Edna Ondari

Photosensitizer-specific bacterial stress responses in Escherichia coli reveal distinct targets in photoinduced inactivation - Communications Biology Pathway-specific biosensors reveal distinct stress responses to photodynamic agents in E. coli, offering mechanistic insight into antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and guiding future therapeutic development.

Pathway-specific biosensors reveal distinct stress responses to photodynamic agents in E. coli, offering mechanistic insight into antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and guiding future therapeutic development. doi.org/10.1038/s420...

Medicine Nobel goes to scientists who revealed secrets of immune system ‘regulation’ Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi discovered cells that protect the body from autoimmune diseases.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists for discovering a class of immune cells that help to prevent the body from attacking its own tissues

go.nature.com/48QDdAJ

Since 2010, P. falciparum malaria parasites lacking pfhrp2 are spreading, nullifying the most widely used rapid diagnostic tests, threatening malaria control
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturemedicine.bsky.social @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social

Polymyxin B lethality requires energy-dependent outer membrane disruption - Nature Microbiology The antibiotic polymyxin B requires bacterial metabolic activity to cause sufficient damage to the outer membrane to access the inner membrane, which it permeabilizes via an energy-independent mechanism to kill the cell.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Agar Art Workshop Oct. 8-10, 2025. QR code linking to registration form

Curious about creating agar art? 🎨Join Assistant Prof. Sebahat Öztekin’s workshop at Bayburt University in Turkey (Oct. 8–10) to learn how it’s done! Then, submit your art to the ASM #AgarArt contest—open until Oct. 26. Register for the workshop if you're in the area! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Nominate a Ph.D. candidate, postdoc or lab-based researcher for IAI's newest series, "Emerging Voices in Microbiology" Deadline: Oct. 20.

Are you a PhD candidate, postdoc or lab-based researcher—or know someone whose work deserves recognition? 🌟 Nominate for possible inclusion in #IAIJournal’s 2026 Emerging Voices in Microbiology Minireview Collection! ⏰ Deadline is Oct. 20: asm.social/2Dm

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”

www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medic...

How nutrient starvation impacts the gut microbiome - Nature Microbiology In this Perspective, Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

for those who haven't figured it out yet: the 'central dogma' of molecular biology is ripe for revision, or at least for a major amendment. take our word! #MicroSky

#MicroSky: Microbial literacy!!!!: Integrating microbiology into secondary schools can boost STEM literacy, critical thinking & future readiness. It bridges science with innovation, preparing students to tackle global challenges sustainably. Explore Amorin et al in MBT doi.org/10.1111/1751...

Senegal rolls out “six-in-one” jab, making life easier for families and health workers The hexavalent vaccine – introduced into Senegal’s routine vaccination schedule in July – protects kids against six diseases with a single shot. That means fewer injections for babies, fewer clinic vi...

Senegal just introduced a single shot hexavalent vaccine which covers:
Tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b
www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...

International Microorganism Day The mission of International Microorganism Day on 17 September is to build and provide a platform for microbe lovers around their world to share their passion and knowledge. From health and food, to t...

www.internationalmicroorganismday.org

How a Kenyan community displaced for conservation now leads the effort How a Kenyan community displaced for conservation now leads the effort

Forced from their forest a decade ago, the Sengwer are now at the heart of a drive to restore native trees and protect vital water sources.

Bacteria displaying cytokines heat up the tumor microenvironment - Nature Biotechnology Escherichia coli engineered to display cytokines destroy hard-to-treat tumors by boosting the activity of local native and adoptive immune effector cells.

E. coli engineered to display cytokines destroy hard-to-treat tumors by boosting the activity of local native and adoptive immune effector cells #NBTNV go.nature.com/3XRyVSv
rdcu.be/dWuJ3

Safety and immunogenicity of the invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS)-GMMA vaccine: a first-in-human, randomised, dose escalation trial The iNTS-GMMA vaccine was immunogenic and did not show safety concerns precluding further development, supporting progression to further phase I and II clinical trials.

Safety and immunogenicity of the invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS)-GMMA vaccine: a first-in-human, randomised, dose escalation trial - eBioMedicine www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...

Single-cell analysis of genetically minimized Salmonella reveals effector gene cooperation in vivo - Nature Microbiology A minimal effector subset enables Salmonella Typhimurium to overcome bottlenecks regulated by the early innate immune response and establish infection within a CD62L+ monocyte niche in the spleen.

#NewResearch

This study uses Salmonella strains genetically engineered to express minimal effector subsets and mass cytometry to characterise infection of the spleen, revealing bottlenecks overcome by these effectors

#MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The strange history of the anti-vaccine movement Vaccine scepticism may seem like a new, growing movement. It’s probably a lot older than you think.

My comments with the BBC

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87

A huge loss to science.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...

The patent landscape of Chagas disease vaccines indicates major underinvestment in an emerging global health threat - Nature Biotechnology Considering the enormous human and economic toll Chagas disease inflicts, investment in R&D of medical innovations such as diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and vaccines remains disproportionately low.

The patent landscape of Chagas disease vaccines indicates major underinvestment in an emerging global health threat go.nature.com/4lqNXZ6

Metabolic reprogramming enhances the susceptibility of multidrug- and carbapenem-resistant bacteria to antibiotics - Nature Microbiology Metabolic reprogramming can induce a susceptible metabolic state in carbapenem- and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-resistant bacterial pathogens, thereby enhancing their sensitivity to antibiotics.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Why it's so challenging to develop vaccines for parasitic diseases The process of making vaccines for parasites is extremely challenging – but scientists might be on the cusp of major breakthroughs.

More on our efforts to develop new vaccines for neglected tropical diseases @bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Kenya achieves elimination of human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness as a public health problem The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the tenth country to reach t...

www.who.int/news/item/08...

The 60-year evolution of lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery - Nature Reviews Drug Discovery Lipid nanoparticle-based systems are increasingly being utilized for the delivery of nucleic acid-based vaccines and therapeutics. In this Perspective, Cullis and Felgner trace the evolution of these ...

For readers interested in lipid nanoparticles for delivery of nucleic acids, here's a Perspective by Cullis and Felgner
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
rdcu.be/ezlLM

Platform-based approaches for gene-editing therapies could markedly improve development efficiency, reduce costs and increase access for patients with rare diseases go.nature.com/4kCD1Y3
rdcu.be/ezpF3

Controlled colonization of the human gut with a genetically engineered microbial therapeutic Precision microbiome programming for therapeutic applications is limited by challenges in achieving reproducible colonic colonization. Previously, we created an exclusive niche that we used to engraft...

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Challenges and opportunities in mRNA vaccine development against bacteria - Nature Microbiology This Review reflects on the major challenges in bacterial mRNA vaccine design, provides strategies for tailoring mRNA construct design to promote humoral or cellular immunity, and provides an overview...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The immunology of asthma - Nature Immunology In this Review, the authors update us on the immunology and clinical options for treating asthma.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Peptidoglycan–outer membrane attachment generates periplasmic pressure to prevent lysis in Gram-negative bacteria - Nature Microbiology Outer membrane attachment to peptidoglycan enables periplasmic pressure to build up and counter cytoplasmic turgor pressure, preventing lysis during osmotic challenges in Escherichia coli.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Schematic overview of benchmarking approach, highlighting the optimized pipeline.

New in #JClinMicro! An optimized, streamlined nanopore-only workflow for epidemiologic analysis of bacterial pathogens, enabling outbreak analysis with performance comparable to that of Illumina short-read sequencing.
Get the details: asm.social/2wd

Single-cell image-based screens identify host regulators of Ebola virus infection dynamics - Nature Microbiology A single-cell resolution image-based genome-wide CRISPR screen, analysed with deep learning and random forest models, identified host factors regulating Ebola virus infection at distinct stages in the...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...