Dorian McILROY
@dmcilroy.bsky.social
Virology lecturer at Nantes University. Interested in polyomaviruses, particularly capsid interactions with antibodies and host receptors.
Had a quick read of the preprint, and was surprised that they didn't discuss the anatomical site of the DNA sample. HPV16 only really found in genital mucosa (although circulating HPV16 DNA is there when cancer is present). Thoughts, anyone? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 31, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Had a quick read of the preprint, and was surprised that they didn't discuss the anatomical site of the DNA sample. HPV16 only really found in genital mucosa (although circulating HPV16 DNA is there when cancer is present). Thoughts, anyone? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Exceptional Boxing Day walk last week up Mt Keen in Scotland. The peak was just above the clouds, with views NW to Lochnagar, and N to Cairngorm ridge.
December 31, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Exceptional Boxing Day walk last week up Mt Keen in Scotland. The peak was just above the clouds, with views NW to Lochnagar, and N to Cairngorm ridge.
This is great! Conjugation without pili was always an annoying paradox, and this finding shows that things finally make sense.
📣New preprint with @rberntsson.bsky.social👇We overturn the long-standing view that Gram-positive bacteria lack conjugative pili! We identify pili-forming proteins in a wide range of bacteria and show they're essential for the spread of #antibioticresistance #AMR 🧵1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Pili are essential for conjugation also in many Gram-positive bacteria
Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) enable the spread of antibiotic resistance and other virulence factors. In Gram-positive bacteria, T4SSs have long been thought to lack VirB2-like proteins that form c...
www.biorxiv.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:15 AM
This is great! Conjugation without pili was always an annoying paradox, and this finding shows that things finally make sense.
And not only in the US - CDC and USAID resources are/were really, really useful for instructors everywhere.
As I work on my syllabi for next semester, I find it really upsetting & depressing that Trump & RFK Jr destroyed so many valuable educational USAID & CDC public health resources that I used to ask my students to read (e.g. there used to be a superb USAID health policy implementation tool, now gone😔)
December 30, 2025 at 8:05 PM
And not only in the US - CDC and USAID resources are/were really, really useful for instructors everywhere.
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
This is the "SEA SHEEP" (Costasiella kuroshimae) & it took the old axiom: "you are what you eat" VERY literally.
It eats algae & rather than just digest them, it harvests the chloroplasts & becomes PHOTOSYNTHETIC. Solar slug!
Also, some of its cousins can rip their own heads off.
It eats algae & rather than just digest them, it harvests the chloroplasts & becomes PHOTOSYNTHETIC. Solar slug!
Also, some of its cousins can rip their own heads off.
a close up of a green and white sponge with purple spots
Alt: A green and white sea sheep grazes on a green lawn of algae on a surface underwater.
media.tenor.com
December 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This is the "SEA SHEEP" (Costasiella kuroshimae) & it took the old axiom: "you are what you eat" VERY literally.
It eats algae & rather than just digest them, it harvests the chloroplasts & becomes PHOTOSYNTHETIC. Solar slug!
Also, some of its cousins can rip their own heads off.
It eats algae & rather than just digest them, it harvests the chloroplasts & becomes PHOTOSYNTHETIC. Solar slug!
Also, some of its cousins can rip their own heads off.
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
Big shout-out to all the hardworking scientists, technicians and clinical assistants working to rapidly turn around the test results from your samples this festive season. Each sample has a personal story at the end of it, and they know that.
#Pathology #Laboratory #Frontline #Healthcare
#Pathology #Laboratory #Frontline #Healthcare
a woman in a lab coat holds a test tube in front of a bunch of test tubes
ALT: a woman in a lab coat holds a test tube in front of a bunch of test tubes
media.tenor.com
December 26, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Big shout-out to all the hardworking scientists, technicians and clinical assistants working to rapidly turn around the test results from your samples this festive season. Each sample has a personal story at the end of it, and they know that.
#Pathology #Laboratory #Frontline #Healthcare
#Pathology #Laboratory #Frontline #Healthcare
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
Five real global health wins in 2025
1.HPV vaccination scaled faster than expected;
2. measles/rubella eliminated in several countries;
3. long-acting HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) approved;
4. progress on TB vaccines/diagnostics;
5. A promising new antimalarial.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
1.HPV vaccination scaled faster than expected;
2. measles/rubella eliminated in several countries;
3. long-acting HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) approved;
4. progress on TB vaccines/diagnostics;
5. A promising new antimalarial.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Five big global health wins in 2025 that will save millions of lives
From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Five real global health wins in 2025
1.HPV vaccination scaled faster than expected;
2. measles/rubella eliminated in several countries;
3. long-acting HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) approved;
4. progress on TB vaccines/diagnostics;
5. A promising new antimalarial.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
1.HPV vaccination scaled faster than expected;
2. measles/rubella eliminated in several countries;
3. long-acting HIV PrEP (lenacapavir) approved;
4. progress on TB vaccines/diagnostics;
5. A promising new antimalarial.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
This is a very important point.
There are hidden risks in changing vaccination policies. When some are vaccinated and some aren’t, infections move to older children and adults, including pregnant people—raising risks for those most vulnerable, such as varicella or rubella causing congenital infections and stillbirths.
December 21, 2025 at 6:13 AM
This is a very important point.
This looks good. Neutralising Abs block binding to the uncoating receptor. Similar to EVD68/MFSD6.
Molecular mechanisms of receptor recognition and antibody neutralization of coxsackievirus A6 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41413343/ #cryoem
December 19, 2025 at 8:54 PM
This looks good. Neutralising Abs block binding to the uncoating receptor. Similar to EVD68/MFSD6.
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
It’s a lot easier to say “Lyme, COVID, HIV; all lab leaks” than it is do do the complex work of pathogen evolution, reservoirs, interplay of the human/animal interface, encroachment on wild spaces, etc.
It is so embarrassing that this quack is in charge of the FDA 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
It is so embarrassing that this quack is in charge of the FDA 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
NEW: On a podcast last month, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary:
- said HIV “very likely came from a lab.”
- said Lyme disease came from a lab—“a high degree of probability.”
- said the so-called “Montauk
Monster”—a bloated, dead raccoon carcass—was proof “mad scientists” were doing experiments.
- said HIV “very likely came from a lab.”
- said Lyme disease came from a lab—“a high degree of probability.”
- said the so-called “Montauk
Monster”—a bloated, dead raccoon carcass—was proof “mad scientists” were doing experiments.
FDA Commissioner: HIV “May Very Well Have Come From a Lab”
During a recent podcast appearance, Dr. Marty Makary promoted lab origin conspiracy theories involving HIV, Lyme disease, and one dead raccoon.
www.importantcontext.news
December 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
It’s a lot easier to say “Lyme, COVID, HIV; all lab leaks” than it is do do the complex work of pathogen evolution, reservoirs, interplay of the human/animal interface, encroachment on wild spaces, etc.
It is so embarrassing that this quack is in charge of the FDA 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
It is so embarrassing that this quack is in charge of the FDA 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
A broadly neutralizing antibody confers cross-genus protection against alphaherpesviruses by inhibiting gB-mediated membrane fusion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A broadly neutralizing antibody confers cross-genus protection against alphaherpesviruses by inhibiting gB-mediated membrane fusion - Nature Communications
Alphaherpesvirus infections pose a health challenge due to the lack of effective broad-spectrum antiviral strategies. Here, the authors identify a broadly neutralizing antibody, 16F9, which targets gl...
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:20 PM
A broadly neutralizing antibody confers cross-genus protection against alphaherpesviruses by inhibiting gB-mediated membrane fusion
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Now that is good news! Very difficult to get UK partner universities, though.
such a great news for science in europe 👏
December 16, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Now that is good news! Very difficult to get UK partner universities, though.
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
How exercise decreases the risk of cancer and cancer- related mortality by reducing immunosenescence and inflammaging
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Physical activity decreases cancer burden by alleviating immunosenescence-related inflammation and improving overall immunity
The associations between physical activity (PA) and the incidence and mortality of cancers and their underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Usi…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:59 PM
How exercise decreases the risk of cancer and cancer- related mortality by reducing immunosenescence and inflammaging
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
December 15, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
BeeCode Berlin, a pioneering citizen science project, helped high school students learn PCR by DNA barcoding honeybees:
🐝 Community centre labs using Bento Lab
🐝 DNA hackathons and poster event
🐝 Subspecies & genetic resilience insights
🔗 Find out more: bento.bio/story/dna-ba...
🐝 Community centre labs using Bento Lab
🐝 DNA hackathons and poster event
🐝 Subspecies & genetic resilience insights
🔗 Find out more: bento.bio/story/dna-ba...
Honeybee DNA Barcoding for Subspecies Identification
Discover how BeeCode Berlin used Bento Lab to empower high school students in DNA barcoding honeybees, uncovering Berlin’s bee genetic diversity. Learn about honeybee subspecies and hands-on citizen s...
bento.bio
December 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
BeeCode Berlin, a pioneering citizen science project, helped high school students learn PCR by DNA barcoding honeybees:
🐝 Community centre labs using Bento Lab
🐝 DNA hackathons and poster event
🐝 Subspecies & genetic resilience insights
🔗 Find out more: bento.bio/story/dna-ba...
🐝 Community centre labs using Bento Lab
🐝 DNA hackathons and poster event
🐝 Subspecies & genetic resilience insights
🔗 Find out more: bento.bio/story/dna-ba...
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
#NatMicroPicks
Elusive insights into Colibactin structure! 🦠🧬🧪
Colibactin alkylates the minor groove of AT-rich DNA, explaining its mutational signature in colorectal cancer
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Elusive insights into Colibactin structure! 🦠🧬🧪
Colibactin alkylates the minor groove of AT-rich DNA, explaining its mutational signature in colorectal cancer
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The specificity and structure of DNA cross-linking by the gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin
Accumulating evidence has connected the chemically unstable, DNA-damaging gut bacterial natural product colibactin to colorectal cancer, including the identification of mutational signatures that are ...
www.science.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#NatMicroPicks
Elusive insights into Colibactin structure! 🦠🧬🧪
Colibactin alkylates the minor groove of AT-rich DNA, explaining its mutational signature in colorectal cancer
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Elusive insights into Colibactin structure! 🦠🧬🧪
Colibactin alkylates the minor groove of AT-rich DNA, explaining its mutational signature in colorectal cancer
#MicroSky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
I can honestly say that I, personally, am not publishing too much.
We’re addicted to publishing, because the system made it our only currency.
Read the post by The Open Fox, and subscribe if you like what you read.
#AcademicSky #SciPub #PeerReview #PhDSky #AcademicChatter #OpenScience 🧪
Read the post by The Open Fox, and subscribe if you like what you read.
#AcademicSky #SciPub #PeerReview #PhDSky #AcademicChatter #OpenScience 🧪
I’m a scientist and we’re publishing too much
The first step of alcoholics anonymous is to admit you have an addiction (or so the many TV shows tell me). Well, I’m a scientist and science has an addiction. It’s an addiction that every scientist h...
www.themodernpeer.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I can honestly say that I, personally, am not publishing too much.
Please peruse this particularly pertinent paper on pesky penguin papilloma and polyomaviruses
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1099/mgen... 🔗
Diversity of polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses in penguins from eastern and western Antarctica
Polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses are icosahedral viruses with small circular dsDNA genomes. Limited information on their diversity and evolution in avian hosts is available, with even less known…
doi.org
December 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Please peruse this particularly pertinent paper on pesky penguin papilloma and polyomaviruses
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1099/mgen... 🔗
Diversity of polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses in penguins from eastern and western Antarctica
Polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses are icosahedral viruses with small circular dsDNA genomes. Limited information on their diversity and evolution in avian hosts is available, with even less known…
doi.org
December 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1099/mgen... 🔗
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
@microbetv.bsky.social Happy Smallpox Eradication Day! I marked my calendar when the TWiV crew talked about how it deserves to be a holiday. =D
December 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
@microbetv.bsky.social Happy Smallpox Eradication Day! I marked my calendar when the TWiV crew talked about how it deserves to be a holiday. =D
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
I cannot stress how scary RSV was when my firstborn contracted it and how quickly he went from normal to incredibly ill (2 hours!)
Re-sharing this excellent piece from @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #MedSky #PedSky #PublicHealth #VaccinesCauseAdults
Re-sharing this excellent piece from @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #MedSky #PedSky #PublicHealth #VaccinesCauseAdults
December 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I cannot stress how scary RSV was when my firstborn contracted it and how quickly he went from normal to incredibly ill (2 hours!)
Re-sharing this excellent piece from @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #MedSky #PedSky #PublicHealth #VaccinesCauseAdults
Re-sharing this excellent piece from @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #MedSky #PedSky #PublicHealth #VaccinesCauseAdults
Rabies transmission by kidney transplant - now that is really a freak event.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Man dies after saving kitten from skunk – and passes rabies to kidney recipient
Michigan man received kidney transplant from donor who had fought off a skunk and was later found unresponsive
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Rabies transmission by kidney transplant - now that is really a freak event.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Good explainer of how this story is being oversold.
I'm seeing a lot of discussion of this study, and so far everything I have seen goes well beyond what the data of this study allow us to conclude. Let's look at this together.
A thread 🧵
A thread 🧵
Persistent Attenuation of Lymphocyte Subsets After Mass SARS-CoV-2 Infection
As of September 15, 2024, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in more than 776 million
confirmed cases and seven million deaths worldwide [1]. While most patients recovered
from the acute phase of COVI...
www.ijidonline.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Good explainer of how this story is being oversold.
Reposted by Dorian McILROY
How an influenza virus infects a human cell [via ETH Zurich] 🧪🥼🦠😷⚕️
"Researchers were surprised by one thing: the cells are not passive, simply allowing themselves to be invaded by the influenza virus. Rather, they actively attempt to capture it."
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
#flu #virus #human #cell
"Researchers were surprised by one thing: the cells are not passive, simply allowing themselves to be invaded by the influenza virus. Rather, they actively attempt to capture it."
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
#flu #virus #human #cell
How influenza viruses enter our cells
For the first time, researchers have observed live and in high resolution how influenza viruses infect living cells. This was possible thanks to a new microscopy technique, which could now help to dev...
ethz.ch
December 5, 2025 at 8:28 PM
How an influenza virus infects a human cell [via ETH Zurich] 🧪🥼🦠😷⚕️
"Researchers were surprised by one thing: the cells are not passive, simply allowing themselves to be invaded by the influenza virus. Rather, they actively attempt to capture it."
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
#flu #virus #human #cell
"Researchers were surprised by one thing: the cells are not passive, simply allowing themselves to be invaded by the influenza virus. Rather, they actively attempt to capture it."
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
#flu #virus #human #cell