARC workshop in Toronto, delivered by @sickkidsto.bsky.social and the #CryoSPARC team, in partnership with the Canadian #CryoEM Nexus!
Deadline fast approaching!

The Structura logo with dates for the workshop listed. The bottom reads "Hosted by SickKids and Structura Biotechnology"

Deadline approaching to register for the @structurabio.bsky.social & @sickkidsto.bsky.social CryoSPARC workshop in Toronto!
Open to all, this is a unique opportunity to learn CryoSPARC from the experts at Structura.
April 30/May, 2026.
For more information and to register:
tinyurl.com/y42pf4wy

Female microbiologists are driving key breakthroughs in TB drug discovery- from uncovering the secrets of MTB persistence to discovering new therapeutics. They are reshaping the fight against the world’s deadliest bacterial pathogen. #WomenInScience #TBDrugDiscovery #Microbiology

Congratulations, Kelly! Very well deserved!

Priorities in addressing rifampicin resistant TB Progress in testing and trial design are needed Rifampicin is a critical component of tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. Recent positive developments in rifampicin resistant TB—the emergence of ne...

Clickable link to the article
www.bmj.com/content/391/...

New publication alert 📢

Rouxjeane Venter, of CLIME recently co-authored an editorial with @tomayates.bsky.social and @drjesspotter.bsky.social , which unpacks the vast progress made in the fight against drug-resistant TB and highlights why these gains are now at risk! @ucl.ac.uk

MP Kirsty Duncan became a crusader for safety in sport A high achiever, she ran the Boston Marathon eight times, lifted weights and did triathlons, but it was her experience as a gymnast with body dysmorphia that inspired her to push for reforms to protec...

Dr. Kirsty Duncan - she lived every minute of her shortened life - and each was jam-packed. A huge loss. Gift link. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/46242ee...

The assay makes used of Bravo (Agilent), Combi (Thermo), and Echo (Beckmann) liquid handling, and a Synergy Neo (Agilent) plate reader.

A new frontier for our lab! After many months of development by postdoc @ranaabdelaziz.bsky.social (our resident medicinal chemistry - now also an excellent structural biologist) and the staff at the SickKids Drug Discovery platform, we're conducting our first proof-of-principle inhibitor screen.

The Canadian researcher whose discovery led to Ozempic is still making breakthroughs Tackling obesity, diabetes only the beginning for GLP-1s, which have been found to reduce risks of other major diseases

In the latest @theglobeandmail.com feature, Sinai Health’s Dr. @danieljdrucker.bsky.social is recognized for the discovery that helped lead to Ozempic - and the ongoing breakthroughs unfolding at Sinai Health today.

Read the full story here:

I don't think numerical resolution is the right thing to think about here.
If I want to say this Lys points 'up', the map density supports the claim that it extends in that direction.
(Random map/model I had open in ChimeraX, nominally 3.2 Å res'n but I don't know the local res'n)

Sign up now for the EMBO Workshop "The complexity of mycobacterial infections: From research to real-world impact" in #Paris, FR, 14–18 Sep 2026.

Registration by 25 Aug
Abstract submission by 15 May

https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-mycobacterial-infections
#EMBOComplexInfections #EMBOevents 🧪

As cryoEM becomes automated people forget
Just Because (JB) it's picked Doesn't Mean (DM) it's a ptcl
JB it's measured DM it's the CTF
JB it's a class ave DM it looks like the ptcls
JB it comes out of ab initio DM its the structure
JB FSC=0.143 DM that's the res'n
JB it's modeled DM it fits the map

Very excited for this in-person #CryoSPARC workshop in partnership with @sickkidsto.bsky.social and the Canadian #CryoEM Nexus! Register today!

Dear Colleagues, As part of the Canadian Cryo-EM Nexus, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Structura Biotechnology are hosting a two-day CryoSPARC workshop at SickKids in Toronto on April 30 and May 1, 2026. Led by experts from Structura, this workshop offers a unique opportunity for participants with prior CryoSPARC experience to deepen their skills and become a key resource for cryo-EM image analysis within their institutions. Applicants should have hands-on experience with CryoSPARC, demonstrated by having processed at least two datasets, and must be committed to sharing their expertise with colleagues upon returning to their home institution. There is no charge for participating in the workshop, which is sponsored by SickKids and Structura. Attendees will need to bring their own laptop computer and arrange for travel, accommodation, and meals. Given the limited capacity (15 students), we kindly request that interested individuals ensure that they can cover these costs before registering. Please register before February 20, 2026 using the following link: https://sickkids.cventevents.com/event/a0aebb07-66e6-4cbe-b471-8009fe0c227c/summary?i=97c975e9-4bac-42b9-a1b2-95974110db9e&tm=DXVv8zGvH5uA7nqj8lEF4iifi-ukLal5QBBjdXWGD2E&locale=en-US We look forward to welcoming you to this workshop. Sincerely, Samir Benlekbir and John Rubinstein (SickKids) & CryoSPARC Team (Structura)

@structurabio.bsky.social and @sickkidsto.bsky.social CryoSPARC workshop in Toronto!
April 30/May 1st 2026.
Part of the Canadian Cryo-EM Nexus.
Please register here: sickkids.cventevents.com/event/a0aebb...

In crystallography the model is (supposed to be) the best explanation of the data (model refined against diffraction) while in cryo-EM the map is (supposed to be) the best explanation of the data.
In cryo-EM its particularly easy to build a model that isn't supported by the data.

A rule I follow when reviewing cryo-EM manuscripts: if a claim relies on the orientation or interactions of a side chain, the evidence supporting the claim (ie the map density) must be shown.

In general, reviewers are responsible for ensuring claims in manuscripts are supported by data.

A stress-dependent postembryonic role for the core CPA factor CFIM-1 in germline integrity Abstract. Post-transcriptional processing of pre-mRNAs by alternative polyadenylation (APA) generates a diversity of transcript isoforms at the 3’ untransl

I am pleased to share our latest paper on the role of the alternative polyadenylation factor CFIM-1 (NUDT21) in C. elegans germline development. academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...

🚀 CryoSPARC v5.0 BETA is here!

We’re excited to deploy another major #CryoSPARC release to help enable and accelerate #cryoEM data analysis. v5 has a redesigned underlying software system and many new features - highlights in thread!

Full changelog: cryosparc.com/updates/v5.0.0