Transient RNA structures play a key role in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses! Great to see this collaboration with Mathis Funk, Mathilde Richard, Stephen Cusack, and others in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🚨New Influenza Tool🚨 Interested in IAV mutations? Looking for markers of mammalian adaptation? Frustrated by converting between IAV numbering systems? The #Flu-MutationExplorer, a new tool from @cvrbioinfo.bsky.social and @royalvetcollege.bsky.social, is here to help: flu-gdb.cvr.gla.ac.uk (1/n)

Also extremely happy to see work finally published! Kudos to @yushuchen.bsky.social's tenacity and hard work! Read our previous thread and the paper itself for details/updates! Happy to chat if you find our findings interesting! #MicroSky www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Finally had the time to look through and process more photos I’ve taken in Senegal. Here’s some of my favourites!

Accurate RNA structure prediction remains a challenge, despite recent computational advances. This study presents DRFold2, a #DeepLearning framework that significantly enhances accuracy of de novo #RNAstructure prediction by increasing contact prediction precision @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4aoOQiX

Now online! Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life

How could a simple self-replicating system emerge at the origins of life? RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but existing ones are so large that their self-replication seems impossible. Could they be smaller? Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase. 1/n

Great to see our Science Review on emerging multiplexed single-molecule methods that use libraries to link sequence to dynamics. A fun collaborative writing project! From sequence to function: Bridging single-molecule kinetics and molecular diversity | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Decoding influenza virus: From polymerase mechanisms to translational therapeutics www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Cryo-EM structure reveals how influenza A virus NEP binds the viral polymerase at a regulatory hotspot, coordinating RNA synthesis and nuclear export. Fantastic collaboration with @loiccarrique.bsky.social and Jon Grimes. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Beautiful work from @efodor.bsky.social and Jonathan Grimes' labs - the first full structure of the influenza A virus NEP protein, and a clear indication that its role in viral replication is more nuanced that first thought www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Decided to head to Senegal for a photography trip! Here’s some photos I’ve taken 📸!

Shots I took in Portugal! Decided to use pastel style edits since the city is filled with colours 📸

Giving Oxmas formal speech two months into arriving to Oxford is not in my bingo card 🎄. (Because the MCR President has fallen to the seasonal plague.) What a term.

Amazing example of influenza cheat/cooperator cycles in this recent paper - the repeatability of the oscillatory cycles is so striking Congrats to @alnajifg.bsky.social , @christopherbrooke.bsky.social , @vignuzzilab.bsky.social & friends www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧪 #socialviruses

Published version up at @natcomms.nature.com New data with Aspergillus getting into tuberculous granulomas and growing like it's a member of the extended Myco family doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Got tattooed! Spot the scientific elements! 🧬🪐

This week, my lab, and research institute A*IDL, and A*STAR signed an ideation agreement with Flagship Pioneering Biotech and one of their portfolio companies Apriori to develop self-amplifying RNA vaccines for pandemic Flu threats. (1/3)

Finally, it's up on bioRxiv! It's been a rewarding journey shaping this story. My deepest gratitude to @vignuzzilab.bsky.social and @christopherbrooke.bsky.social for their incredible support, and to the @mcbillinois.bsky.social & @astar-idlabs.bsky.social for enabling this research

First big piece of research from our SG lab: Fadi's work with Chris Brooke's lab. Flu serially passaged 80X selects a defective genome with improved competition, but is nonviable as a full virus! Notable improvement & safety for DVGs as antiviral RNA therapies! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our work on influenza genome packaging using high-throughput single-virion DNA-PAINT is out in NAR! Packaging appears structurally diverse and flexible. Big thanks to Christoff & Qing (amazing effort)! A collab with @efodor.bsky.social, @nicolerobb.bsky.social academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

Officially starting my DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics with @achilleskap.bsky.social (@kavlioxford.bsky.social) and @efodor.bsky.social (@dunnschool.bsky.social)! A collaborative project to understand influenza dynamics. Excited to see where this project goes!

Hello Oxford!!

What controls how/when growing RNA unblocks the "door" to exit RNA polymerase? Brilliant duo Anna Wang and Abhishek Majumder led a study in my lab - now out in NAR - on this. *Sequence* matters a lot! Read on... Super smFRET/dynamics work as well. Excited! academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

Post-transcriptional #GeneRegulation through #m6A deposition is dysregulated in many diseases. Samie Jaffrey &co investigate why the m6A writer complex requires multiple subunits and what roles its individual proteins might have in m6A regulation. 🧪 plos.io/3VjfjWI

Amused by cardiac muscle contraction differentiated from IPSCs ❤️ Super cool isn’t it?

Legend David Baltimore died yesterday. He understood the way things should work: "the real contribution of MIT is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It takes ideas seriously, but the people are relatively informal. They are not self-aggrandizing the way academics can be."

Did I just read the best abstract ever? 😁 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Last day at @vignuzzilab.bsky.social ! Leaving in The Office style. Been a fruitful journey and definitely grew me scientifically🧬🔬!

What a dynamic team they make! This was the official send off for Cornelius heading to Oxford University for his PhD!

Found in my photo album. Beneath their family portrait, a boy looking at his younger brother. A quiet moment in the long legacy of Mount Sinai porters.

Happy Birthday Singapore 🇸🇬!

Late lab nights, vibing to RnB and beautiful DNA/RNA bands ✨

Another life milestone! Goodbye National University of Singapore ! Been a good one ✨. Excited for the next phase of my life.

First ever poster presentation experience on influenza DVGs! Thanks to the amazing mentors @alnajifg.bsky.social and @vignuzzilab.bsky.social

Congratulations Cornelius, having completed his 1 year research attachment in my lab, this ASTAR Scholar heads out to Oxford University soon to PhD in the biophysics of influenza virus structure and assembly! 👏 👨‍🎓