Milan Gerovac

Mirdita Lab - Laboratory for Computational Biology & Molecular Machine Learning Mirdita Lab builds scalable bioinformatics methods.

My time in @martinsteinegger.bsky.social's group is ending, but I’m staying in Korea to build a lab at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. If you or someone you know is interested in molecular machine learning and open-source bioinformatics, please reach out. I am hiring!
mirdita.org

A scientist wearing a lab coat is shown from behind, as she works at a fluorescence microscope.

Think outside the box and address the most pressing challenges in infection research with us!🧑‍🔬 We're offering 10 PhD positions at five HZI sites across Germany.
👉Don’t miss out—apply by February 28, 2026 and contribute to shaping the future of infection research
jobs.helmholtz-hzi.de/job/Braunsch...

A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system - Nature Microbiology A library of 400 phage protein-coding genes is used to find a trove of antiphage systems, revealing systems that target tail fibre and major capsid proteins.

I’m thrilled to share our work on phage triggers of the bacterial immune system in its final form @natmicrobiol.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy to share our recent preprint:
"DNA-intercalating antiphage molecules trigger abortive infection through mutual destruction and synergize with bacterial immunity"

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

@spp2330.bsky.social, @mibinet.bsky.social, @dfg.de @hhu.de @fzj.bsky.social

A prophage-expressed type IV pilus component provides anti-phage defense Sztanko et al. demonstrate that Pseudomonas aeruginosa prophages encode proteins resembling the type IV pilus minor pilin protein, FimU. These prophage-expressed FimU proteins are incorporated into th...

#microsky #phagesky #phage defence

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

3′UTR-derived small RNA couples acid resistance to metabolic reprogramming of Salmonella within macrophages Abstract. Acid resistance is crucial for enterobacteria to withstand host acidic environments during infection, including the gastrointestinal tract and ma

3′UTR-derived small RNA couples acid resistance to metabolic reprogramming of Salmonella within macrophages url: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

and compl. study by Clokie & Sicheritz-Pontén: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Phages go persistent, what does it mean for phage therapy and how can this special feature be leveraged? Take a look at the work of @emggroupucph.bsky.social, to which we contributed @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
N&V www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Bakterien gegen Mensch: Wer wird gewinnen?

Bakterielle Infektionen können uns krank machen oder sogar zum Tod führen. Zudem wirken Antibiotika durch zunehmende Resistenzen immer schlechter.
@quarkswdr.bsky.social zeigt, wie rasant sich Bakterien vermehren & welche Rolle #Antibiotikaresistenzen dabei spielen. www.quarks.de/gesundheit/m...

Phages are full of genes of unknown function that are likely adaptive in specific conditions.
New preprint: Phage TnSeq identifies essential genes rapidly and knocks all non-essentials. We would like to send a pool of phiKZ mutants to anyone wanting it! Reach out
tinyurl.com/bdcfrejh

📢 We have multiple open PhD positions to study bacterial immune systems using cutting-edge cryo-EM, microbiology, and biochemistry in our group! Join us and uncover how bacterial defenses eliminate predators and engineer next-gen biotech tools.

🔥 Apply by Jan 8, 2026

Details: phd.pages.ista.ac.at

Impact of Small RNA Sponges on Regulatory RNA Networks in Bacteria Decades of research into the noncoding transcriptome have unveiled a complex, multilayered web of molecular interactions that govern gene expression, protein synthesis, and cellular function, challeng...

Impact of Small RNA Sponges on Regulatory RNA Networks in Bacteria

#microsky

www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Gruppenbild mit 11 Personen hinter einem 3D-Schriftzug "HZI 60"

Gruppenbild der HZI-Geschäftsführer gemeinsam mit Niedersachsens Ministerpräsident (Mitte)

Von Biotechnologie bis Pandemiebewältigung: Heute feierten wir mit Partnern, Alumni & Gästen aus Wissenschaft, Politik & Wirtschaft #HZI60. Zu den Gratulant:innen zählten u.a. Nds. Ministerpräsident Olaf Lies, Martin Keller @helmholtz.de & Otmar D. Wiestler.
www.helmholtz-hzi.de/media-center...

Portrait von Jörg Vogel mit Zitat: Wenn es uns gelingt, das Potenzial von Phagen nutzbar zu machen, wäre das angesichts zunehmender Antibiotikaresistenzen ein vielversprechender Therapie-Ansatz.“

Angesichts zunehmender #Antibiotikaresistenzen können #Phagen ein vielversprechender Therapieansatz sein, so @jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social. Mehr über das Potenzial von #Bakteriophagen erfahrt ihr hier: www.helmholtz-hzi.de/media-center... #WAAW2025 #Weltantibiotikawoche

The HZI is seeking new junior group leaders for its HUMAN program: If you’re passionate about infection biology, data science, or #AI driven health research, this is your chance to lead your own team.
🧬 Deadline: November 26
www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...
www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...

🚨Preprint alert - this is a big one! We transfer the revolutionary power of TnSeq to bacteriophages.

Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.

A thread 1/8

Elektronenmikroskopische Aufnahme von Pseudomonas aeruginosa, infiziert mit dem Jumbophagen ΦKZ (rot).

Große Phagen, kleine Phagen, Phagen aus Primatenkot... 💩Die Forschenden am @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social, @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social & HZI gehen in ihrer Bakteriophagen-Forschung an die Grenzen!
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @jenshoer.bsky.social @gerovac.bsky.social @jangogarten.bsky.social #WAAW2025

Rasterelektronenmikroskopische Aufnahme einer Escherichia coli-Zelle (rot), die von Bakteriophagen (grün) infiziert wird.

Immer mehr Bakterien werden resistent & #Antibiotika stoßen an Grenzen.
Zur #Weltantibiotikawoche zeigen unsere Forschenden, dass Hoffnung in einem uralten biologischen Prinzip liegen könnte: #Bakteriophagen - #Viren, die gezielt Bakterien angreifen. #WAAW2025 www.helmholtz-hzi.de/media-center...

Strain displacement in microbiomes via ecological competition - Nature Microbiology Mathematical modelling and experimental tests reveal principles that govern displacement of a resident strain by an invader in microbial communities.

Can we leverage bacterial competition for targeted replacement of harmful strains? Maybe! Our recent piece in @natmicrobiol.nature.com provides a theoretical framework and a set of experiments to show what it might take: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

An updated evolutionary classification of CRISPR–Cas systems including rare variants - Nature Microbiology An exploration of previously undescribed variants from the long tail of the CRISPR–Cas distribution.

After 5 years of waiting, the new #CRISPR classification by Makarova et al. is out @natmicrobiol.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Growth-coupled microbial biosynthesis of the animal pigment xanthommatin — Led by Leah Bushin, featuring M. Gracia Alvan, @danielvolke.bsky.social @oscarpuiggene.bsky.social in a fantastic collaboration w/Brad Moore @labnikel.bsky.social @natbiotech.nature.com 🦑
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Use antisense oligomers to silence phage genes and discover new biology.
@jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de
print: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
highlight: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
briefing: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Proud to be part of this incredible multidisciplinary team uncovering why some people are NOT infected by Salmonella. This new Wellcome Trust @wellcometrust.bsky.social funding will allow us to uncover why some people naturally resist infection and colonisation by Salmonella Typhimurium.

An RNA sponge directs the transition from feast to famine in Caulobacter crescentus - Nature Communications In bacteria, many small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) associate with the RNA chaperone Hfq to modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Here, the authors identify global Hfq-mediated RNA-R...

Cool work by @microberna.bsky.social & Kai Papenfort, presenting the first RNA-RNA map in C. crescentus using RIL-seq, revealing an RNA sponge that controls the transition from nutrient abundance to starvation; new insights into RNA networks and stress responses!
#RNA
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#phage #phagesky

One transcript, two functions: the emerging roles of dual-function RNAs Abstract. Bacteria use small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and small proteins to change gene expression and modulate cellular processes in response to changing e

One transcript, two functions: the emerging roles of dual-function RNAs

microLIFE review by @lizmarialuke.bsky.social and Kai Papenfort at @uni-jena.de

academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...

Pan-modification profiling facilitates a cross-evolutionary dissection of the thermoregulated ribosomal epitranscriptome Pan-Mod-seq enables systematic, multi-modification mapping of rRNA across life. Applying it to diverse organisms reveals that hyperthermophiles dynamically install stabilizing modifications to support...

How to become a "hot RNA" 🌡️? The answers were kindly provided by hyperthermophilic archaea: rRNA modifications are key! Check out this new publication presenting pan-modification profiling of the epitranscriptome. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex.... (1/3)

Excited to share our new @narjournal.bsky.social paper!

Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity.

academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...

1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?

Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Isolation, engineering and ecology of temperate phages from the human gut - Nature Human host-associated cellular products may act as induction agents for bacteriophages.

Very excited to share the latest work from our lab, which was published today in Nature!
nature.com/articles/s41...

PhD graduate and now post-doc Sofia Dahlman, along with co-senior author Sam Forster from The Hudson and other researchers from our lab and others.