The increased mutation rate of DNA-repair–deficient mutators accelerates resistance evolution in bacteria and cancer. In a great collaboration with @mulkern.bsky.social, we find that DNA-damaging antibiotics can turn this advantage into a liability—but only for certain genotypes.
New #AMR pre-print
Combining antibiotics with genotoxins can efficiently suppress bacterial in high throughput experimental models.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Fun collaboration with Nassos Typas lab led by @mulkern.bsky.social
Cancer therapies exploit DNA repair defects to kill tumours. We asked whether the same logic could constrain antibiotic resistance evolution...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Text: We seek: Game changers in infection research; Human Microbe Alliance for Universal Health (HUMAN) program; in the background a night sky with a shooting star and an electron micrograph of different bacteria
Are you a game changer in infection research? Apply for a HUMAN junior research group leader position (with professorship and tenure options) at the HZI by March 30!
Infection Biology: jobs.helmholtz-hzi.de/job/Braunsch...
AI in Health and Infection Research: jobs.helmholtz-hzi.de/job/Braunsch...
Registration is open for the inaugural GRC conference in the Function of Evolving Systems. Aug 9-14, 2026, Waterville Valley. Truly stellar speaker lineup. Student/postdoc fellowships are available! Please come join us! www.grc.org/function-of-... @joybergelson.bsky.social
Call for the position as Helmholtz Junior Research Group Leaders at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research or Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland
Join the HZI as a Junior Research Group Leader at @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social or @helmholtzhips.bsky.social!
We’re seeking exceptional postdocs for the @helmholtz.de Investigator Groups program. Shape cutting-edge research in infection biology & apply by Feb 15!
jobs.helmholtz-hzi.de/job/Saarbr%C...
EMBL International PhD Programme - summer recruitment 2026! 👀
Research groups across EMBL are recruiting now! www.embl.org/about/info/e...
Don’t miss this opportunity to receive dedicated mentoring while doing interdisciplinary research.
Excited to announce my upcoming @snsf.ch Ambizione research group at EPFL on bacteria-host interactions, combining systems approaches and microphysiological models.
🚨 We have an open PhD position! More info on projects and how to apply here: elisabettacacace.github.io/BHI-Lab/
🧪
It has been two weeks since the unexpected death of Peer Bork, and all of us in his research group are deeply missing him. His scientific vision brought us together as a team, and we are immensely grateful for the time we spent together. 🧵
➡️ Prof. Dr. Dmitri Petrov from the School of Humanities and Science | Department of Biology, Stanford University, spoke today at the @leibnizfli.bsky.social about “Barcoding Fitness Landscapes of Tumorigenesis”. Before he gave his lecture, we had the opportunity to interview him.
🎤 bit.ly/4r66mxG
📢 Prof. Dr. Dmitri Petrov from the School of Humanities and Science | Department of Biology, Stanford University, will give a lecture on “Barcoding Fitness Landscapes of Tumorigenesis” at the @leibnizfli.bsky.social on January 22, 2026.
👉 More information: bit.ly/4pGtqSu
EMBL is deeply saddened by the passing of our Interim Director General Peer Bork, a pioneering scientist who left an indelible imprint on life science research in Europe and beyond.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
www.embl.org/news/people-...
We mourn the passing of Peer Bork, EMBO Member since 2000: https://www.embl.org/news/embl-announcements/in-remembrance-of-peer-bork/
20 | Peer Bork and the scientific candy shop
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/17ux...
Peer Bork died yesterday 💔 which shocked me. In 2003 I did a short-term fellowship in Peer’s lab because I idolized him. I met Martin there & we wrote this paper together. Peer was great at bringing people together; a master collaborator with a rare ability to think up big ideas.
This is such hard news to process. Such an amazing scientist and inspiration for so many of us.
www.embl.org/news/embl-an...
Super excited to share our new selection-free CRISPR-Cas9 editing protocol for Dictyostelids, generating 80% KO and 30% KI efficiencies without selection in D. discoideum, and being effective in Dictyostelid species that diverged millions of years ago! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
HT-PELSA, a new proteomics tool by EMBL researchers, processes samples 100x faster and works directly with complex crude cell, tissue, and bacterial lysates – developments which could accelerate drug discovery and basic biological research 💊
🔗 www.embl.org/news/science...
Happy to see our HT-PELSA paper now published in @natsmb.nature.com 🎊 Big thanks for the constructive review process! 📖Read the manuscript here (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) & check the thread for additional information ⬇️
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.
#Perspective
Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps.
#MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 🦠
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our paper on the Bacteroidota BAM complex is out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! With @madejmar.bsky.social
We found that BAM in Bacteroides and Porphyromonas gingivalis has a distinct architecture from BAM in Proteobacteria.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Looking to start your own lab? 🧬🧪 The Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI) is offering group leader positions in RNA biology, RNA medicine & RNA technology. Apply by October 31 at www.helmholtz-hiri.de/en/jobs-tale...
Great collaboration inside and outside @embl.org with @kiranrpatil.bsky.social @indraroux.bsky.social @zimmermannlab.bsky.social @zellerlab.bsky.social
@EMBLHeidelberg
We systematically compared essential genes, protein domains & non-coding elements, uncovering toxic modalities & functional redundancy as key aspects of species-specific essentiality.
Excited to share our preprint led by Carlos Voogdt et al
We developed new genetic tools & genome-wide libraries for species of the Bacteroidales order; constructed saturated barcoded transposon libraries in key representatives of three genera.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Two group leader positions available in the broader areas of RNA science, RNA technologies, and RNA medicine. Attractive packages and a great environment. Come and join us at Helmholtz RNA Würzburg, Bavaria.
Precisely calling mutations across hundreds of bacterial isolates has been hard, requiring manual filtering and expertise.
Until now, using AccuSNV.
Herui Liao trained an ML model based on our previous meticulously called SNVs.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
📣The 2026 ERC Consolidator Grant competition is now open! 📣
Already preparing your proposal? Info links ⬇️
Info for applicants 👉 buff.ly/PSbeUxX
Application portal 👉 buff.ly/mauZoqo
Deadline: 13/01/26
General info on #ERCCoG 👉 buff.ly/KCN6GTh
Bildschirmpräsentation mit der Vita von Prof. Dr. Lisa Maier, Mikrobiologin an der Uni Tübingen, zur Verleihung des Hauptpreises der DGHM in Jena.
Mikrobiologin Prof. Dr. Antje Flieger liest die Laudatio für Prof. Dr. Lisa Maier zur Verleihung des Hauptpreises der DGHM in Jena. Preisträgerin Lisa Maier steht links neben ihr.
🏆 Fighting the Gender Award Gap: Microbiologist Prof Dr Lisa Maier from @unituebingen.bsky.social received the main award of the German Association for #Microbiology and Hygiene at the #DGHM meeting in Jena. Congratulations to @lisamaierlab.bsky.social we are proud of you! 💜
📸 Gabriele Pradel
