Robin Bon
@rsbon.bsky.social
Scientist, dad, carer. Interested in chemistry, biology, drug discovery, music and satire. Views my own.
Reposted by Robin Bon
The bureaucracy of science has grown so much, the system is collapsing upon itself:
Scientists have become administrators of grants rather than spending time on science.
Paid administrators are demanding even more administrative work from scientists.
Administrators are eating the science budget.
Scientists have become administrators of grants rather than spending time on science.
Paid administrators are demanding even more administrative work from scientists.
Administrators are eating the science budget.
February 3, 2026 at 6:52 PM
The bureaucracy of science has grown so much, the system is collapsing upon itself:
Scientists have become administrators of grants rather than spending time on science.
Paid administrators are demanding even more administrative work from scientists.
Administrators are eating the science budget.
Scientists have become administrators of grants rather than spending time on science.
Paid administrators are demanding even more administrative work from scientists.
Administrators are eating the science budget.
Reposted by Robin Bon
Pick a color to control TRP channels - Check out the associated News & Views by Jana Volaric and Wiktor Szymanski on photoswitchable compounds that can agonize or antagonize TRPC4/5 channels depending on the color of light used
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Pick a color to control TRP channels - Nature Chemical Biology
Ideal efficacy photoswitching is introduced as a concept in controlling protein activity with light. Largely independent of the concentration of a light-responsive compound, it enables TRPC4 and TRPC5...
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Pick a color to control TRP channels - Check out the associated News & Views by Jana Volaric and Wiktor Szymanski on photoswitchable compounds that can agonize or antagonize TRPC4/5 channels depending on the color of light used
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Very happy that our group has been able to contribute to this fantastic study. @astburycentre.bsky.social @astbury-bsl.bsky.social
A new paper by @thornsesholdlab.bsky.social reports photoswitchable ligands with wavelength-dependent, and concentration-independent, control of TRPC4/5 channels in live tissues
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ideal efficacy photoswitching for chromocontrol of TRPC4/5 channel functions in live tissues - Nature Chemical Biology
Using chemical photoswitchable reagents to exert purely wavelength-dependent control over biological systems in deep tissue and in vivo requires a concentration-independent design paradigm. Here, such...
www.nature.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Very happy that our group has been able to contribute to this fantastic study. @astburycentre.bsky.social @astbury-bsl.bsky.social
Reposted by Robin Bon
Time to sign up!
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
January 16, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Time to sign up!
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Had a great time at the first @rsc.org Peptide & Protein Science Group symposium. Thanks for organising @mitchellchem.bsky.social @louislukpeptide.bsky.social and Louise Walport. I hope there will be many more.
December 16, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Had a great time at the first @rsc.org Peptide & Protein Science Group symposium. Thanks for organising @mitchellchem.bsky.social @louislukpeptide.bsky.social and Louise Walport. I hope there will be many more.
Reposted by Robin Bon
The latest from an honored member of the Royal Society. Every week he attacks the foundations of society in the UK and the EU and @royalsociety.org is apparently too worried about retribution to do anything about it.
December 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The latest from an honored member of the Royal Society. Every week he attacks the foundations of society in the UK and the EU and @royalsociety.org is apparently too worried about retribution to do anything about it.
The MRC DiMeN DTP welcomes applications from well-qualified international candidates, but the number of places for these students is extremely limited.
For questions not covered on the MRC DiMeN DTP web site or in the advert, please contact me by email through the link in the FindAPhD advert.
For questions not covered on the MRC DiMeN DTP web site or in the advert, please contact me by email through the link in the FindAPhD advert.
November 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM
The MRC DiMeN DTP welcomes applications from well-qualified international candidates, but the number of places for these students is extremely limited.
For questions not covered on the MRC DiMeN DTP web site or in the advert, please contact me by email through the link in the FindAPhD advert.
For questions not covered on the MRC DiMeN DTP web site or in the advert, please contact me by email through the link in the FindAPhD advert.
Applications need to be made to the MRC DiMeN DTP: www.dimen.org.uk. Applications by email cannot be considered.
While training in all aspects of the project will be provided, previous experience of synthetic chemistry research is desirable.
While training in all aspects of the project will be provided, previous experience of synthetic chemistry research is desirable.
HOME | DiMeN DTP
Utilising the combined expertise of five world-leading institutions, the Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN) partnership will train the next generation of researchers to tackle the major health problems ...
www.dimen.org.uk
November 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Applications need to be made to the MRC DiMeN DTP: www.dimen.org.uk. Applications by email cannot be considered.
While training in all aspects of the project will be provided, previous experience of synthetic chemistry research is desirable.
While training in all aspects of the project will be provided, previous experience of synthetic chemistry research is desirable.
We are looking for a PhD student in #chembio / #medchem to help progress our drug discovery project targeting incurable brain cancers.
lnkd.in/eaGsgWVr
You would use multi-parameter optimisation to improve drug leads and develop chemical probes to identify their (off-)targets and binding sites.
lnkd.in/eaGsgWVr
You would use multi-parameter optimisation to improve drug leads and develop chemical probes to identify their (off-)targets and binding sites.
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
November 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM
We are looking for a PhD student in #chembio / #medchem to help progress our drug discovery project targeting incurable brain cancers.
lnkd.in/eaGsgWVr
You would use multi-parameter optimisation to improve drug leads and develop chemical probes to identify their (off-)targets and binding sites.
lnkd.in/eaGsgWVr
You would use multi-parameter optimisation to improve drug leads and develop chemical probes to identify their (off-)targets and binding sites.
Powerful messages about the opportunity to learn much more about these channels by studying structural dependence on various factors such as temperature and membrane environment. Experimental structural biology is far from finished!
October 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Powerful messages about the opportunity to learn much more about these channels by studying structural dependence on various factors such as temperature and membrane environment. Experimental structural biology is far from finished!
Thanks to the @proteinsociety.bsky.social for organising an excellent virtual seminar on structural biology of #TRPchannels at different temperatures. Inspiring talks by Alexander Sobolevsky, Juan Du and David Julius, chaired by Yifan Cheng.
October 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Thanks to the @proteinsociety.bsky.social for organising an excellent virtual seminar on structural biology of #TRPchannels at different temperatures. Inspiring talks by Alexander Sobolevsky, Juan Du and David Julius, chaired by Yifan Cheng.
Congratulations to former PhD student Dr Aidan Johnson on winning the VC Jordan/PR Radford Prize 2025 for the best @astburycentre.bsky.social PhD thesis.
Also congratulations to PhD student Catalina Onel on passing her transfer viva yesterday.
Also congratulations to PhD student Catalina Onel on passing her transfer viva yesterday.
September 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Congratulations to former PhD student Dr Aidan Johnson on winning the VC Jordan/PR Radford Prize 2025 for the best @astburycentre.bsky.social PhD thesis.
Also congratulations to PhD student Catalina Onel on passing her transfer viva yesterday.
Also congratulations to PhD student Catalina Onel on passing her transfer viva yesterday.
Reposted by Robin Bon
It is very nearly the tenth anniversary of that brief moment when, for 2 or 3 days, British newspapers remembered refugees are desperate human beings who need our help, rather than scum that it's okay to threaten with violence.
August 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM
It is very nearly the tenth anniversary of that brief moment when, for 2 or 3 days, British newspapers remembered refugees are desperate human beings who need our help, rather than scum that it's okay to threaten with violence.
Reposted by Robin Bon
Great opportunity to perform a #PhD in the field of #OrganicChemistry or #CellBiology / #Biochemistry with a great mentor in the group of Steven Verhelst (@verhelstlab.bsky.social) at KU Leuven!
#ChemBio #Academia
#ChemBio #Academia
My lab has two open positions! One in Organic Chemistry (focus on carbohydrates), one in Cell Biology/Biochemistry. Deadline Sept 3rd, 2025!
PhD student Organic Synthesis: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student Cell Biology/Biochemistry: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student Organic Synthesis: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student Cell Biology/Biochemistry: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student in Organic Synthesis
Organic synthesis in chemical biology project
www.kuleuven.be
August 12, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Great opportunity to perform a #PhD in the field of #OrganicChemistry or #CellBiology / #Biochemistry with a great mentor in the group of Steven Verhelst (@verhelstlab.bsky.social) at KU Leuven!
#ChemBio #Academia
#ChemBio #Academia
Reposted by Robin Bon
No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot guess the journal withe the highest “impact factor” in organic chemistry last year. Really. Nor will you guess many of the other “winners”:
Journal Impact Nonsense
www.science.org
August 14, 2025 at 6:32 PM
No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot guess the journal withe the highest “impact factor” in organic chemistry last year. Really. Nor will you guess many of the other “winners”:
Reposted by Robin Bon
(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.09.663840v1
July 13, 2025 at 4:18 AM
(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.09.663840v1
We thank our BBSRC @ukri.org, @thebhf.bsky.social, @wellcometrust.bsky.social, @royalsociety.org, @universityofleeds.bsky.social, and the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic for funding, and the incredible @astbury-bsl.bsky.social for facilities and support.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation
TRPC4/5 cation channels are polymodal cellular sensors that play key roles in signal transduction/integration and have been implicated in various human pathologies, including anxiety, pain and cardiom...
www.biorxiv.org
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
We thank our BBSRC @ukri.org, @thebhf.bsky.social, @wellcometrust.bsky.social, @royalsociety.org, @universityofleeds.bsky.social, and the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic for funding, and the incredible @astbury-bsl.bsky.social for facilities and support.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This work was led by #cryoEM wizard Seb Porav, in a fantastic collaboration with Sasha Ptakova, @claudiabauer.bsky.social, @kasiahammond.bsky.social, David Beech, Viki Vlachova and @stemuench.bsky.social.
@astburycentre.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @iphys-cas.bsky.social
@astburycentre.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @iphys-cas.bsky.social
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
This work was led by #cryoEM wizard Seb Porav, in a fantastic collaboration with Sasha Ptakova, @claudiabauer.bsky.social, @kasiahammond.bsky.social, David Beech, Viki Vlachova and @stemuench.bsky.social.
@astburycentre.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @iphys-cas.bsky.social
@astburycentre.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @iphys-cas.bsky.social
In summary, we believe that this work represents a leap forward in understanding the #MolecularPharmacology of TRPC1/4/5 channels that will prove instrumental in TRPC1/4/5 drug discovery programmes.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
In summary, we believe that this work represents a leap forward in understanding the #MolecularPharmacology of TRPC1/4/5 channels that will prove instrumental in TRPC1/4/5 drug discovery programmes.
In addition, our analyses allow us to rationalise the selectivity of EA with respect to related ion channels, as well as the pharmacological profile of TRPC1/4/5 inhibitors in ongoing clinical trials.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
In addition, our analyses allow us to rationalise the selectivity of EA with respect to related ion channels, as well as the pharmacological profile of TRPC1/4/5 inhibitors in ongoing clinical trials.
Structural similarity between TRPC1, TRPC4 and TRPC5, and the conservation of the EA binding site, suggest that our results extrapolate more generally to the TRPC1/4/5 sub-family – an emerging class of therapeutic targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders, cardiometabolic disease and pain.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Structural similarity between TRPC1, TRPC4 and TRPC5, and the conservation of the EA binding site, suggest that our results extrapolate more generally to the TRPC1/4/5 sub-family – an emerging class of therapeutic targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders, cardiometabolic disease and pain.
We show that EA binds to a conserved lipid binding site between TRPC5 transmembrane domains and alters the aromatic interaction network of Phe520 with surrounding methionine residues. This work underscores the critical function of Met-aromatic motifs in ion channel #StructuralBiology and function.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
We show that EA binds to a conserved lipid binding site between TRPC5 transmembrane domains and alters the aromatic interaction network of Phe520 with surrounding methionine residues. This work underscores the critical function of Met-aromatic motifs in ion channel #StructuralBiology and function.
We present nine new, high-resolution cryoEM structures of the human #TRPC5 #IonChannel in various states that reveal where and how EA binds to TRPC5 and - in combination with functional studies of TRPC5 variants - allow us to understand key molecular rearrangements related to channel gating.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
We present nine new, high-resolution cryoEM structures of the human #TRPC5 #IonChannel in various states that reveal where and how EA binds to TRPC5 and - in combination with functional studies of TRPC5 variants - allow us to understand key molecular rearrangements related to channel gating.
#TRPchannels mediate cellular responses to various #NaturalProducts. #EnglerinA (EA), found in a plant used as a traditional medicine and a poison, is a potent and selective TRPC1/4/5 activator. However, how EA interacts with these channels has remained a mystery – until now.
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
#TRPchannels mediate cellular responses to various #NaturalProducts. #EnglerinA (EA), found in a plant used as a traditional medicine and a poison, is a potent and selective TRPC1/4/5 activator. However, how EA interacts with these channels has remained a mystery – until now.
We are proud to share our latest preprint: "(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation".
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
July 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
We are proud to share our latest preprint: "(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation".
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...