Stephen J. Tucker
@profkalium.bsky.social
Ion Channel Biophysics, K+ Channels, OXION PhD programme, University of Oxford, Dept Physics & Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery etc... But all views my own
Translational ion channel research at its best. The 2025 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award goes to Michael Welsh, Tito González, and Paul Negulescu for their role in developing a novel drug treatment for cystic fibrosis.
Targeting cystic fibrosis where it counts
YouTube video by Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
youtu.be
September 13, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Translational ion channel research at its best. The 2025 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award goes to Michael Welsh, Tito González, and Paul Negulescu for their role in developing a novel drug treatment for cystic fibrosis.
Cocaine-activated ion channels... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology - Nature
Cocaine chemogenetics in rats is a selective approach for countering drug reinforcement by clamping dopamine release in the presence of cocaine.
www.nature.com
September 6, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Cocaine-activated ion channels... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fantastic to see @richardsever.bsky.social and John Inglis honoured with this award for their contribution to @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social and the way preprints have transfomed scientific communication in the biosciences.
Very honored to receive the Royal Society Research Culture Award - this represents the work of a great team who've worked non-stop since we launched bioRxiv in 2013 royalsociety.org/news/2025/08... www.cshl.edu/inglis-and-s...
Invisibility cloak pioneer Sir John Pendry awarded Royal Society’s top prize | Royal Society
The Royal Society announces the medals and awards recipients 2025
royalsociety.org
August 27, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Fantastic to see @richardsever.bsky.social and John Inglis honoured with this award for their contribution to @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social and the way preprints have transfomed scientific communication in the biosciences.
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Over 20 years after Julius’s lab and mine cloned TRPM8, it is rewarding to see this science helping patients. The TRPM8 agonist Tryptyr treats dry eye by increasing tear production. A reminder that NIH-funded curiosity-driven research translates to medicines.
tryptyr.myalcon.com?gad_source=1...
tryptyr.myalcon.com?gad_source=1...
TRYPTYR (acoltremon ophthalmic solution) 0.003% eye drops | Alcon US
TRYPTYR is a prescription eye drop used for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. See prescribing information, how to save, and more.
tryptyr.myalcon.com
August 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Over 20 years after Julius’s lab and mine cloned TRPM8, it is rewarding to see this science helping patients. The TRPM8 agonist Tryptyr treats dry eye by increasing tear production. A reminder that NIH-funded curiosity-driven research translates to medicines.
tryptyr.myalcon.com?gad_source=1...
tryptyr.myalcon.com?gad_source=1...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Very few people seem to understand university finances and, distressingly, this includes many academics and most policymakers. This is an attempt to condense the key points you need to know. open.substack.com/pub/profseri...
Understanding University Finances
... a very short guide
open.substack.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Very few people seem to understand university finances and, distressingly, this includes many academics and most policymakers. This is an attempt to condense the key points you need to know. open.substack.com/pub/profseri...
Our latest preprint on the mechanism of GqPCR regulation of TASK K2P channels. biorxiv.org/content/earl...
August 6, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Our latest preprint on the mechanism of GqPCR regulation of TASK K2P channels. biorxiv.org/content/earl...
Open to applicants currently based overseas, the Accelerated International Route provides up to £4 million over a five-year period to outstanding mid-career STEM researchers looking to relocate to the UK.
Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route | Royal Society
The Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route provides a fast-track option for attracting mid-career researchers looking to relocate to the UK from overseas, providing up to £4m ov...
royalsociety.org
July 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Open to applicants currently based overseas, the Accelerated International Route provides up to £4 million over a five-year period to outstanding mid-career STEM researchers looking to relocate to the UK.
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
New work from our lab. Structures of K2P6.1 (TWIK2) that yield a new and suprising perspective on how lipids affect K2P channels. Great work from Abishek Mondal and Sangeeta Niranjan in my lab.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
June 15, 2025 at 10:52 PM
New work from our lab. Structures of K2P6.1 (TWIK2) that yield a new and suprising perspective on how lipids affect K2P channels. Great work from Abishek Mondal and Sangeeta Niranjan in my lab.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
We are reviewing the current state of scientific publishing, and we want to hear from researchers on their perceptions of publishing in the current context and how it might develop in future. Complete our short survey now:
The Future of Scientific Publishing - survey
forms.royalsociety.org
June 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
We are reviewing the current state of scientific publishing, and we want to hear from researchers on their perceptions of publishing in the current context and how it might develop in future. Complete our short survey now:
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Fascinating new study on origin of thermosensitivity in TREK K2P channels....
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Thermosensitivity of TREK K2P channels is controlled by a PKA switch and depends on the microtubular network - Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology
Temperature sensing is an essential component of animal perception and enables individuals to avoid painful or lethal temperatures. Many temperature sensors in central and peripheral neurons are ion c...
link.springer.com
May 16, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Fascinating new study on origin of thermosensitivity in TREK K2P channels....
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Heard from a former (undergrad) student who just defended her PhD. Students: tell your old profs about your successes and achievements. It's not bragging, and we love to hear about it. It's one of the best parts of being an educator.
#academicsky
#academicsky
April 26, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Heard from a former (undergrad) student who just defended her PhD. Students: tell your old profs about your successes and achievements. It's not bragging, and we love to hear about it. It's one of the best parts of being an educator.
#academicsky
#academicsky
Fascinating new work and CryoEM structures from Stephen Long's group showing the BEST Cl- channel is regulated by extracellular GABA | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The pentameric chloride channel BEST1 is activated by extracellular GABA | PNAS
Bestrophin-1 (BEST1) is a chloride channel expressed in the eye and other tissues
of the body. A link between BEST1 and the principal inhibitory ne...
www.pnas.org
April 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Fascinating new work and CryoEM structures from Stephen Long's group showing the BEST Cl- channel is regulated by extracellular GABA | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Great work from colleagues @ndcnoxford.bsky.social describing structures of the human adult muscle-type nicotinic
receptor in resting and desensitized states.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
receptor in resting and desensitized states.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
April 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Great work from colleagues @ndcnoxford.bsky.social describing structures of the human adult muscle-type nicotinic
receptor in resting and desensitized states.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
receptor in resting and desensitized states.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine
April 23, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Friday night levity: Only my old professor Fred Menger could start an important paper this way and get away with it. He's always been a hoot, and a brilliant hoot to boot.
April 19, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Friday night levity: Only my old professor Fred Menger could start an important paper this way and get away with it. He's always been a hoot, and a brilliant hoot to boot.
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
At some point we need to have a discussion about the ethics of participation in press releases as scientists. From today’s K2-18b saga, Nikku Madhusudhan in the press release says ‘The signal came through loud and clear’ (1/n)
April 17, 2025 at 4:35 AM
At some point we need to have a discussion about the ethics of participation in press releases as scientists. From today’s K2-18b saga, Nikku Madhusudhan in the press release says ‘The signal came through loud and clear’ (1/n)
Two days of Ion Channels on the beautiful Hinxton Hall Genome Campus talking about the work from my team @kavlioxford.bsky.social #IonChannels25
March 31, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Two days of Ion Channels on the beautiful Hinxton Hall Genome Campus talking about the work from my team @kavlioxford.bsky.social #IonChannels25
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
New preprint! @tatilab.bsky.social imaged the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor. ~10% of insecticides target insect GABAA receptors. She found a new allosteric modulation pocket, a PIP2 site, a closed avermectin-bound conformation, and maybe an unusual desensitized state.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
March 27, 2025 at 7:51 AM
New preprint! @tatilab.bsky.social imaged the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor. ~10% of insecticides target insect GABAA receptors. She found a new allosteric modulation pocket, a PIP2 site, a closed avermectin-bound conformation, and maybe an unusual desensitized state.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
Here's our newest study: we reveal the molecular principles of neuronal excitation by glutamate, and how physiological temperatures influence this process.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
March 26, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Here's our newest study: we reveal the molecular principles of neuronal excitation by glutamate, and how physiological temperatures influence this process.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Led by @anish-mondal07.bsky.social, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com
Amazing new study on Kv channels and how sleep protects neuronal membranes against oxidative damage
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Sleep pressure accumulates in a voltage-gated lipid peroxidation memory - Nature
Sleep-inducing neurons in Drosophila rely on Hyperkinetic, the β-subunit of the KV1 channel Shaker, to monitor sleep need by translating lipid peroxidation events into changes in the oxidation state o...
www.nature.com
March 21, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Amazing new study on Kv channels and how sleep protects neuronal membranes against oxidative damage
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
(1 of 2) If you’re a researcher focused on basic science, chances are that you’ve received #SciComm advice to make your work relevant by discussing its possible applications. But what if your day-to-day work doesn't focus on areas with direct applications? publuu.com/flip-book/68...
Insights and Practical Considerations for Communicating Basic Science
Welcome to interactive presentation, created with Publuu. Enjoy the reading!
publuu.com
March 13, 2025 at 11:57 PM
(1 of 2) If you’re a researcher focused on basic science, chances are that you’ve received #SciComm advice to make your work relevant by discussing its possible applications. But what if your day-to-day work doesn't focus on areas with direct applications? publuu.com/flip-book/68...
Reposted by Stephen J. Tucker
"exciting to see this key piece of infrastructure really get the attention that it deserves" @katiecorker.bsky.social on the new non-profit that will run bioRxiv and medRxiv www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Preprint sites bioRxiv and medRxiv launch new era of independence
The popular repositories, where life scientists post research before peer review, will be managed by a new organization called openRxiv.
www.nature.com
March 11, 2025 at 2:39 PM
"exciting to see this key piece of infrastructure really get the attention that it deserves" @katiecorker.bsky.social on the new non-profit that will run bioRxiv and medRxiv www.nature.com/articles/d41...
openRxiv - the new home for bioRxiv and medRxiv
openRxiv has arrived!
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of openRxiv as an independent, researcher-led nonprofit to oversee bioRxiv and medRxiv, the world’s leading preprint servers for life and health sciences.
openrxiv.org/introducing-...
#openRxiv #OpenScience #Preprints #bioRxiv #medRxiv
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of openRxiv as an independent, researcher-led nonprofit to oversee bioRxiv and medRxiv, the world’s leading preprint servers for life and health sciences.
openrxiv.org/introducing-...
#openRxiv #OpenScience #Preprints #bioRxiv #medRxiv
March 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
openRxiv - the new home for bioRxiv and medRxiv