Chase Morgan
@phagemorgan.bsky.social
MD/PhD student. Harm Reductionist. Here for the phages. All views my own.
Pinned
Chase Morgan
@phagemorgan.bsky.social
· Nov 20
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
Trying to be more active here and get away from that toxic other place. If you want to know what I do, check out this paper. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Powerful and important piece by an outstanding physician, scientist, and human being @kaminskimed.bsky.social
pdf:
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
pdf:
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
October 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Powerful and important piece by an outstanding physician, scientist, and human being @kaminskimed.bsky.social
pdf:
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
pdf:
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Today in @nature.com , we highlight how a cousin of CRISPR-Cas10, mCpol, establishes an evolutionary trap in anti-phage immune systems.
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out @erinedoherty.bsky.social and my work from @doudna-lab.bsky.social lab here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A miniature CRISPR–Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling - Nature
Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Chase Morgan
CURIOUS ABOUT PHAGE BIOLOGY!?
CPIC lab at @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
is recruiting in the call
+++ CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS +++
helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...
Did you spot the phage? Please share!
CPIC lab at @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
is recruiting in the call
+++ CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS +++
helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...
Did you spot the phage? Please share!
March 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM
CURIOUS ABOUT PHAGE BIOLOGY!?
CPIC lab at @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
is recruiting in the call
+++ CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS +++
helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...
Did you spot the phage? Please share!
CPIC lab at @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social
is recruiting in the call
+++ CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS +++
helmholtz-hzi.de/en/career/jo...
Did you spot the phage? Please share!
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Looking for a new approach to studying or eliminating phages? Check out our study introducing anti-phage ASOs (antisense oligos) out in @Nature today. nature.com/articles/s4158…
September 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Looking for a new approach to studying or eliminating phages? Check out our study introducing anti-phage ASOs (antisense oligos) out in @Nature today. nature.com/articles/s4158…
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Please share my 1 min video on the importance of maintaining NIH funding of infectious diseases and drug discovery research vs rising antibiotic resistance
Drastic budget cuts harm our health and imperil the next generation of scientists
More @UCSanDiego “Behind Every Breakthrough” bit.ly/3FlXQs3
Drastic budget cuts harm our health and imperil the next generation of scientists
More @UCSanDiego “Behind Every Breakthrough” bit.ly/3FlXQs3
August 7, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Please share my 1 min video on the importance of maintaining NIH funding of infectious diseases and drug discovery research vs rising antibiotic resistance
Drastic budget cuts harm our health and imperil the next generation of scientists
More @UCSanDiego “Behind Every Breakthrough” bit.ly/3FlXQs3
Drastic budget cuts harm our health and imperil the next generation of scientists
More @UCSanDiego “Behind Every Breakthrough” bit.ly/3FlXQs3
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Part of the recently completed PhD thesis of outstanding UC San Diego Medical Scientist Training Program student Alex Stream exploring Strep A molecular pathogenesis and vaccinology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
June 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Part of the recently completed PhD thesis of outstanding UC San Diego Medical Scientist Training Program student Alex Stream exploring Strep A molecular pathogenesis and vaccinology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Seems like precisely the kind of person that HHS should want giving advice on structural/cell/molecular biology and more. That would require a leadership group that values disciplinary competency and independent expertise.
villalab.ucsd.edu
villalab.ucsd.edu
June 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Seems like precisely the kind of person that HHS should want giving advice on structural/cell/molecular biology and more. That would require a leadership group that values disciplinary competency and independent expertise.
villalab.ucsd.edu
villalab.ucsd.edu
This is why I always have to filter my BLAST results. Nice analysis and interesting questions about the persistence of lytic phages in host populations. I suspect for chimalliviruses it's a product of longer latent periods and low infection efficiencies in many hosts.
May 8, 2025 at 8:26 PM
This is why I always have to filter my BLAST results. Nice analysis and interesting questions about the persistence of lytic phages in host populations. I suspect for chimalliviruses it's a product of longer latent periods and low infection efficiencies in many hosts.
Reposted by Chase Morgan
"That telomere phages are so prevalent means that they are a selective force, one that we know little about. We now want to understand how the telomere-toxin is secreted and also understand how this ‘telocin’ wheedles its way into unsuspecting bacterial neighbors”
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Telomere bacteriophages are widespread and equip their bacterial hosts with potent interbacterial weapons
Klebsiella host strains infected with telomere phages can grow to be the dominant lineage in mixed populations.
www.science.org
May 1, 2025 at 10:04 PM
"That telomere phages are so prevalent means that they are a selective force, one that we know little about. We now want to understand how the telomere-toxin is secreted and also understand how this ‘telocin’ wheedles its way into unsuspecting bacterial neighbors”
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Pleased to share our new paper out in 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 led by Monika Kumaraswamy, MD, now Chief of Infectious Diseases UTexas-Tyler
Is minimimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing the gold standard for antibiotic-resistant superbugs? 🦠 🧫
🧵 1/6
www.jci.org/articles/vie...
Is minimimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing the gold standard for antibiotic-resistant superbugs? 🦠 🧫
🧵 1/6
www.jci.org/articles/vie...
April 23, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Pleased to share our new paper out in 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 led by Monika Kumaraswamy, MD, now Chief of Infectious Diseases UTexas-Tyler
Is minimimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing the gold standard for antibiotic-resistant superbugs? 🦠 🧫
🧵 1/6
www.jci.org/articles/vie...
Is minimimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing the gold standard for antibiotic-resistant superbugs? 🦠 🧫
🧵 1/6
www.jci.org/articles/vie...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
We teamed up with our pals at @ucsandiego.bsky.social to show how jumbo #phages – huge viruses that prey on bacteria – use sneaky tricks to attack their victims! This knowledge could be used to leverage them as a tool to fight antibiotic resistance. Read more here: ow.ly/6VLa50Vucc5 🦠
April 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
We teamed up with our pals at @ucsandiego.bsky.social to show how jumbo #phages – huge viruses that prey on bacteria – use sneaky tricks to attack their victims! This knowledge could be used to leverage them as a tool to fight antibiotic resistance. Read more here: ow.ly/6VLa50Vucc5 🦠
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Our work on cryptic infection of giant viruses was published today in
@ScienceMagazine
. We discovered a large virus hiding within a green algal genome producing virions.
Collaborative effort spearheaded by Virginia Tech, University of Miami
& NIOZ scientists.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@ScienceMagazine
. We discovered a large virus hiding within a green algal genome producing virions.
Collaborative effort spearheaded by Virginia Tech, University of Miami
& NIOZ scientists.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cryptic infection of a giant virus in a unicellular green alga
Latency is a common strategy in a wide range of viral lineages, but its prevalence in giant viruses remains unknown. Here we describe a 617 kbp integrated giant viral element in the model green alga C...
www.science.org
April 12, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Our work on cryptic infection of giant viruses was published today in
@ScienceMagazine
. We discovered a large virus hiding within a green algal genome producing virions.
Collaborative effort spearheaded by Virginia Tech, University of Miami
& NIOZ scientists.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@ScienceMagazine
. We discovered a large virus hiding within a green algal genome producing virions.
Collaborative effort spearheaded by Virginia Tech, University of Miami
& NIOZ scientists.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Interrupting your regularly scheduled doom scrolling for some cool science by my awesome colleagues www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Sequential membrane- and protein-bound organelles compartmentalize genomes during phage infection
The pre-nuclear stage of Chimalliviridae infection and whether the phage nucleus is
essential have remained mysterious. Armbruster and Rani et al. demonstrate that the
phage nucleus is required for ph...
www.cell.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Interrupting your regularly scheduled doom scrolling for some cool science by my awesome colleagues www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Anyone who puts a reddit AMA on their CV should be immediately disqualified from holding a policy position.
Thread on Jay Bhattacharya's weak scientific bona fides. Let's look at his CV.
Too many scientists are saying "Bhattacharya has NIH funding, he can't be that bad."
No. He wants revenge. He hasn't gotten an NIH grant since 2017, and the two grants then were only as a stats/econ consultant.
Too many scientists are saying "Bhattacharya has NIH funding, he can't be that bad."
No. He wants revenge. He hasn't gotten an NIH grant since 2017, and the two grants then were only as a stats/econ consultant.
March 5, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Anyone who puts a reddit AMA on their CV should be immediately disqualified from holding a policy position.
Flashy words like "revolutionize" are thrown around quite liberally in our field. In this case though, I can't think of a more appropriate word. This stuff is 🔥🔥🔥.
It is finally out!
Muntathar Al-Shimary, @doudna-lab.bsky.social , @cresslab.bsky.social and I present a gene knockdown tool that works in diverse bacteriophages: CRISPRi through antisense RNA Targeting (CRISPRi-ART)!
Check it out @naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Muntathar Al-Shimary, @doudna-lab.bsky.social , @cresslab.bsky.social and I present a gene knockdown tool that works in diverse bacteriophages: CRISPRi through antisense RNA Targeting (CRISPRi-ART)!
Check it out @naturemicrobiol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
CRISPRi-ART enables functional genomics of diverse bacteriophages using RNA-binding dCas13d - Nature Microbiology
Leveraging RNA-targeting dCas13d enables selective interference with phage protein translation and facilitates measurement of phage gene fitness at a transcriptome-wide scale.
www.nature.com
February 26, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Flashy words like "revolutionize" are thrown around quite liberally in our field. In this case though, I can't think of a more appropriate word. This stuff is 🔥🔥🔥.
Reposted by Chase Morgan
𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐒𝐀
𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟎𝐬
Tuberculosis
Dysentery
Cholera
Malaria
Typhoid
Pneumonia/Flu
Diphtheria
Scarlet fever
Meningitis
Whooping cough
𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣/𝙑𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨/𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨
𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘
Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents
COPD
Stroke
Alzheimer’s
Diabetes
Pneumonia/Flu
Kidney disease
Suicide
𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟎𝐬
Tuberculosis
Dysentery
Cholera
Malaria
Typhoid
Pneumonia/Flu
Diphtheria
Scarlet fever
Meningitis
Whooping cough
𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣/𝙑𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨/𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨
𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘
Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents
COPD
Stroke
Alzheimer’s
Diabetes
Pneumonia/Flu
Kidney disease
Suicide
February 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐒𝐀
𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟎𝐬
Tuberculosis
Dysentery
Cholera
Malaria
Typhoid
Pneumonia/Flu
Diphtheria
Scarlet fever
Meningitis
Whooping cough
𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣/𝙑𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨/𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨
𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘
Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents
COPD
Stroke
Alzheimer’s
Diabetes
Pneumonia/Flu
Kidney disease
Suicide
𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟎𝐬
Tuberculosis
Dysentery
Cholera
Malaria
Typhoid
Pneumonia/Flu
Diphtheria
Scarlet fever
Meningitis
Whooping cough
𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣/𝙑𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨/𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨
𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘
Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents
COPD
Stroke
Alzheimer’s
Diabetes
Pneumonia/Flu
Kidney disease
Suicide
When I started my PhD, we knew exactly zero about the phage nucleus protein import pathway. Out today in Nature, parallel work by Claire Kokontis picking apart this pathway. PicA vs. Imp1, let the games begin. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multi-interface licensing of protein import into a phage nucleus - Nature
This study uncovers a highly conserved jumbo phage protein, Imp1, that possesses multiple interfaces to license protein import into a proteinaceous nucleus-like compartment, using a genetic selection ...
www.nature.com
February 6, 2025 at 9:04 PM
When I started my PhD, we knew exactly zero about the phage nucleus protein import pathway. Out today in Nature, parallel work by Claire Kokontis picking apart this pathway. PicA vs. Imp1, let the games begin. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Amazing story of a young cancer patient's resilience, a scary infection with MDR 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢 expressing NDM-1, and successful application of phage therapy
Care coordinated by Peds ID specialist and UCI Asst Prof Chulie Ulloa, MD—friend and former PSDP, K08, and UCPPFP mentee in the lab
Care coordinated by Peds ID specialist and UCI Asst Prof Chulie Ulloa, MD—friend and former PSDP, K08, and UCPPFP mentee in the lab
Compassionate-use therapies for a deadly infection save the life of cancer patient - CHOC Pediatrica
CHOC infectious disease expert Dr. Erlinda “Chulie” Ulloa makes history nationally with investigational medication.
care.choc.org
February 1, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Amazing story of a young cancer patient's resilience, a scary infection with MDR 𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢 expressing NDM-1, and successful application of phage therapy
Care coordinated by Peds ID specialist and UCI Asst Prof Chulie Ulloa, MD—friend and former PSDP, K08, and UCPPFP mentee in the lab
Care coordinated by Peds ID specialist and UCI Asst Prof Chulie Ulloa, MD—friend and former PSDP, K08, and UCPPFP mentee in the lab
Me: If this experiment works the first time, I'm throwing a party. Experiment: Did somebody say party?
January 7, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Me: If this experiment works the first time, I'm throwing a party. Experiment: Did somebody say party?
Reposted by Chase Morgan
I prefer shameful self-promotion by re-posting, but Pew and UCSD Biosciences have not migrated to this new utopia, so... Exciting news! I get to play with one of my besties @thevillalab.bsky.social
today.ucsd.edu/story/kimber...
today.ucsd.edu/story/kimber...
Kimberly Cooper and Elizabeth Villa Named Pew Innovation Fund Investigators
UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences Professors Kimberly Cooper and Elizabeth Villa have been selected by the Pew Charitable Trusts as members of its 2024 class of Innovation Fund Investigators.
today.ucsd.edu
December 10, 2024 at 9:00 PM
I prefer shameful self-promotion by re-posting, but Pew and UCSD Biosciences have not migrated to this new utopia, so... Exciting news! I get to play with one of my besties @thevillalab.bsky.social
today.ucsd.edu/story/kimber...
today.ucsd.edu/story/kimber...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Excited to share our new study with the Müller and @SchullerJm labs, online @nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04971-z
This is T. kivui, an anaerobic bacterium. It uses hydrogen energy to store #CO2. How does it do it? #CryoET revealed membrane-anchored bundles of...
This is T. kivui, an anaerobic bacterium. It uses hydrogen energy to store #CO2. How does it do it? #CryoET revealed membrane-anchored bundles of...
November 23, 2024 at 6:44 AM
Excited to share our new study with the Müller and @SchullerJm labs, online @nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04971-z
This is T. kivui, an anaerobic bacterium. It uses hydrogen energy to store #CO2. How does it do it? #CryoET revealed membrane-anchored bundles of...
This is T. kivui, an anaerobic bacterium. It uses hydrogen energy to store #CO2. How does it do it? #CryoET revealed membrane-anchored bundles of...
Reposted by Chase Morgan
Structural diversity and oligomerization of bacterial ubiquitin-like proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.21.623966v1
Structural diversity and oligomerization of bacterial ubiquitin-like proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.21.623966v1
Bacteria possess a variety of operons with homology to eukaryotic ubiquitination pathways that encod
www.biorxiv.org
November 22, 2024 at 1:46 AM
Structural diversity and oligomerization of bacterial ubiquitin-like proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.21.623966v1
Trying to be more active here and get away from that toxic other place. If you want to know what I do, check out this paper. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
November 20, 2024 at 6:02 PM
Trying to be more active here and get away from that toxic other place. If you want to know what I do, check out this paper. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...