Miranda
@mfn42.bsky.social
PhD student working on avian influenza | Interested in all things viruses & antiviral immunity | she/her 🔬🧬🦠
Reposted by Miranda
New preprint: IFIT3 controls IFIT1 accumulation and specificity preventing self mRNA targeting during the innate immune response.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Led by Renata Fleith from the Sweeney lab.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Led by Renata Fleith from the Sweeney lab.
www.biorxiv.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:13 PM
New preprint: IFIT3 controls IFIT1 accumulation and specificity preventing self mRNA targeting during the innate immune response.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Led by Renata Fleith from the Sweeney lab.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Led by Renata Fleith from the Sweeney lab.
Reposted by Miranda
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social IFIT1 is degraded in absence of IFIT3, but direct binding of IFIT3 protects IFIT1 from degradation, preventing self mRNA targeting during the innate immune response
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @pirbrightinst.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @pirbrightinst.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 1:22 AM
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social IFIT1 is degraded in absence of IFIT3, but direct binding of IFIT3 protects IFIT1 from degradation, preventing self mRNA targeting during the innate immune response
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @pirbrightinst.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @pirbrightinst.bsky.social
Reposted by Miranda
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
Reposted by Miranda
🚨 Preprint Alert 🚨
We discovered a new regulator of RIG-I-like receptors #MDA5 #RIG-I, which are critical innate immune sensors of #RNA that detect #viral infection.
Check out our #biorxiv #preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr 🙃 thread below
We discovered a new regulator of RIG-I-like receptors #MDA5 #RIG-I, which are critical innate immune sensors of #RNA that detect #viral infection.
Check out our #biorxiv #preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr 🙃 thread below
www.biorxiv.org
November 17, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Reposted by Miranda
Wow
'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'
www.gov.uk/government/n...
'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'
'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'
www.gov.uk/government/n...
'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'
MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research
International collaboration establishes new quality standards to improve reliability of gut health studies – improving accuracy to provide better diagnosis and treatment.
www.gov.uk
November 16, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Wow
'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'
www.gov.uk/government/n...
'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'
'MHRA-led study reveals major inconsistencies in global microbiome research'
www.gov.uk/government/n...
'Species identification varied from 63% to 100% accuracy across different methods, meaning that some laboratories failed to detect a third of the bacterial species present in the sample'
Reposted by Miranda
Viro3D delivers >85,000 AI-predicted protein structures for >4,400 viruses, expanding viral structural coverage 30-fold, enabling new insights to virus function/evolution.
#VirusBioinformatics #StructuralBiology🧬🔍
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s443...
👤EVBC members: Spyros Lytras, David Robertson, Joseph Hughes
#VirusBioinformatics #StructuralBiology🧬🔍
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s443...
👤EVBC members: Spyros Lytras, David Robertson, Joseph Hughes
Viro3D: a comprehensive database of virus protein structure predictions | Molecular Systems Biology
imageimageViro3D provides proteome-level, high confidence AI-protein structure predictions for
>4,400 viruses, allowing mapping of form and function across the human and animal
virosphere. Viro3D i...
doi.org
November 14, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Viro3D delivers >85,000 AI-predicted protein structures for >4,400 viruses, expanding viral structural coverage 30-fold, enabling new insights to virus function/evolution.
#VirusBioinformatics #StructuralBiology🧬🔍
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s443...
👤EVBC members: Spyros Lytras, David Robertson, Joseph Hughes
#VirusBioinformatics #StructuralBiology🧬🔍
📄 doi.org/10.1038/s443...
👤EVBC members: Spyros Lytras, David Robertson, Joseph Hughes
Reposted by Miranda
Our nuclease-protease story is out! We explored a fascinating case of coevolution and modularity in prokaryotic immune systems: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Recurrent acquisition of nuclease-protease pairs in antiviral immunity
Antiviral immune systems diversify by integrating new genes into existing pathways, creating new mechanisms of viral resistance. We identified genes encoding a predicted nuclease paired with a trypsin...
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Our nuclease-protease story is out! We explored a fascinating case of coevolution and modularity in prokaryotic immune systems: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Thanks to wonderful coauthors/collaborators/friends, the whole @doudna-lab.bsky.social and everyone at @innovativegenomics.bsky.social
Reposted by Miranda
New primer alert! Fantastic insight into how to apply machine learning and AI in microbiology. A must read. @microbiologysociety.org @delafuentelab.bsky.social www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Microbial Primer: Artificial intelligence for microbiologists
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are reshaping microbiology, enabling rapid antibiotic discovery, resistance prediction and clinical diagnostics. For microbiologists, the goal is...
www.microbiologyresearch.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:07 PM
New primer alert! Fantastic insight into how to apply machine learning and AI in microbiology. A must read. @microbiologysociety.org @delafuentelab.bsky.social www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Miranda
South Georgia’s breeding population of female southern elephant seals may have been halved by highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, finds research in @commsbio.nature.com. These losses may reduce number of surviving seal pups and threaten security of the island’s breeding population:
#Ecology
#Ecology
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses (HPAIV) Associated with Major Southern Elephant Seal Decline at South Georgia - Communications Biology
Arrival of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in 2023 has triggered dramatic declines in attendance of female southern elephant seals during the 2024 breeding season.
spklr.io
November 13, 2025 at 7:52 PM
South Georgia’s breeding population of female southern elephant seals may have been halved by highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, finds research in @commsbio.nature.com. These losses may reduce number of surviving seal pups and threaten security of the island’s breeding population:
#Ecology
#Ecology
Reposted by Miranda
Our new paper, estimating the impact of the bird flu on elephant seals in South Georgia, came out today. The virus caused a decline of 47% of the adult female population 🦭🦑🌎🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses (HPAIV) Associated with Major Southern Elephant Seal Decline at South Georgia - Communications Biology
Arrival of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in 2023 has triggered dramatic declines in attendance of female southern elephant seals during the 2024...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Our new paper, estimating the impact of the bird flu on elephant seals in South Georgia, came out today. The virus caused a decline of 47% of the adult female population 🦭🦑🌎🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Miranda
“Bin Chicken” is now published in Nature Methods! It substantially improves genome recovery through rational coassembly 🧬🖥️. Applied to public 🌍 metagenomes, we recovered 24,000 novel species 🦠, including 6 new phyla.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@benjwoodcroft.bsky.social @rhysnewell.bsky.social
🧵1/6
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@benjwoodcroft.bsky.social @rhysnewell.bsky.social
🧵1/6
November 13, 2025 at 10:09 AM
“Bin Chicken” is now published in Nature Methods! It substantially improves genome recovery through rational coassembly 🧬🖥️. Applied to public 🌍 metagenomes, we recovered 24,000 novel species 🦠, including 6 new phyla.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@benjwoodcroft.bsky.social @rhysnewell.bsky.social
🧵1/6
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@benjwoodcroft.bsky.social @rhysnewell.bsky.social
🧵1/6
Reposted by Miranda
RIG-i loss in chickens explains susceptibility to HPAI. Re-instate it - and chickens exhibited shifts in T and B cells. But, still severe disease when infected with H7N1. Loss of RIG-i to counteract deleterious inflammation caused by viral infection?
👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm...
👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm...
November 11, 2025 at 6:39 AM
RIG-i loss in chickens explains susceptibility to HPAI. Re-instate it - and chickens exhibited shifts in T and B cells. But, still severe disease when infected with H7N1. Loss of RIG-i to counteract deleterious inflammation caused by viral infection?
👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm...
👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/imm...
Reposted by Miranda
breeding success of Northern Gannets with black eyes (an indicator of past exposure to HPAIV) was similar to those with normal blue eyes in the year following a severe disease outbreak. Overall breeding sucess lower 1 year after mass mortality.
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 11, 2025 at 6:20 AM
breeding success of Northern Gannets with black eyes (an indicator of past exposure to HPAIV) was similar to those with normal blue eyes in the year following a severe disease outbreak. Overall breeding sucess lower 1 year after mass mortality.
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Miranda
Transcriptome sequencing of chicken DF-1 cells revealed that 2118 long coding RNAs differentially expressed following H9N2 infection. Newly identified "lncRNA-up4 " regulates of cytokine production + antiviral gene expression in DF-1
👉 veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
👉 veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Transcriptome sequencing of chicken DF-1 cells revealed that 2118 long coding RNAs differentially expressed following H9N2 infection. Newly identified "lncRNA-up4 " regulates of cytokine production + antiviral gene expression in DF-1
👉 veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
👉 veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Reposted by Miranda
FluWarning - computational method based on anomaly detection of codon bias and dinucleotide composition for early identification of divergent viral HA segments. For H5N1, FluWarning flagged D1.1 and B3.13 (important in cows)
👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
November 11, 2025 at 6:17 AM
FluWarning - computational method based on anomaly detection of codon bias and dinucleotide composition for early identification of divergent viral HA segments. For H5N1, FluWarning flagged D1.1 and B3.13 (important in cows)
👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Miranda
Globally traded ornamental aquatic plants host a diverse array of plant viruses, including pathogens relevant to crops, highlighting the hidden risk of virus spread via trade. #PlantViromics #Biosecurity 🌿🦠
📄 doi.org/10.1186/s407...
👤 EVBC member: Denis Kutnjak
📄 doi.org/10.1186/s407...
👤 EVBC member: Denis Kutnjak
Wild and globally traded ornamental aquatic plants harbor diverse plant viruses, including notable crop pathogens - Environmental Microbiome
Background Aquatic plants play key roles in ecosystems, serving as primary producers and providing habitat for other aquatic life. While many are ecologically important, some invasive species, often i...
doi.org
November 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Globally traded ornamental aquatic plants host a diverse array of plant viruses, including pathogens relevant to crops, highlighting the hidden risk of virus spread via trade. #PlantViromics #Biosecurity 🌿🦠
📄 doi.org/10.1186/s407...
👤 EVBC member: Denis Kutnjak
📄 doi.org/10.1186/s407...
👤 EVBC member: Denis Kutnjak
Reposted by Miranda
Delighted to share the peer-reviewed version of our article describing a prefusion-stabilized MARV GP vaccine immunogen and a best-in-class MARV neutralizing and protective antibody!
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Potent neutralization of Marburg virus by a vaccine-elicited antibody - Nature
Nature - Potent neutralization of Marburg virus by a vaccine-elicited antibody
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Delighted to share the peer-reviewed version of our article describing a prefusion-stabilized MARV GP vaccine immunogen and a best-in-class MARV neutralizing and protective antibody!
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Miranda
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Miranda
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
Reposted by Miranda
🚨New preprint🚨
In a multidisciplinary tour-de-force, @itingtu.bsky.social shows that, because #H5N1 flu is now routinely infecting seals and sealions in Peru, it's also spilling over into the vampire bats that feed from beaches...
🦭🦠🦇
(1/2)
In a multidisciplinary tour-de-force, @itingtu.bsky.social shows that, because #H5N1 flu is now routinely infecting seals and sealions in Peru, it's also spilling over into the vampire bats that feed from beaches...
🦭🦠🦇
(1/2)
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
November 12, 2025 at 11:33 AM
🚨New preprint🚨
In a multidisciplinary tour-de-force, @itingtu.bsky.social shows that, because #H5N1 flu is now routinely infecting seals and sealions in Peru, it's also spilling over into the vampire bats that feed from beaches...
🦭🦠🦇
(1/2)
In a multidisciplinary tour-de-force, @itingtu.bsky.social shows that, because #H5N1 flu is now routinely infecting seals and sealions in Peru, it's also spilling over into the vampire bats that feed from beaches...
🦭🦠🦇
(1/2)
Reposted by Miranda
Withdrawing life-saving aid from developing countries and then demanding economically favourable conditions for restoring it would be bad enough, but the conditions and the approach also directly undermine international co-operation against future pandemics in favour of short-term national gain
I don't like the sound of this: www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
US to demand countries share data on ‘pathogens with epidemic potential’ in return for health aid
Draft template seen by the Guardian has no reference to countries receiving benefits for sharing information, such as guaranteed access to medicines developed as a result
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Withdrawing life-saving aid from developing countries and then demanding economically favourable conditions for restoring it would be bad enough, but the conditions and the approach also directly undermine international co-operation against future pandemics in favour of short-term national gain
Reposted by Miranda
Fantastic opportunity (available for both UK and international students) to do a PhD on the assembly of RNA viruses with @artisplicer.bsky.social - please share (and/or apply)!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Funded PhD SWBio DTP- (STANDARD) Genome packaging as a driving force of RNA virus assembly at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD SWBio DTP- (STANDARD) Genome packaging as a driving force of RNA virus assembly at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Fantastic opportunity (available for both UK and international students) to do a PhD on the assembly of RNA viruses with @artisplicer.bsky.social - please share (and/or apply)!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Miranda
Still time to register for #MicroBio26! Abstract submission for the @microbiologysociety.org annual conference closes on Tuesday 11th November. Worth pointing out that short registrations are now back (by popular demand) for people who can't attend the whole conference but still want to take part
One week to go! Abstract submissions for Annual Conference 2026 close at 23:59 GMT on Tuesday 11 November. If you study microbes, there’s a home for your work at #Microbio26
Submit your work to one of >20 available sessions at: microb.io/AC26Abstracts
Submit your work to one of >20 available sessions at: microb.io/AC26Abstracts
November 7, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Still time to register for #MicroBio26! Abstract submission for the @microbiologysociety.org annual conference closes on Tuesday 11th November. Worth pointing out that short registrations are now back (by popular demand) for people who can't attend the whole conference but still want to take part
Reposted by Miranda
Its taken a while, but a summary of our "enhanced surveillance" for HPAI that we undertook last spring is now on bioRxiv. Lots of cool LPAI viruses in arriving shorebirds, but no HPAI.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Its taken a while, but a summary of our "enhanced surveillance" for HPAI that we undertook last spring is now on bioRxiv. Lots of cool LPAI viruses in arriving shorebirds, but no HPAI.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Miranda
How do GWAS and rare variant burden tests rank gene signals?
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Specificity, length and luck drive gene rankings in association studies - Nature
Genetic association tests prioritize candidate genes based on different criteria.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:05 AM
How do GWAS and rare variant burden tests rank gene signals?
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...