Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
@amjadkhalaf.bsky.social
PhD student with Mara Lawniczak and Mark Blaxter | Tree of Life | Wellcome Sanger Institute | University of Cambridge | Palestinian & Italian
Pinned
Really, really happy that our work on microsporidian genomes is now out in @plosbiology.org! A huge thank you to my coauthors, my supervisors @mblaxter.bsky.social & @marakat.bsky.social, the editors @roliroberts.bsky.social & Joseph Heitman, and the reviewers ❤️ plos.io/48HsAQJ
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
New preprint! We unexpectedly discovered that some Caenorhabditis species delete parts of their somatic genome early in development, which fragments their chromosomes and eliminates key germline genes. Multiple lines of evidence suggest this bizarre process was present in the ancestors of C. elegans
October 28, 2025 at 12:11 PM
New preprint! We unexpectedly discovered that some Caenorhabditis species delete parts of their somatic genome early in development, which fragments their chromosomes and eliminates key germline genes. Multiple lines of evidence suggest this bizarre process was present in the ancestors of C. elegans
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
Amjad Khalaf follows the symbiosis genomics session at #biodiversity25 presenting about #microsporidia tetraploid genomes. Most of them are recent autotetraploids. An interesting model of reproduction is proposed with two different paths: sexual and asexual reproduction.
October 28, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Amjad Khalaf follows the symbiosis genomics session at #biodiversity25 presenting about #microsporidia tetraploid genomes. Most of them are recent autotetraploids. An interesting model of reproduction is proposed with two different paths: sexual and asexual reproduction.
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
Oh hello! He's only gone and re-written the Microsporidian reproductive tree and published it in @plosbiology.org!
Heroic effort, Amjad. Congrats to all the authors!
You can read about Amjad and his doctoral research in the blog I wrote all about him: sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Heroic effort, Amjad. Congrats to all the authors!
You can read about Amjad and his doctoral research in the blog I wrote all about him: sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
October 22, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Oh hello! He's only gone and re-written the Microsporidian reproductive tree and published it in @plosbiology.org!
Heroic effort, Amjad. Congrats to all the authors!
You can read about Amjad and his doctoral research in the blog I wrote all about him: sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Heroic effort, Amjad. Congrats to all the authors!
You can read about Amjad and his doctoral research in the blog I wrote all about him: sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
#Microsporidia are #parasites of growing importance. @amjadkhalaf.bsky.social @mblaxter.bsky.social @marakat.bsky.social &co present 40 new genomes from #DarwinTreeofLife sequencing of their arthropod hosts, revealing insights into #tetraploidy & #reproduction @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/48HsAQJ
October 22, 2025 at 1:07 PM
#Microsporidia are #parasites of growing importance. @amjadkhalaf.bsky.social @mblaxter.bsky.social @marakat.bsky.social &co present 40 new genomes from #DarwinTreeofLife sequencing of their arthropod hosts, revealing insights into #tetraploidy & #reproduction @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/48HsAQJ
Really, really happy that our work on microsporidian genomes is now out in @plosbiology.org! A huge thank you to my coauthors, my supervisors @mblaxter.bsky.social & @marakat.bsky.social, the editors @roliroberts.bsky.social & Joseph Heitman, and the reviewers ❤️ plos.io/48HsAQJ
October 22, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Really, really happy that our work on microsporidian genomes is now out in @plosbiology.org! A huge thank you to my coauthors, my supervisors @mblaxter.bsky.social & @marakat.bsky.social, the editors @roliroberts.bsky.social & Joseph Heitman, and the reviewers ❤️ plos.io/48HsAQJ
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
Preprint Alert! 🦥
We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Retrocopy formation and domestication shape genome evolution in sloths and other xenarthrans
Xenarthrans, comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, represent one of the most morphologically and physiologically specialised mammalian clades, yet the genomic basis of their adaptations remain...
www.biorxiv.org
October 2, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Preprint Alert! 🦥
We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
Meet Amjad Khalaf – who has spent his PhD panning for parasite DNA, allowing him to create a goldmine of information for the research community🔎
Amjad shares what first brought him to the Sanger Institute, his research and what he is dreaming about next:
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Amjad shares what first brought him to the Sanger Institute, his research and what he is dreaming about next:
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
July 29, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Meet Amjad Khalaf – who has spent his PhD panning for parasite DNA, allowing him to create a goldmine of information for the research community🔎
Amjad shares what first brought him to the Sanger Institute, his research and what he is dreaming about next:
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Amjad shares what first brought him to the Sanger Institute, his research and what he is dreaming about next:
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
it's really an honour to be interviewed by the wonderful @carmcdhume.bsky.social -- a huge thank you! ❤️🫂
Meet @amjadkhalaf.bsky.social.
Amjad is a great science communicator.
I've listened to him present his research.
I've interviewed him twice.
I've read his papers.
Head to the blog, so you too can get swept up by his enthusiasm and #microsporidian studies ⤵️
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Amjad is a great science communicator.
I've listened to him present his research.
I've interviewed him twice.
I've read his papers.
Head to the blog, so you too can get swept up by his enthusiasm and #microsporidian studies ⤵️
sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/29/s...
Studying intracellular parasite DNA is like panning for gold - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog
PhD Student Amjad Khalaf shares how his research on microsporidia is creating new high-quality genomes to help better understand how they cause, and sometimes prevent, disease.
sangerinstitute.blog
August 3, 2025 at 8:37 PM
it's really an honour to be interviewed by the wonderful @carmcdhume.bsky.social -- a huge thank you! ❤️🫂
it was so so lovely to do this together! 🇭🇷❤️🇵🇸
had such a fantastic International Community Day last week, and so many wonderful people stopped by our little Palestinian/Croatian shared table with @amjadkhalaf.bsky.social 🇵🇸🇭🇷
and hey, after all I'm Istrian, so my national animal is the GOAT 🐐
and hey, after all I'm Istrian, so my national animal is the GOAT 🐐
August 3, 2025 at 7:16 PM
it was so so lovely to do this together! 🇭🇷❤️🇵🇸
New preprint! We generate 40 new high-quality microsporidian genomes from infected arthropod hosts that were sequenced to create reference genomes by the Darwin Tree of Life project. 8 of our genomes are chromosome-level, and we’re able to generate Hi-C data for 7! 🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Forty New Genomes Shed Light on Sexual Reproduction and the Origin of Tetraploidy in Microsporidia
Microsporidia are single-celled, obligately intracellular parasites with growing public health, agricultural, and economic importance. Despite this, Microsporidia remain relatively enigmatic, with man...
www.biorxiv.org
May 16, 2025 at 10:58 AM
New preprint! We generate 40 new high-quality microsporidian genomes from infected arthropod hosts that were sequenced to create reference genomes by the Darwin Tree of Life project. 8 of our genomes are chromosome-level, and we’re able to generate Hi-C data for 7! 🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Amjad Khalaf 🇵🇸
Struggling to find the tiny microchromosomes in draft bird genome assemblies?
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Struggling to find the tiny microchromosomes in draft bird genome assemblies?
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social