Spyros Lytras
@spyroslytras.bsky.social
Incoming PI at Institut Pasteur 🇫🇷
Current: Evolutionary Virologist based at the University of Tokyo 🇯🇵
💻🦠🏳️🌈
Current: Evolutionary Virologist based at the University of Tokyo 🇯🇵
💻🦠🏳️🌈
Pinned
Guess the news is officially out! Extremely excited to announce that I will be starting my own laboratory at Institut Pasteur @pasteur.fr this coming spring!
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
Great to be teaching about structural predictions and metagenomic discovery of diverse viruses at @virus-metagenomics.bsky.social !
And even greater to be visiting sunny Stellenbosch! ☀️☀️
And even greater to be visiting sunny Stellenbosch! ☀️☀️
November 21, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Great to be teaching about structural predictions and metagenomic discovery of diverse viruses at @virus-metagenomics.bsky.social !
And even greater to be visiting sunny Stellenbosch! ☀️☀️
And even greater to be visiting sunny Stellenbosch! ☀️☀️
Guess the news is officially out! Extremely excited to announce that I will be starting my own laboratory at Institut Pasteur @pasteur.fr this coming spring!
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
November 15, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Guess the news is officially out! Extremely excited to announce that I will be starting my own laboratory at Institut Pasteur @pasteur.fr this coming spring!
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
Slight change to my office window view from Tokyo Tower🗼 to the Tour Eiffel. 🇫🇷
Great to have you over Mahan!!! 😁😁😁 A very fun trip and the start of some exciting science collabs soon! 👀👀
Had an absolutely wonderful few days at #JSV72 in Hamamatsu & IMSUT in Tokyo.
Huge thanks to @shusukekawakubo.bsky.social, @shigeru0701.bsky.social, @spyroslytras.bsky.social & everyone in the @systemsvirology.bsky.social lab for being such brilliant hosts. Japan has been an amazing experience 🇯🇵✨
Huge thanks to @shusukekawakubo.bsky.social, @shigeru0701.bsky.social, @spyroslytras.bsky.social & everyone in the @systemsvirology.bsky.social lab for being such brilliant hosts. Japan has been an amazing experience 🇯🇵✨
November 4, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Great to have you over Mahan!!! 😁😁😁 A very fun trip and the start of some exciting science collabs soon! 👀👀
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
New paper out in iScience @cellpress.bsky.social
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
New paper out in iScience @cellpress.bsky.social
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
New preprint alert!! 🚨🚨🚨in collaboration with the Letko @fviromics.bsky.social and Baric labs!
Just in case you're tired of sarbecoviruses, this time we looked at ACE2-using merbecoviruses! specifically the first HKU5r-CoVs detected in mink a couple of years ago.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Just in case you're tired of sarbecoviruses, this time we looked at ACE2-using merbecoviruses! specifically the first HKU5r-CoVs detected in mink a couple of years ago.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Structural and phenotypic plasticity of the RBD loop2 region is a key determinant for HKU5r-CoVs’ emergence in mink
The emergence of novel coronaviruses from animal reservoirs continues to pose a significant zoonotic threat. Here, we investigate the evolutionary origins and virological properties of a recently repo...
www.biorxiv.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:07 AM
New preprint alert!! 🚨🚨🚨in collaboration with the Letko @fviromics.bsky.social and Baric labs!
Just in case you're tired of sarbecoviruses, this time we looked at ACE2-using merbecoviruses! specifically the first HKU5r-CoVs detected in mink a couple of years ago.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Just in case you're tired of sarbecoviruses, this time we looked at ACE2-using merbecoviruses! specifically the first HKU5r-CoVs detected in mink a couple of years ago.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
🎉 Fletcher lab PhD student Emma Davies reflecting on her prize winning talk - we’re super proud of you Emma - many congrats! 🎉
@cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgsii.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social
@cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgsii.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social
Huge congratulations to Emma Davis, the winner of 2025's Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prize! We agree with Emma that all of the finalists' talks were brilliant and a massive well done to everyone involved!
October 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
🎉 Fletcher lab PhD student Emma Davies reflecting on her prize winning talk - we’re super proud of you Emma - many congrats! 🎉
@cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgsii.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social
@cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgsii.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
Huge congratulations to Emma Davis, the winner of 2025's Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prize! We agree with Emma that all of the finalists' talks were brilliant and a massive well done to everyone involved!
October 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Huge congratulations to Emma Davis, the winner of 2025's Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prize! We agree with Emma that all of the finalists' talks were brilliant and a massive well done to everyone involved!
what a fantastic ted talk!! for those of you who haven't heard of "sociovirology" before or still wonder why it might be important this is the video to watch! 😁
I gave a talk last year at TEDxNewEngland aimed at introducing the idea of viral sociality to a general audience, including implications for evolution & virology. Video now available online below.
#socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪
#socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪
The social lives of viruses | Asher Leeks | TEDxNewEngland
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
www.youtube.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:38 AM
what a fantastic ted talk!! for those of you who haven't heard of "sociovirology" before or still wonder why it might be important this is the video to watch! 😁
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
Interesting interview of @peterdaszak.bsky.social by @nicolascgrey.bsky.social on the personal consequences of having become a public villain in a set of conspiracy theories
www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...
www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...
October 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Interesting interview of @peterdaszak.bsky.social by @nicolascgrey.bsky.social on the personal consequences of having become a public villain in a set of conspiracy theories
www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...
www.thisrobotdreaming.com/blog/intervi...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
🚨 New Web Resource Alert! 🚨 We're delighted to share Viro3D a database of >85000 viral protein structure predictions from >4400 human & animal viruses.
🔗 viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
@molsystbiol.org @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social #Virology #AlphaFold 🧪 🦠
🔗 viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
@molsystbiol.org @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social #Virology #AlphaFold 🧪 🦠
Viro3D
viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
September 26, 2025 at 11:36 AM
🚨 New Web Resource Alert! 🚨 We're delighted to share Viro3D a database of >85000 viral protein structure predictions from >4400 human & animal viruses.
🔗 viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
@molsystbiol.org @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social #Virology #AlphaFold 🧪 🦠
🔗 viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
@molsystbiol.org @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofgmvls.bsky.social #Virology #AlphaFold 🧪 🦠
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
Viro3D paper is out! We predicted 85,000 protein structures from human & animal viruses. 1/5 🧵
📑 Paper doi.org/10.1038/s443...
🔭 Explore virosphere viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📑 Paper doi.org/10.1038/s443...
🔭 Explore virosphere viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
Viro3D: a comprehensive database of virus protein structure predictions | Molecular Systems Biology
imageimageViro3D provides proteome-level, high confidence AI-protein structure predictions for
>4,400 viruses, allowing mapping of form and function across the human and animal
virosphere. Viro3D i...
doi.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Viro3D paper is out! We predicted 85,000 protein structures from human & animal viruses. 1/5 🧵
📑 Paper doi.org/10.1038/s443...
🔭 Explore virosphere viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
📑 Paper doi.org/10.1038/s443...
🔭 Explore virosphere viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk
New exciting resource published!! The Viro3D paper is out, describing our comprehensive database of predicted virus protein structures! 💻🧬
Work with @ulad-litvin.bsky.social , @grovearmada.bsky.social , Alex Jack, @bljog.bsky.social , @davidlrobertson.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Work with @ulad-litvin.bsky.social , @grovearmada.bsky.social , Alex Jack, @bljog.bsky.social , @davidlrobertson.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Viro3D: a comprehensive database of virus protein structure predictions | Molecular Systems Biology
imageimageViro3D provides proteome-level, high confidence AI-protein structure predictions for
>4,400 viruses, allowing mapping of form and function across the human and animal
virosphere. Viro3D i...
www.embopress.org
September 28, 2025 at 5:39 AM
New exciting resource published!! The Viro3D paper is out, describing our comprehensive database of predicted virus protein structures! 💻🧬
Work with @ulad-litvin.bsky.social , @grovearmada.bsky.social , Alex Jack, @bljog.bsky.social , @davidlrobertson.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Work with @ulad-litvin.bsky.social , @grovearmada.bsky.social , Alex Jack, @bljog.bsky.social , @davidlrobertson.bsky.social
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
#RECOMB2026 will be in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 26-29, 2026. Satellites on May 24-25. Save the date!
Το συνέδριο #RECOMB2026 θα πραγματοποιηθεί στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στις 26-29 Μαΐου 2026. Οι δορυφορικές εκδηλώσεις θα διεξαχθούν στις 24-25 Μαΐου 2026. Σημειώστε την ημερομηνία!
Το συνέδριο #RECOMB2026 θα πραγματοποιηθεί στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στις 26-29 Μαΐου 2026. Οι δορυφορικές εκδηλώσεις θα διεξαχθούν στις 24-25 Μαΐου 2026. Σημειώστε την ημερομηνία!
September 26, 2025 at 3:03 PM
#RECOMB2026 will be in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 26-29, 2026. Satellites on May 24-25. Save the date!
Το συνέδριο #RECOMB2026 θα πραγματοποιηθεί στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στις 26-29 Μαΐου 2026. Οι δορυφορικές εκδηλώσεις θα διεξαχθούν στις 24-25 Μαΐου 2026. Σημειώστε την ημερομηνία!
Το συνέδριο #RECOMB2026 θα πραγματοποιηθεί στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στις 26-29 Μαΐου 2026. Οι δορυφορικές εκδηλώσεις θα διεξαχθούν στις 24-25 Μαΐου 2026. Σημειώστε την ημερομηνία!
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
My understanding is that the situation for H1B visa holders outside the US today is urgent: if a current H-1B holder seeks entry into the U.S. after 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, it is too late to avoid the fee—entry will be restricted without the newly-imposed $100,000 employer payment.
September 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
My understanding is that the situation for H1B visa holders outside the US today is urgent: if a current H-1B holder seeks entry into the U.S. after 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, it is too late to avoid the fee—entry will be restricted without the newly-imposed $100,000 employer payment.
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
New paper from @naturehealthglobal.bsky.social scientists identifies extensive spillover risk of an under-researched group of coronaviruses in China and Southeast Asia. 🧵
naturehealthglobal.org/new-paper-id...
naturehealthglobal.org/new-paper-id...
New Paper Identifies Widespread Risk Of Coronavirus Spillover In Pigs And People Across Southeast Asia And China - Nature.Health.Global
A new scientific paper from Nature Health Global scientists identifies widespread spillover risk of a group of coronaviruses in China and Southeast Asia.
naturehealthglobal.org
August 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM
New paper from @naturehealthglobal.bsky.social scientists identifies extensive spillover risk of an under-researched group of coronaviruses in China and Southeast Asia. 🧵
naturehealthglobal.org/new-paper-id...
naturehealthglobal.org/new-paper-id...
Arrived in gorgeous cote d' azur just in time for the first day on the European Meeting on Viral Zoonoses!
Aside from enjoying the weather and the wine I'll also be presenting some exciting (and still unpublished) work on novel sarbecovirus discovery! 🍷🏖️🦇
Aside from enjoying the weather and the wine I'll also be presenting some exciting (and still unpublished) work on novel sarbecovirus discovery! 🍷🏖️🦇
September 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Arrived in gorgeous cote d' azur just in time for the first day on the European Meeting on Viral Zoonoses!
Aside from enjoying the weather and the wine I'll also be presenting some exciting (and still unpublished) work on novel sarbecovirus discovery! 🍷🏖️🦇
Aside from enjoying the weather and the wine I'll also be presenting some exciting (and still unpublished) work on novel sarbecovirus discovery! 🍷🏖️🦇
Great to have this one published @cp-cellreports.bsky.social !! Some sarbecoviruses can use more ACE2 orthologs than others. The reason? A few sites in the RBD modulating the receptor usage of these viruses throughout their evolution! Worth a read 👇👇👇
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Molecular basis of sarbecovirus evolution and receptor tropism in natural hosts, potential intermediate hosts, and humans
Kosugi et al. elucidate sarbecovirus evolution and ACE2 receptor tropism in natural
hosts (12 Rhinolophus bat species), potential intermediate hosts (civets and raccoon
dogs), and humans using a pseud...
www.cell.com
September 20, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Great to have this one published @cp-cellreports.bsky.social !! Some sarbecoviruses can use more ACE2 orthologs than others. The reason? A few sites in the RBD modulating the receptor usage of these viruses throughout their evolution! Worth a read 👇👇👇
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
Dr. @angierasmussen.bsky.social breaking down current policies and the anti-vaccine trends/rhetoric within the US that will lead to significant global health ramifications - #19vaccinecongress
September 8, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Dr. @angierasmussen.bsky.social breaking down current policies and the anti-vaccine trends/rhetoric within the US that will lead to significant global health ramifications - #19vaccinecongress
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
At Vaccine, our editorial team is united to defend and support immunization and vaccine science around the world. I am so proud & honored to stand alongside these outstanding scientists & clinicians to prevent disease & save lives with integrity & courage.
September 7, 2025 at 6:57 AM
At Vaccine, our editorial team is united to defend and support immunization and vaccine science around the world. I am so proud & honored to stand alongside these outstanding scientists & clinicians to prevent disease & save lives with integrity & courage.
Great to be at Elsevier's 19th Vaccine Congress in beautiful Kyoto! 💉💉
An exceptionally important topic to global health, especially in the current political climate...
An exceptionally important topic to global health, especially in the current political climate...
September 7, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Great to be at Elsevier's 19th Vaccine Congress in beautiful Kyoto! 💉💉
An exceptionally important topic to global health, especially in the current political climate...
An exceptionally important topic to global health, especially in the current political climate...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
This summer's raging wildfires in Spain are the red spike in this graph. atmosphere.copernicus.eu/copernicus-i...
August 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
This summer's raging wildfires in Spain are the red spike in this graph. atmosphere.copernicus.eu/copernicus-i...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
The shooting at CDC was domestic terrorism. It was instigated by the HHS Secretary's years-long campaign against an agency he oversees.
open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...
open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...
When Dissent Becomes Domestic Terrorism
The call is coming from inside HHS
open.substack.com
August 12, 2025 at 12:28 AM
The shooting at CDC was domestic terrorism. It was instigated by the HHS Secretary's years-long campaign against an agency he oversees.
open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...
open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...
Fantastic work George et al!!!!
Stoked to finally have a preprint out for Phold, our tool that uses protein structural information to enhance phage genome annotation #phagesky 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Protein Structure Informed Bacteriophage Genome Annotation with Phold
Bacteriophage (phage) genome annotation is essential for understanding their functional potential and suitability for use as therapeutic agents. Here we introduce Phold, an annotation framework utilis...
www.biorxiv.org
August 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Fantastic work George et al!!!!
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
I also put together an extra ColabFold formatted database of nearly 130M phage proteins that can be used to make better viral protein structure predictions github.com/gbouras13/co...
GitHub - gbouras13/colabfoldv: Augmented Local MSA Generation for Phage and Viral Proteins using the ColabFold Framework
Augmented Local MSA Generation for Phage and Viral Proteins using the ColabFold Framework - gbouras13/colabfoldv
github.com
August 8, 2025 at 7:14 AM
I also put together an extra ColabFold formatted database of nearly 130M phage proteins that can be used to make better viral protein structure predictions github.com/gbouras13/co...
Reposted by Spyros Lytras
c) With Phold we released more than 3M phage protein structure predictions (see the preprint for bulk download links), including a ColabFold generated proteome for each unique genus in INPHARED. We will make these more user-friendly soon.
For now see linsalrob.github.io/PHROG_struct...
For now see linsalrob.github.io/PHROG_struct...
PHROG Structure Gallery
linsalrob.github.io
August 8, 2025 at 7:13 AM
c) With Phold we released more than 3M phage protein structure predictions (see the preprint for bulk download links), including a ColabFold generated proteome for each unique genus in INPHARED. We will make these more user-friendly soon.
For now see linsalrob.github.io/PHROG_struct...
For now see linsalrob.github.io/PHROG_struct...