Navtej Toor
@navtejtoor.bsky.social
RNA Structural Biology
Associate Professor
UC San Diego
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
ORC ID: 0000-0002-6134-163X
🇨🇦🇺🇦
Associate Professor
UC San Diego
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
ORC ID: 0000-0002-6134-163X
🇨🇦🇺🇦
Reposted by Navtej Toor
A positive vision for how to move forward, CA cannot replace the national investment needed to remain the global leader in science and technology but maybe we can help keep the US competitive.
sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/trump-g...
sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/trump-g...
As Trump Guts Federal Science Agencies, Senator Wiener Introduces Legislation to Create New Science Institute and Authorize Vaccine Purchase and Production
Official website of Senator Scott Wiener, representing California Senate District 11.
sd11.senate.ca.gov
April 29, 2025 at 6:46 PM
A positive vision for how to move forward, CA cannot replace the national investment needed to remain the global leader in science and technology but maybe we can help keep the US competitive.
sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/trump-g...
sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/trump-g...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
CBC/Radio-Canada is a pillar of our Canadian identity.
We’re going to strengthen our public broadcaster with more long-term funding, and a modernized mandate — to deliver more local news and keep Canadians better informed during emergencies.
We’re going to strengthen our public broadcaster with more long-term funding, and a modernized mandate — to deliver more local news and keep Canadians better informed during emergencies.
April 4, 2025 at 5:39 PM
CBC/Radio-Canada is a pillar of our Canadian identity.
We’re going to strengthen our public broadcaster with more long-term funding, and a modernized mandate — to deliver more local news and keep Canadians better informed during emergencies.
We’re going to strengthen our public broadcaster with more long-term funding, and a modernized mandate — to deliver more local news and keep Canadians better informed during emergencies.
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Out now in
@NAR_Open
! A #ribozyme can self-integrate into and hydrolyze ss- & dsDNA, offering a new avenue for the development of protein-free genome editing tools, and hinting at the possibility of a pre-translation origin of group II introns (G2Is). 🧬🧵 (1/7)
#intron #RNAworld
@NAR_Open
! A #ribozyme can self-integrate into and hydrolyze ss- & dsDNA, offering a new avenue for the development of protein-free genome editing tools, and hinting at the possibility of a pre-translation origin of group II introns (G2Is). 🧬🧵 (1/7)
#intron #RNAworld
Protein-free catalysis of DNA hydrolysis and self-integration by a ribozyme
Abstract. Group II introns are ancient self-splicing ribozymes and retrotransposons. Though long speculated to have originated before translation, their de
academic.oup.com
December 19, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Canada is everything.
March 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Canada is everything.
Reposted by Navtej Toor
1/ Transposable elements are often called "jumping genes" because they mobilize within genomes. 🧬
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
March 17, 2025 at 11:56 AM
1/ Transposable elements are often called "jumping genes" because they mobilize within genomes. 🧬
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
But did you know they can also jump 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 cells? 🤯
Our new study reveals how retrotransposons invade the germline directly from somatic cells.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A short thread 🧵👇
Reposted by Navtej Toor
OpEd by @scripps.edu Pres. Pete Shultz: "the consequences would extend beyond Scripps Research, threatening the broader San Diego life sciences ecosystem, which contributes over $27 billion to the regional economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs."
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/25/o...
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/25/o...
Opinion: Science funding cuts are based on flawed logic. Here’s the truth.
Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health issued supplemental guidance indicating it would immediately impose a 15% cap on indirect costs for research grants, an unprecedented and abrup…
www.sandiegouniontribune.com
February 25, 2025 at 7:57 PM
OpEd by @scripps.edu Pres. Pete Shultz: "the consequences would extend beyond Scripps Research, threatening the broader San Diego life sciences ecosystem, which contributes over $27 billion to the regional economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs."
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/25/o...
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/25/o...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Reposted by Navtej Toor
🚨 Amazing Opportunity 🚨
U Alberta is looking for a director for their new #cryoEM facility
Support excellent researchers (who are really nice people) using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
+ reasonable cost of living
+ near some of most beautiful places in world
+ 🇨🇦
apps.ualberta.ca/careers/post...
U Alberta is looking for a director for their new #cryoEM facility
Support excellent researchers (who are really nice people) using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
+ reasonable cost of living
+ near some of most beautiful places in world
+ 🇨🇦
apps.ualberta.ca/careers/post...
February 22, 2025 at 2:47 AM
🚨 Amazing Opportunity 🚨
U Alberta is looking for a director for their new #cryoEM facility
Support excellent researchers (who are really nice people) using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
+ reasonable cost of living
+ near some of most beautiful places in world
+ 🇨🇦
apps.ualberta.ca/careers/post...
U Alberta is looking for a director for their new #cryoEM facility
Support excellent researchers (who are really nice people) using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
+ reasonable cost of living
+ near some of most beautiful places in world
+ 🇨🇦
apps.ualberta.ca/careers/post...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
cc: @Gavin Newsome It’s time to build a CDC & NIH in California with the folks who were fired from the feds. In fact, I think each blue state governor needs to scoop up these scientists, healthcare workers and laboratory workers asap. @gavinnewsom.bsky.social
February 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM
cc: @Gavin Newsome It’s time to build a CDC & NIH in California with the folks who were fired from the feds. In fact, I think each blue state governor needs to scoop up these scientists, healthcare workers and laboratory workers asap. @gavinnewsom.bsky.social
Does anyone know what’s happening with the communications blackout at NIH? A program officer just told me that she can’t discuss anything due to a “communications pause.” I had thought this blackout was over.
February 11, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Does anyone know what’s happening with the communications blackout at NIH? A program officer just told me that she can’t discuss anything due to a “communications pause.” I had thought this blackout was over.
Reposted by Navtej Toor
This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca
In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.
globalnews.ca
February 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Check it out! Another novel RNA modification - ADP-ribosylation - that was previously only known on proteins. A cousin to #glycoRNA 👏
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Check it out! Another novel RNA modification - ADP-ribosylation - that was previously only known on proteins. A cousin to #glycoRNA 👏
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Delighted to share our latest paper describing a method to read the levels of hundreds of metabolites or drugs in parallel using DNA sequencing. This method, which we call ‘smol-seq’ (Small MOLecule sequencing), harnesses the power of DNA sequencing for metabolite detection:
rdcu.be/d8xLv (1/6)
rdcu.be/d8xLv (1/6)
Quantifying metabolites using structure-switching aptamers coupled to DNA sequencing
Nature Biotechnology - Metabolites can be quantified using a combination of aptamers and DNA barcodes.
rdcu.be
February 4, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Delighted to share our latest paper describing a method to read the levels of hundreds of metabolites or drugs in parallel using DNA sequencing. This method, which we call ‘smol-seq’ (Small MOLecule sequencing), harnesses the power of DNA sequencing for metabolite detection:
rdcu.be/d8xLv (1/6)
rdcu.be/d8xLv (1/6)
Reposted by Navtej Toor
🧪
If I were Canadian PM I would immediately:
1. Create a new $15B science fund
2. Offer any credentialed US scientist funding for lab startup and replacement of NIH grants if they move to Canada
3. Immediate permanent residency
4. Citizenship after 2 years
Overnight a science superpower
If I were Canadian PM I would immediately:
1. Create a new $15B science fund
2. Offer any credentialed US scientist funding for lab startup and replacement of NIH grants if they move to Canada
3. Immediate permanent residency
4. Citizenship after 2 years
Overnight a science superpower
January 31, 2025 at 10:04 PM
🧪
If I were Canadian PM I would immediately:
1. Create a new $15B science fund
2. Offer any credentialed US scientist funding for lab startup and replacement of NIH grants if they move to Canada
3. Immediate permanent residency
4. Citizenship after 2 years
Overnight a science superpower
If I were Canadian PM I would immediately:
1. Create a new $15B science fund
2. Offer any credentialed US scientist funding for lab startup and replacement of NIH grants if they move to Canada
3. Immediate permanent residency
4. Citizenship after 2 years
Overnight a science superpower
Reposted by Navtej Toor
Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
January 26, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Congratulations to Dan Haack and Boris Rudolfs on the new paper from our lab about the development of a scaffold enabling high resolution cryo-EM structure determination of protein-free RNAs.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Scaffold-enabled high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination of RNA - Nature Communications
Determining structures of small, protein-free RNAs by cryo-EM has been challenging. Here, the authors use a group II intron scaffold to achieve high-resolution RNA structures, visualize ligand-induced...
www.nature.com
January 22, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Congratulations to Dan Haack and Boris Rudolfs on the new paper from our lab about the development of a scaffold enabling high resolution cryo-EM structure determination of protein-free RNAs.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
I don't think that 101 years ago, Otto Warburg was aware how broadly relevant his discovery was. Check out our new paper out today in Nature Metabolism, wherein we engineered the Warburg effect out of mammalian cells to improve biologics production urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
January 14, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I don't think that 101 years ago, Otto Warburg was aware how broadly relevant his discovery was. Check out our new paper out today in Nature Metabolism, wherein we engineered the Warburg effect out of mammalian cells to improve biologics production urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Reposted by Navtej Toor
What is the diversity of antiphage systems out there ?
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...
January 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
What is the diversity of antiphage systems out there ?
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...
We used protein and genomic language models (and defense score!) to start bringing some answers: >45 000 protein families.
Leb by E. Mordret.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Interactive UMAP to have fun
mdmparis.github.io/antiphage-la...