Tom Ellis
@proftomellis.bsky.social
Synthetic Biology & Synthetic Genomics @ Imperial College London and the Sanger Institute. Bilingual in English and DNA. Views are either my own or my microbes'
Pinned
Tom Ellis
@proftomellis.bsky.social
· Oct 23
A new review paper from our lab courtesy of @jazzsynbio.bsky.social is published in Trends in Biotechnology
In this review, we look at the many opportunities for synthetic biology to be used in the research and applications of Holobionts.
In this review, we look at the many opportunities for synthetic biology to be used in the research and applications of Holobionts.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
December 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
Reposted by Tom Ellis
New preprint! 🐝 We engineered a bacterial biosensor to reveal micron-scale arabinose gradients in the honeybee gut. Congratulations to Audam and all co-authors. Great collaboration with @pengellab.bsky.social as part of the NCCR Microbiomes at @fbm-unil.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Engineered symbiont biosensor maps micron-scale sugar gradients in the honeybee gut
The honeybee gut microbiota plays a key role in shaping host health and susceptibility to disease. Yet, the nutrient environment it experiences within the gut remains poorly characterized. In particul...
www.biorxiv.org
December 17, 2025 at 9:14 AM
New preprint! 🐝 We engineered a bacterial biosensor to reveal micron-scale arabinose gradients in the honeybee gut. Congratulations to Audam and all co-authors. Great collaboration with @pengellab.bsky.social as part of the NCCR Microbiomes at @fbm-unil.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A long standing goal in synthetic biology is ‘PURE makes PURE’ - effectively the start of self-replicating biology in a tube from just adding biochemicals and DNA instructions. This looks like a promising breakthrough from the Maerkl lab. 👀
PURE makes PURE: reconstitution of the PURE cell-free system from self-synthesized non-ribosomal proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.17.694911v1
December 18, 2025 at 5:38 AM
A long standing goal in synthetic biology is ‘PURE makes PURE’ - effectively the start of self-replicating biology in a tube from just adding biochemicals and DNA instructions. This looks like a promising breakthrough from the Maerkl lab. 👀
Reposted by Tom Ellis
So you think your mammalian plasmids have nothing to fear from cloning and propagation in E.coli?
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides reveals sequence-encoded interactions that govern plasmid propagation
Plasmids are central to modern biotechnology, especially therapeutic development, yet their propagation in Escherichia coli remains difficult to predict. Although expression-induced burden is well und...
doi.org
December 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
So you think your mammalian plasmids have nothing to fear from cloning and propagation in E.coli?
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
New work from Francesca Ceroni's mammalian #synbio group - really cool study by Tom Copeman with input from AstraZeneca. I've been lucky to be part of this one.
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides reveals sequence-encoded interactions that govern plasmid propagation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.15.694402v1
December 17, 2025 at 6:28 AM
New work from Francesca Ceroni's mammalian #synbio group - really cool study by Tom Copeman with input from AstraZeneca. I've been lucky to be part of this one.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Just when you thought we’d be safe from mirror life, then they come up with backwards life.
December 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Just when you thought we’d be safe from mirror life, then they come up with backwards life.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Why Grandma, what big emdashes you have
IN DEPTH | If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
www.independent.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Why Grandma, what big emdashes you have
Congratulations to Dr Oliver Hernandez Fernandez who passed his PhD viva exam on Friday after 4 years at Imperial co-supervised by myself, Naomi Nakayama and Vahid Shahrezaei.
December 8, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Congratulations to Dr Oliver Hernandez Fernandez who passed his PhD viva exam on Friday after 4 years at Imperial co-supervised by myself, Naomi Nakayama and Vahid Shahrezaei.
Great talk today at VISTEC from Thapakorn Jaroentomeechai whose setting up his SynGlyco Lab at Mahidol University in Bangkok 🇹🇭 - great use of synbio and cell-free systems to study and apply glycobiolgy.
December 8, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Great talk today at VISTEC from Thapakorn Jaroentomeechai whose setting up his SynGlyco Lab at Mahidol University in Bangkok 🇹🇭 - great use of synbio and cell-free systems to study and apply glycobiolgy.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Using prime editing to generate large deletions across the human genome
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Generating long deletions across the genome with pooled paired prime editing screens
Engineered deletions are a powerful probe for studying genome architecture, function, and regulation. Yet, the lack of effective methods to create them in large numbers and at multi-kilobase scale has...
www.biorxiv.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Using prime editing to generate large deletions across the human genome
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today marks my first day at VISTEC in Rayong 🇹🇭 - warm hosts for my sabbatical in Thailand 🙏🏻 My family and I will be spending time here and Bangkok over the next 8 months making connections and collaborations in synthetic biology and living materials work.
November 18, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Today marks my first day at VISTEC in Rayong 🇹🇭 - warm hosts for my sabbatical in Thailand 🙏🏻 My family and I will be spending time here and Bangkok over the next 8 months making connections and collaborations in synthetic biology and living materials work.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
🎄 Join us 6pm Thurs. Dec. 4 at Imperial!
🧬 How to build a protein
Noah Sprent (Change Bio)
🦠 Engineering altruism: How metabolic exchanges shape synthetic microbial communities in bio-manufacturing
Diego Ruiz (Ledesma-Amaro Lab / Imperial)
t.co/4tHIVGUJzc
🧬 How to build a protein
Noah Sprent (Change Bio)
🦠 Engineering altruism: How metabolic exchanges shape synthetic microbial communities in bio-manufacturing
Diego Ruiz (Ledesma-Amaro Lab / Imperial)
t.co/4tHIVGUJzc
https://events.humanitix.com/london-synbio-network-12
t.co
November 17, 2025 at 12:10 PM
🎄 Join us 6pm Thurs. Dec. 4 at Imperial!
🧬 How to build a protein
Noah Sprent (Change Bio)
🦠 Engineering altruism: How metabolic exchanges shape synthetic microbial communities in bio-manufacturing
Diego Ruiz (Ledesma-Amaro Lab / Imperial)
t.co/4tHIVGUJzc
🧬 How to build a protein
Noah Sprent (Change Bio)
🦠 Engineering altruism: How metabolic exchanges shape synthetic microbial communities in bio-manufacturing
Diego Ruiz (Ledesma-Amaro Lab / Imperial)
t.co/4tHIVGUJzc
Join us and these amazing speakers next March'26 at Synthetic Biology for Health and Sustainability - an international conference held at the Wellcome Genome campus near Cambridge UK.
Abstracts deadline: December 1st, 2025
Register here - x.com/gallowaylabm...
Abstracts deadline: December 1st, 2025
Register here - x.com/gallowaylabm...
November 17, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Join us and these amazing speakers next March'26 at Synthetic Biology for Health and Sustainability - an international conference held at the Wellcome Genome campus near Cambridge UK.
Abstracts deadline: December 1st, 2025
Register here - x.com/gallowaylabm...
Abstracts deadline: December 1st, 2025
Register here - x.com/gallowaylabm...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
An artificial flower design toolkit
November 17, 2025 at 11:32 AM
An artificial flower design toolkit
Reposted by Tom Ellis
#Lichens form their complex thalli through a partnership involving at least a fungus and an alga. But can these living structures be rebuilt in vitro? For more than a century, people have tried. With @spribille.bsky.social we revisited 150 years of #lichen #resynthesis to ask: has anyone succeeded?
November 7, 2025 at 2:07 AM
#Lichens form their complex thalli through a partnership involving at least a fungus and an alga. But can these living structures be rebuilt in vitro? For more than a century, people have tried. With @spribille.bsky.social we revisited 150 years of #lichen #resynthesis to ask: has anyone succeeded?
Reposted by Tom Ellis
@sacrozhangt.bsky.social and I wrote a commentary on Jordi van Gestel and Carol Gross's latest paper, check it out!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sadly, the Editors at PNAS rejected our initial introduction, which was a David Attenborough style voice over of the microbial Serengeti (included below)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sadly, the Editors at PNAS rejected our initial introduction, which was a David Attenborough style voice over of the microbial Serengeti (included below)
November 13, 2025 at 2:54 PM
@sacrozhangt.bsky.social and I wrote a commentary on Jordi van Gestel and Carol Gross's latest paper, check it out!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sadly, the Editors at PNAS rejected our initial introduction, which was a David Attenborough style voice over of the microbial Serengeti (included below)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sadly, the Editors at PNAS rejected our initial introduction, which was a David Attenborough style voice over of the microbial Serengeti (included below)
Was interesting to hear today about the annual “SynBio Challenges” competition that has got going in China as a cheaper/free alternative to iGEM - m.synbiochallenges.com/application/...
November 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Was interesting to hear today about the annual “SynBio Challenges” competition that has got going in China as a cheaper/free alternative to iGEM - m.synbiochallenges.com/application/...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Share your synthetic based-biology insights at #SynBio26!
We welcome contributions from experts in biotech, genomics, computational, plant, or medical sciences to showcase the impact of advances in engineering biology on agriculture, personalised medicine, and diagnostics.
📎 bit.ly/3ZaYdwH
We welcome contributions from experts in biotech, genomics, computational, plant, or medical sciences to showcase the impact of advances in engineering biology on agriculture, personalised medicine, and diagnostics.
📎 bit.ly/3ZaYdwH
September 18, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Share your synthetic based-biology insights at #SynBio26!
We welcome contributions from experts in biotech, genomics, computational, plant, or medical sciences to showcase the impact of advances in engineering biology on agriculture, personalised medicine, and diagnostics.
📎 bit.ly/3ZaYdwH
We welcome contributions from experts in biotech, genomics, computational, plant, or medical sciences to showcase the impact of advances in engineering biology on agriculture, personalised medicine, and diagnostics.
📎 bit.ly/3ZaYdwH
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Meet our speakers for #SynBio26 🌟
Field experts will provide fascinating insights on how synthetic based-biology innovations are transforming human health and planetary sustainability.
Submit an abstract by 1 December 2025 - bursaries available
📎 bit.ly/43nlbBW
#ALife ⚙️🧫
Field experts will provide fascinating insights on how synthetic based-biology innovations are transforming human health and planetary sustainability.
Submit an abstract by 1 December 2025 - bursaries available
📎 bit.ly/43nlbBW
#ALife ⚙️🧫
October 15, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Meet our speakers for #SynBio26 🌟
Field experts will provide fascinating insights on how synthetic based-biology innovations are transforming human health and planetary sustainability.
Submit an abstract by 1 December 2025 - bursaries available
📎 bit.ly/43nlbBW
#ALife ⚙️🧫
Field experts will provide fascinating insights on how synthetic based-biology innovations are transforming human health and planetary sustainability.
Submit an abstract by 1 December 2025 - bursaries available
📎 bit.ly/43nlbBW
#ALife ⚙️🧫
Why is George Pig carrying a bacteria?
November 4, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Why is George Pig carrying a bacteria?
Reposted by Tom Ellis
A comprehensive genetic toolkit for Zymomonas mobilis; allowing rapid, high-resolution, combinatorial engineering of metabolic pathways. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685439v1
October 31, 2025 at 2:04 AM
A comprehensive genetic toolkit for Zymomonas mobilis; allowing rapid, high-resolution, combinatorial engineering of metabolic pathways. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685439v1
DISCARD - The aim is to combine gene segments to create a new genome, but recombination events will cause localised or system-wide death.
October 28, 2025 at 10:28 AM
DISCARD - The aim is to combine gene segments to create a new genome, but recombination events will cause localised or system-wide death.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
TRANCERs: Engineering enhancers into autonomous tissue-specific expression cassettes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.27.684763v1
October 27, 2025 at 9:05 PM
TRANCERs: Engineering enhancers into autonomous tissue-specific expression cassettes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.27.684763v1