Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
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cwhitch.bsky.social
Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
@cwhitch.bsky.social
3.3K followers 2.2K following 59 posts
Microbiologist, interested in alternate bacterial lifestyles - cell wall deficiency, biofilms, AMR
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cwhitch.bsky.social
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gthibault.bsky.social Guillaume Thibault @gthibault.bsky.social · 16d
We’ve discovered how the superbug E. faecalis prevents chronic wounds from healing.

It’s not a toxin. It’s metabolism.

The bacteria use extracellular electron transport (EET) to electrochemically generate ROS, effectively "freezing" skin cells in place.

doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb5297
Enterococcus faecalis redox metabolism activates the unfolded protein response to impair wound healing
E. faecalis EET generates ROS, which induces the UPR in keratinocytes, inhibiting in vitro migration.
doi.org
January 17, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
hansonmark.bsky.social
theconversation.com/the-5-stages...
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
Academic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces.
theconversation.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
woofrock.bsky.social
New vistas to explore. I like it!

#chances2learn #complexity #sayNotoReductionism
The Truth Physics Can No Longer Ignore
The fundamental nature of living things challenges assumptions that physicists have held for centuries.
www.theatlantic.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
baclifestyle.bsky.social
We are a Molecular Microbiology laboratory at the Andalusian Center of Developmental Biology (CABD) in Sevilla, Spain. Our main interests are gene regulation and signal transduction in the lifestyle switch between planktonic and biofilm growth. Also see us at baclifestyle.es
December 20, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
pmlcoulon.bsky.social
I have just read Prof E. Peter Greenberg latest editorial paper, explaining why he has been working on P. aeruginosa.

That is very refreshing to hear how research is also impacted by interpersonal relationships and personal events.

We should hear more about it.

doi.org/10.1128/jb.0...
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, my model for research on quorum sensing, biofilms, and opportunistic infections | Journal of Bacteriology
With encouragement from the Journal of Bacteriology Editor in Chief, George O’Toole, I have written this short essay in a style different than Journal of Bacteriology articles on model organisms. It i...
doi.org
December 21, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
scelse.bsky.social
Prof Cynthia Whitchurch @cwhitch.bsky.social, SCELSE Research Director, is a keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Biofilm Conference 2026, presenting “When death becomes a biofilm”. Registration and abstract submissions are now open — join the region’s biofilm community in Melbourne.
December 1, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
natmicrobiol.nature.com
#NatMicroPicks

Peptibody mRNA therapy for AMR infections! 💉🧬

mRNA-delivered peptibody AMPs eradicate MDR pneumonia and outperform FDA-approved antibiotics while reducing inflammation

#SynBio #MicroSky 🦠 @natbiotech.nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Antimicrobial peptide delivery to lung as peptibody mRNA in anti-inflammatory lipids treats multidrug-resistant bacterial pneumonia - Nature Biotechnology
Antimicrobial peptides delivered to mouse lung as mRNA peptibodies eradicate multidrug-resistant pneumonia.
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
natmicrobiol.nature.com
#NatMicroPicks

How drugs reshape the gut microbiome? 💊🦠

Screening 707 drugs in gut microbial communities reveals nutrient competition as the key driver of compositional and metabolic shifts.

#MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 🦠

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Nutrient competition predicts gut microbiome restructuring under drug perturbations
Systematic profiling of 707 drugs on their impact on stool-derived microbial communities shows that nutrient competition explains and predicts species shifts under drug treatment and that post-drug re...
www.cell.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
natmicrobiol.nature.com
#NatMicroPicks

Editing gut microbiota in vivo! 🔧🧬🦠

MetaEdit enables precise in vivo CRISPR-based editing of native gut bacteria, integrating new pathways at single-nucleotide resolution

#MicroSky #SynBio

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 1:52 PM
cwhitch.bsky.social
Fortuitous timing for my NTU-SBS seminar to land in World Antimicrobial Awareness Week #WAAW. I took the opportunity to showcase our research into alternate bacterial lifestyles and how we are leveraging this understanding to develop innovative approaches to combat AMR
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@scelse.bsky.social
Woman standing in front of a slide describing why antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic access is an urgent threat to human sustainability
November 22, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
scelse.bsky.social
World AMR Awareness Week calls us to act now. At the SCELSE retreat, PhD student Alicia Pek, supervised by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch, showed how cell wall-deficient P. aeruginosa reveals a vulnerability that boosts antibiotic & non-antibiotic activity.
#WorldAMRWeek #AMR #SCELSE @cwhitch.bsky.social
It’s World AMR Awareness Week — themed Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future. SCELSE is doing exactly that with this week’s sharing on exploiting cell wall-deficient Pseudomonas aeruginosa for new AMR solutions. Presented at the SCELSE Scientific Retreat, Alicia P. — a SCELSE PhD student under the supervision of Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA Whitchurch — highlighted a promising vulnerability in this highly drug-resistant pathogen. When exposed to very high beta-lactam levels, P. aeruginosa can enter a temporary cell wall-deficient state that increases drug influx and weakens efflux. In this window, the bacterium becomes far more sensitive to antibiotics and even FDA-approved non-antibiotic compounds. From a 1,443-compound screen, 81 showed potentiated activity, including 41 non-antibiotics that worked only in this weakened state. This opens new opportunities to repurpose existing drugs against Gram-negative infections. Next steps: To uncover mechanisms of action and explore how this vulnerability can be harnessed for therapeutic strategies.
November 21, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
scelse.bsky.social
Two intense days underscored SCELSE’s strength in true multi-disciplinarity — broad enough to collaborate, deep enough to push boundaries. A retreat filled with ideas across health, climate, and food. Kudos to Prof Whitchurch @cwhitch.bsky.social for organising a strong event.
November 20, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
joeyzacks.bsky.social
Registration is now open for @keystonesymposia.bsky.social "Beyond #Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies Combating #BacterialInfection." Deadline for scholarships and abstract selected short talks is Jan 7! Join us this May for an amazing meeting! keysym.us/KSBeyondAntibiotics26 #KSBeyondAntibiotics26
Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection | Keystone Symposia
Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection, May 2026, in Breckenridge, with field leaders!
keysym.us
November 19, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
scelse.bsky.social
SCELSE’s annual Scientific Retreat begins tomorrow. Two days of presentations, posters, and breakout discussions will sharpen the next phase of our biofilm and microbiome research aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. @cwhitch.bsky.social @fillouxlab.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
scelse.bsky.social
To know about #FMT is one thing — but to speak with experts pioneering it is another. SCELSE's Prof Cynthia Whitchurch @cwhitch.bsky.social visited Sydney's Microbiome Research Centre, to explore gut microbiome links to mental health and disease for future collaborations.
To know about Fecal Microbiota Transplantation #FMT is one thing — but to speak directly with the experts pioneering its application is another. Prof Cynthia Whitchurch, SCELSE Research Director, had the opportunity to meet experts on microbiome at the Microbiome Research Centre (MRC) in Sydney, as she explored potential collaboration opportunities in gut microbiome research. She was impressed by MRC’s laser focus on advancing microbiome science — from uncovering how microbial communities influence disease to translating these insights into evidence-based guidance for clinicians, patients, and the public, while training the next generation of microbiome researchers. Her discussions with Prof Georgina Hold, Dr Howard Yim, Dr Xiato Jiang, and Dr Michelle Fitzmaurice explored the connection between the gut microbiome, mental health, and FMT — a promising avenue for addressing chronic and complex diseases. “Understanding how we can harness the microbiome to prevent and treat disease is one of the most exciting challenges in modern science,” said Prof Whitchurch. “I look forward to continuing this conversation when MRC Director Prof Emad El-Omar visits SCELSE in Singapore.” 📍 Microbiome Research Centre, Sydney, Australia, 31 Oct 2025 Pix(L-R): Dr Howard Yim (MRC), Prof Cynthia Whitchurch (SCELSE), Prof Georgina Hold (MRC), Dr Xiaotao Jiang (MRC), Dr Michelle Fitzmaurice (MRC)
November 5, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
who.int
Between 2018–2023, antibiotic resistance increased in over 40% of the pathogen–antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual rise of 5–15%.

Resistance is highest in the WHO South-East Asian & Eastern Mediterranean Regions, where 1 in 3 reported infections were resistant 👉 bit.ly/438Ta1u
Text reads “Antibiotic resistance is rising,” with an upward arrow and a “40%” warning icon. Below, a text box says: “Between 2018 and 2023, resistance increased in over 40% of the monitored pathogen–antibiotic combinations, with an annual rise of 5–15%.”
October 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
lab-puhar.bsky.social
Our first effort exploring gut bacteria-extracellular ATP interactions is published! We show that eATP rewires gene expression and physiology in harmless and pathogenic bacteria, impacting production of bioactive metabolites, antimicrobial sensitivity, and virulence. A 🧵
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Tronnet et al., Cell Rep. 2025 graphical abstract: Extracellular ATP is an environmental cue in bacteria
October 14, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
embers1.bsky.social
Antibiotic resistance is accelerating.
October 14, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
s-lab.bsky.social
We have a PhD opportunity available in our group @johninnescentre.bsky.social through the NRP Doctoral Training Partnership. Help us uncover the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs.

Start date: October 2026. For more information and how to apply👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/bey...
Beyond Immunity: Uncovering the Hidden Diversity of Bacterial NLRs (SCHLIMPERT_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership
Join us in exploring the hidden functions of ancient immune proteins in bacteria. Bacteria, like plants and animals, have evolved sophisticated systems to detect and respond to threats.
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
drlauranolan.bsky.social
My lab @scelse.bsky.social NTU is growing! Fun evening out with the team, I'm so fortunate to work with such a great group of scientists!
October 11, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
annizlab.bsky.social
Quite an interesting protein search AI model combining sequence, structure, and function text - faster and more accurate than similarity searches. Who has tried it🤩🙌? Only a few secs to search bacterial TFs and integrases #microsky 🧬🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A trimodal protein language model enables advanced protein searches - Nature Biotechnology
A protein foundation model represents protein sequence, structure and function.
www.nature.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
pilhoferlab.bsky.social
🧐Checkout our preprint revealing the stepwise firing💥 mechanism of a Contractile Injection System @xujwet.bsky.social&@chipericson.bsky.social trapped the complex by structure-guided engineering🧪 in multiple intermediate states and imaged them by multimodal #cryoEM❄️🔬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 8, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
vdlorenzo.bsky.social
Off to @caltechlcssp.bsky.social to follow up the conversation started past Feb in Asilomar on *Biotech Beyond Conventional Containment*. Time to rethink the (now banned) release of Lab-trained microorganisms for extensive environmental remediation in view of new genet technols & urgent global needs
October 5, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
vscooper.micropopbio.org
Holy moly
October 8, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Prof Cynthia Whitchurch FAA🏳️‍🌈
khadershabaana.bsky.social
Dear #microbiology and #immunology community- I took a break from social media after I deleted my Twitter account, but am back here. Please help me rebuild my community by following me and amplifying this message- I will follow you back. Thank you and I look forward to our many interactions!
October 5, 2025 at 4:10 PM