Luke Lavis
@rhodamine110.bsky.social
Chemist at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus. Passionate about designing, building, and giving away fluorescent dyes to illuminate biological systems. Striving to be positive about all things chemistry (except ChemDraw).
ORCID: 0000-0002-0789-6343
ORCID: 0000-0002-0789-6343
Got the last word in this great perspective on the state of fluorescent indicators in @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How genetically encoded sensors have lit up neuroscience
Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology — although important caveats remain.
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Got the last word in this great perspective on the state of fluorescent indicators in @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Luke Lavis
Registration for THE chemical biology conference of 2026 is now open! EMBO ChemBio 2026 in Heidelberg
DeGrado, Arikin, Picotti (Keynotes). @lmkdassama.bsky.social @brianliau.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social @benlehner.bsky.social @alitavassoli.bsky.social
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
DeGrado, Arikin, Picotti (Keynotes). @lmkdassama.bsky.social @brianliau.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social @benlehner.bsky.social @alitavassoli.bsky.social
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Chemical biology 2026
www.embl.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Registration for THE chemical biology conference of 2026 is now open! EMBO ChemBio 2026 in Heidelberg
DeGrado, Arikin, Picotti (Keynotes). @lmkdassama.bsky.social @brianliau.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social @benlehner.bsky.social @alitavassoli.bsky.social
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
DeGrado, Arikin, Picotti (Keynotes). @lmkdassama.bsky.social @brianliau.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social @benlehner.bsky.social @alitavassoli.bsky.social
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Cool paper using a new JF derivative to map synaptic proteins. And AI didn't like the generality of our general synthetic methods section (that we've used for years), so we expanded them from 2 succinct paragraphs to 1.5 gloriously unreadable pages. Better than Ambien. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Single-cell synaptome mapping of endogenous protein subpopulations in mammalian brain - Nature Communications
Synapses are diverse within a single neuron. Here, the authors present a method for single-cell synaptome imaging of endogenous protein subpopulations in the mouse brain, enabling spatial mapping of s...
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Cool paper using a new JF derivative to map synaptic proteins. And AI didn't like the generality of our general synthetic methods section (that we've used for years), so we expanded them from 2 succinct paragraphs to 1.5 gloriously unreadable pages. Better than Ambien. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A fantastic paper by my @hhmijanelia.bsky.social colleague and friend Heejun Choi (who is on the job market!). Another elegant use of the Janelia Fluor dyes for cellular imaging. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Secretome translation shaped by lysosomes and lunapark-marked ER junctions - Nature
Live-cell imaging of mRNA encoding secretome proteins and translated nascent peptide markers show that secretome translation occurs at endoplasmic reticulum junctions near lysosomes, requires lun...
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:24 PM
A fantastic paper by my @hhmijanelia.bsky.social colleague and friend Heejun Choi (who is on the job market!). Another elegant use of the Janelia Fluor dyes for cellular imaging. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Check out this cool method to quantify EV diffusion in vivo using the JF dyes! Awesome work by Ema Cocucci and coworkers. urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Exploring the Spatial Limits of Extracellular Vesicles‐Mediated Intercellular Communication
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biological nanovectors that retain molecular signatures of their cells of origin and mediate intercellular communication, resulting in ideal platforms for the develop....
urldefense.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Check out this cool method to quantify EV diffusion in vivo using the JF dyes! Awesome work by Ema Cocucci and coworkers. urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Outlook is autocorrecting "on:off ratio" to "on😯ff ratio" and I love it so much.
October 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Outlook is autocorrecting "on:off ratio" to "on😯ff ratio" and I love it so much.
Reposted by Luke Lavis
Very cool collaborative work between multiple groups across three institutions. Shoutout to @rhodamine110.bsky.social and his crew along with longtime @the.3i.social community @so-lets-kilab70.bsky.social for deploying 3i's #latticelightsheet for some particularly elegant chromatin microscopy. 🔥🔬🧠🧬🥽
October 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Very cool collaborative work between multiple groups across three institutions. Shoutout to @rhodamine110.bsky.social and his crew along with longtime @the.3i.social community @so-lets-kilab70.bsky.social for deploying 3i's #latticelightsheet for some particularly elegant chromatin microscopy. 🔥🔬🧠🧬🥽
Just upgraded to a Claude Enterprise account (thanks HHMI) and was playing with the Molecule studio artifact. Here is rhodamine 110, my BlueSky username. Looks like our jobs are safe for now!
October 28, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Just upgraded to a Claude Enterprise account (thanks HHMI) and was playing with the Molecule studio artifact. Here is rhodamine 110, my BlueSky username. Looks like our jobs are safe for now!
A new, nerdy paper. We figured out (some) of the rules underlying cell-permeability of probes and designed ligands that light up, grab, and move proteins around. Awesome @hhmijanelia.bsky.social x @uwmadison.bsky.social x @stjuderesearch.bsky.social collaboration! 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
October 27, 2025 at 9:43 PM
A new, nerdy paper. We figured out (some) of the rules underlying cell-permeability of probes and designed ligands that light up, grab, and move proteins around. Awesome @hhmijanelia.bsky.social x @uwmadison.bsky.social x @stjuderesearch.bsky.social collaboration! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Luke Lavis
📢 Applications are open for the 4th installment of our ChemTools conference.
We'll explore:
🧪 Platforms & tools for analyzing cell/tissue networks
⚡ Methods to perturb biological networks
🔍 Applications that yield new insights
🛏️ Lodging + meals covered
➡️ Apply by Dec 5: https://janelia.news/CHM26
We'll explore:
🧪 Platforms & tools for analyzing cell/tissue networks
⚡ Methods to perturb biological networks
🔍 Applications that yield new insights
🛏️ Lodging + meals covered
➡️ Apply by Dec 5: https://janelia.news/CHM26
September 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
📢 Applications are open for the 4th installment of our ChemTools conference.
We'll explore:
🧪 Platforms & tools for analyzing cell/tissue networks
⚡ Methods to perturb biological networks
🔍 Applications that yield new insights
🛏️ Lodging + meals covered
➡️ Apply by Dec 5: https://janelia.news/CHM26
We'll explore:
🧪 Platforms & tools for analyzing cell/tissue networks
⚡ Methods to perturb biological networks
🔍 Applications that yield new insights
🛏️ Lodging + meals covered
➡️ Apply by Dec 5: https://janelia.news/CHM26
PSA: If you are a #ChemDraw user on the Mac, they changed the font for the ACS Document 1996 style in the recent past; Helvetica to Arial. Watch out for vestigial Helvetica characters in figures, which some journal submission platforms *really* don't like.
a rainbow and a star with the words " make you know " on it
ALT: a rainbow and a star with the words " make you know " on it
media.tenor.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:59 PM
PSA: If you are a #ChemDraw user on the Mac, they changed the font for the ACS Document 1996 style in the recent past; Helvetica to Arial. Watch out for vestigial Helvetica characters in figures, which some journal submission platforms *really* don't like.
Reposted by Luke Lavis
My debut on BlueSky! Here’s how we harvest the firing of neurons to see them better in the living brain! 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Grateful for the amazing dyes from @rhodamine110.bsky.social and insightful suggestions from @adamezracohen.bsky.social !
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Grateful for the amazing dyes from @rhodamine110.bsky.social and insightful suggestions from @adamezracohen.bsky.social !
May 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
My debut on BlueSky! Here’s how we harvest the firing of neurons to see them better in the living brain! 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Grateful for the amazing dyes from @rhodamine110.bsky.social and insightful suggestions from @adamezracohen.bsky.social !
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Grateful for the amazing dyes from @rhodamine110.bsky.social and insightful suggestions from @adamezracohen.bsky.social !
Reposted by Luke Lavis
The sophomore outing for this revelatory conference is here! Join us for #OPTSRC for the latest in optical probes, which are crucial for biological imaging techniques. You'll meet organizers like @rhodamine110.bsky.social and more. View the agenda and save your space: buff.ly/LIRRF15
April 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The sophomore outing for this revelatory conference is here! Join us for #OPTSRC for the latest in optical probes, which are crucial for biological imaging techniques. You'll meet organizers like @rhodamine110.bsky.social and more. View the agenda and save your space: buff.ly/LIRRF15
We're looking for 1-2 enthusiastic early career chemists to join our Open Chemistry team at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social. Come help us create amazing dyes and share them with the world. Please share with the best recent/soon-to-be B.S. chemists you know! bit.ly/42w8C6N
Research Technician - Open Chemistry
Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. Summary: Open Chemistry is a collaborative research group whose missio...
bit.ly
April 11, 2025 at 7:27 PM
We're looking for 1-2 enthusiastic early career chemists to join our Open Chemistry team at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social. Come help us create amazing dyes and share them with the world. Please share with the best recent/soon-to-be B.S. chemists you know! bit.ly/42w8C6N
Reposted by Luke Lavis
Thanks Luke! Grateful for your good work kind sir. Thirty years ago, I remember crowding around the lightbox in awe with my Pharmingen R&D colleagues at the glowing BioColors vectors we had grown up after licensing from Roger Tsien's Lab down the street at UCSD where I was about to graduate. 🔬🧪🥽🔥🌈
a picture of luke skywalker with the words luke !!! above him
ALT: a picture of luke skywalker with the words luke !!! above him
media.tenor.com
April 3, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Thanks Luke! Grateful for your good work kind sir. Thirty years ago, I remember crowding around the lightbox in awe with my Pharmingen R&D colleagues at the glowing BioColors vectors we had grown up after licensing from Roger Tsien's Lab down the street at UCSD where I was about to graduate. 🔬🧪🥽🔥🌈
I’ve been a dye chemist for a quarter century! 25 years ago today I walked into this funky little company in Eugene, OR called Molecular Probes. My first task was making Alexa Fluor 633 and I never looked back. I am grateful for all my teachers and mentors along the way.
April 3, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I’ve been a dye chemist for a quarter century! 25 years ago today I walked into this funky little company in Eugene, OR called Molecular Probes. My first task was making Alexa Fluor 633 and I never looked back. I am grateful for all my teachers and mentors along the way.
Honored to help enable two back-to-back papers in @natureneuro.bsky.social; first DELTA www.nature.com/articles/s41... with collaborators at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social and then EPSILON www.nature.com/articles/s41... with @adamezracohen.bsky.social; @dyerfulchymist.bsky.social is always in the mix!
DELTA: a method for brain-wide measurement of synaptic protein turnover reveals localized plasticity during learning - Nature Neuroscience
Researchers developed DELTA, a method for brain-wide measurement of synaptic protein turnover with single-synapse resolution, providing a powerful tool to localize and study mechanisms underlying syna...
www.nature.com
April 1, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Honored to help enable two back-to-back papers in @natureneuro.bsky.social; first DELTA www.nature.com/articles/s41... with collaborators at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social and then EPSILON www.nature.com/articles/s41... with @adamezracohen.bsky.social; @dyerfulchymist.bsky.social is always in the mix!
Reposted by Luke Lavis
🥼 Janelia researchers led by @boazmohar.bsky.social @nspruston.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social & @svoboda314.bsky.social @alleninstitute.bsky.social have developed a new imaging tool that maps brain-wide changes in neuronal connections. 🧠
🔗 www.janelia.org/news/new-ima...
🔗 www.janelia.org/news/new-ima...
March 31, 2025 at 12:44 PM
🥼 Janelia researchers led by @boazmohar.bsky.social @nspruston.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social & @svoboda314.bsky.social @alleninstitute.bsky.social have developed a new imaging tool that maps brain-wide changes in neuronal connections. 🧠
🔗 www.janelia.org/news/new-ima...
🔗 www.janelia.org/news/new-ima...
A little nugget of whimsy: Apple Music has these “lyrics” for the Star Wars main theme (from ESB).
March 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM
A little nugget of whimsy: Apple Music has these “lyrics” for the Star Wars main theme (from ESB).
You know you're getting old when your Organic Chemistry Lab TA training partner from the first week of grad school is now an editor at @acs.org (does this mean I have to click 'Accept' @pomerantz.bsky.social?)
March 28, 2025 at 6:05 PM
You know you're getting old when your Organic Chemistry Lab TA training partner from the first week of grad school is now an editor at @acs.org (does this mean I have to click 'Accept' @pomerantz.bsky.social?)
How it started: About eight years ago Bob Tjian ("Tij") and I sat in the back of cab in San Francisco and discussed the crazy idea of using live-cell single-molecule tracking for high-throughput drug screening.
How it's going:
How it's going:
March 28, 2025 at 4:55 PM
How it started: About eight years ago Bob Tjian ("Tij") and I sat in the back of cab in San Francisco and discussed the crazy idea of using live-cell single-molecule tracking for high-throughput drug screening.
How it's going:
How it's going:
Hey #chemsky and beyond, with all that is going on, I am curious what expensive, high margin molecules we could provide to the community for free. What things do you use all the time, cost way too much, and would make a difference? Alexa Fluor 488 NHS? Other dyes? Other molecule?
March 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Hey #chemsky and beyond, with all that is going on, I am curious what expensive, high margin molecules we could provide to the community for free. What things do you use all the time, cost way too much, and would make a difference? Alexa Fluor 488 NHS? Other dyes? Other molecule?
Had a blast writing this piece celebrating the latest paper in @pubs.acs.org from @ellensletten.bsky.social and Ellen’s general awesomeness. My 11-year old daughter was my coauthor! (try to find all the Easter Eggs) pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Stars by the Pocketful
SWIR dyes─The Eras Tour. This love story between chemistry and biology shines.
pubs.acs.org
February 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Had a blast writing this piece celebrating the latest paper in @pubs.acs.org from @ellensletten.bsky.social and Ellen’s general awesomeness. My 11-year old daughter was my coauthor! (try to find all the Easter Eggs) pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
I love that sodium borate resulted in the protection of some of the most beautiful coastline on the planet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_...
December 30, 2024 at 9:11 PM
I love that sodium borate resulted in the protection of some of the most beautiful coastline on the planet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_...