@johnboom.bsky.social
MD/PhD Student @Columbia. I develop AI tools to engineer biology and medicine.
Reposted
Reading our medical school newsletter has become more depressing of late. As in the past, the articles highlight groundbreaking research done at Wisconsin, but now they have statements like “next steps…are on hold due to budget cuts at the National Institute of Health.
August 16, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Reading our medical school newsletter has become more depressing of late. As in the past, the articles highlight groundbreaking research done at Wisconsin, but now they have statements like “next steps…are on hold due to budget cuts at the National Institute of Health.
Reposted
When public media disappears, so do the stories that bring us together.
With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.
If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq
With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.
If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq
August 3, 2025 at 3:24 PM
When public media disappears, so do the stories that bring us together.
With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.
If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq
With federal funding eliminated, millions may lose their last trusted source of news and connection.
If that matters to you, now’s the time to act. Donate: n.pr/458sOhq
Reposted
In 1965, Margaret Dayhoff published the Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, which collated the 65 proteins whose amino acid sequences were then known.
Inspired by that Atlas, today we are releasing the Dayhoff Atlas of protein sequence data and protein language models.
Inspired by that Atlas, today we are releasing the Dayhoff Atlas of protein sequence data and protein language models.
July 25, 2025 at 10:05 PM
In 1965, Margaret Dayhoff published the Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, which collated the 65 proteins whose amino acid sequences were then known.
Inspired by that Atlas, today we are releasing the Dayhoff Atlas of protein sequence data and protein language models.
Inspired by that Atlas, today we are releasing the Dayhoff Atlas of protein sequence data and protein language models.
Reposted
Reposted
🚨 New paper 🚨 RNA modeling just got its own Gym! 🏋️ Introducing RNAGym, large-scale benchmarks for RNA fitness and structure prediction.
🧵 1/9
🧵 1/9
June 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
🚨 New paper 🚨 RNA modeling just got its own Gym! 🏋️ Introducing RNAGym, large-scale benchmarks for RNA fitness and structure prediction.
🧵 1/9
🧵 1/9
Reposted
Reposted
Article in JAMA talking about the potential impact of the proposed focus on biomedical research funding based on current actions.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe
This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...
jamanetwork.com
June 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Article in JAMA talking about the potential impact of the proposed focus on biomedical research funding based on current actions.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted
1/ Yesterday, the FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary, and his new advisor, Vinay Prasad, unveiled a major shift in U.S. Covid-19 vaccine policy. Their bottom line: Going forward, #Covid-19vaccines will only be recommended for people over 65 or with at least one chronic condition. 🧵
May 21, 2025 at 2:10 PM
1/ Yesterday, the FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary, and his new advisor, Vinay Prasad, unveiled a major shift in U.S. Covid-19 vaccine policy. Their bottom line: Going forward, #Covid-19vaccines will only be recommended for people over 65 or with at least one chronic condition. 🧵
Reposted
So this is MAHA???
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
May 14, 2025 at 2:22 AM
So this is MAHA???
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted
Equivariance is dead - long live equivariance? Scaling pure Transformers is the future of molecular generative models?
I think its a lot more nuanced -- I tried to give some perspectives in my spotlight talk at #ICLR2025 AI4Mat Workshop last week
Full video here: youtu.be/NiY4NLzemnU?...
I think its a lot more nuanced -- I tried to give some perspectives in my spotlight talk at #ICLR2025 AI4Mat Workshop last week
Full video here: youtu.be/NiY4NLzemnU?...
All-atom Diffusion Transformers - Chaitanya K. Joshi - ICLR 2025 AI4Mat Spotlight
YouTube video by Chaitanya K. Joshi
youtu.be
May 5, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Equivariance is dead - long live equivariance? Scaling pure Transformers is the future of molecular generative models?
I think its a lot more nuanced -- I tried to give some perspectives in my spotlight talk at #ICLR2025 AI4Mat Workshop last week
Full video here: youtu.be/NiY4NLzemnU?...
I think its a lot more nuanced -- I tried to give some perspectives in my spotlight talk at #ICLR2025 AI4Mat Workshop last week
Full video here: youtu.be/NiY4NLzemnU?...
Reposted
Reposted
This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.
Pass it on!
Pass it on!
April 21, 2025 at 1:06 PM
This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.
Pass it on!
Pass it on!
Reposted
A look back at what vaccines have done.
April 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
A look back at what vaccines have done.
Reposted
MIT following Harvard's lead here
April 15, 2025 at 1:07 AM
MIT following Harvard's lead here
Reposted
p-Tau217 is a breakthrough blood test that can predict and may help prevent Alzheimer's disease.
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-breakt...
Here's the rundown on it. Free, open-access.
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-breakt...
Here's the rundown on it. Free, open-access.
The Breakthrough Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease
The p-Tau217 Biomarker for Prediction and Prevention
erictopol.substack.com
April 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
p-Tau217 is a breakthrough blood test that can predict and may help prevent Alzheimer's disease.
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-breakt...
Here's the rundown on it. Free, open-access.
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-breakt...
Here's the rundown on it. Free, open-access.
Reposted
A high polygenic risk score (PRS) for screening prostate cancer was superior to a PSA test or MRI for detecting clinically significant disease (Gleason ≥7). A big step forward for supporting utility of PRS @nejm.org
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Assessment of a Polygenic Risk Score in Screening for Prostate Cancer | NEJM
The incidence of prostate cancer is increasing. Screening with an assay of prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) has a high rate for false positive results. Genomewide association studies
have identified...
www.nejm.org
April 9, 2025 at 9:25 PM
A high polygenic risk score (PRS) for screening prostate cancer was superior to a PSA test or MRI for detecting clinically significant disease (Gleason ≥7). A big step forward for supporting utility of PRS @nejm.org
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted
When biomedical science and global health face existential threat, by @daltmann.bsky.social @angierasmussen.bsky.social @natrevimmunol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"The attack on some of us is an attack on all of us, and we must stand together."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"The attack on some of us is an attack on all of us, and we must stand together."
April 9, 2025 at 9:46 PM
When biomedical science and global health face existential threat, by @daltmann.bsky.social @angierasmussen.bsky.social @natrevimmunol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"The attack on some of us is an attack on all of us, and we must stand together."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"The attack on some of us is an attack on all of us, and we must stand together."
Reposted
Reposted
Hours after posting in support of measles vaccines, RFK Jr. praised two doctors who have criticized vaccines and tout alternative treatments.
One called the outbreak “God’s version of measles immunization.” The other was disciplined by medical regulators in 2003
One called the outbreak “God’s version of measles immunization.” The other was disciplined by medical regulators in 2003
April 7, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Hours after posting in support of measles vaccines, RFK Jr. praised two doctors who have criticized vaccines and tout alternative treatments.
One called the outbreak “God’s version of measles immunization.” The other was disciplined by medical regulators in 2003
One called the outbreak “God’s version of measles immunization.” The other was disciplined by medical regulators in 2003
Reposted
BREAKING: We're suing the National Institutes of Health over their politically-motivated purge of research grants.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
April 2, 2025 at 8:03 PM
BREAKING: We're suing the National Institutes of Health over their politically-motivated purge of research grants.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.
Reposted
Cory Booker just gave the longest speech in the history of Congress and concluded by apologizing to everyone who had to stay up all night keeping the chamber open and operating.
April 2, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Cory Booker just gave the longest speech in the history of Congress and concluded by apologizing to everyone who had to stay up all night keeping the chamber open and operating.
Reposted
Thank you Senator Cory Booker. This guy truly cares about the people he represents.
"I don't want a Disney vacation of our history! I don't a whitewashed history, I don't want a homogenized history. Tell me the wretched truth about America, because that speaks to our greatness" -- 20 hours into his speech, Cory Booker is spitting absolute 🔥
April 1, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Thank you Senator Cory Booker. This guy truly cares about the people he represents.
Reposted
Trump has cut the NIH budget by more than half in defiance of Congressionally mandated appropriations for the agency. No comparison historically, not even the Great Recession. This is clearly not legal and Congress needs to address it.
March 30, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Trump has cut the NIH budget by more than half in defiance of Congressionally mandated appropriations for the agency. No comparison historically, not even the Great Recession. This is clearly not legal and Congress needs to address it.
Reposted
"Grant termination letters went out last night to principal investigators of 29 awards made by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.., including 9 grants that were part of a program hoping to deliver antiviral drugs to prevent future pandemics."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Saying ‘pandemic is over,’ NIH starts cutting COVID-19 research
Grant terminations halt research on improving vaccinations and preventing future pandemics
www.science.org
March 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
"Grant termination letters went out last night to principal investigators of 29 awards made by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.., including 9 grants that were part of a program hoping to deliver antiviral drugs to prevent future pandemics."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted
Small proteins can be more complex than they look!
We know proteins fluctuate between different conformations- but by how much? How does it vary from protein to protein? Can highly stable domains have low stability segments? @ajrferrari.bsky.social experimentally tested >5,000 domains to find out!
We know proteins fluctuate between different conformations- but by how much? How does it vary from protein to protein? Can highly stable domains have low stability segments? @ajrferrari.bsky.social experimentally tested >5,000 domains to find out!
March 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Small proteins can be more complex than they look!
We know proteins fluctuate between different conformations- but by how much? How does it vary from protein to protein? Can highly stable domains have low stability segments? @ajrferrari.bsky.social experimentally tested >5,000 domains to find out!
We know proteins fluctuate between different conformations- but by how much? How does it vary from protein to protein? Can highly stable domains have low stability segments? @ajrferrari.bsky.social experimentally tested >5,000 domains to find out!