Andreas Panagopoulos

Amazing news Martin!!! Huge congratulations 👏👏👏

Human RPA is an essential telomerase processivity factor for maintaining telomeres Telomerase counteracts telomere shortening by repeatedly adding DNA repeats to chromosome ends. We identified the replication protein A (RPA) heterotrimer as a telomerase processivity factor critical ...

Our paper in Science is out! @souravagrawal.bsky.social, @rlynn.bsky.social, @susvirkar.bsky.social, and the rest of the team show human RPA is a telomerase processivity factor essential for telomere maintenance. This reshapes our thinking about telomerase regulation. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

FIGNL1 inhibits homologous recombination in BRCA2 deficient cells by dissociating RAD51 filaments Homologous recombination (HR) deficiency upon Breast Cancer Gene 2 (BRCA2) loss arises from defects in the formation of RAD51 nucleoprotein filaments. We demonstrate that loss of the anti-recombinase ...

Want to know how homologous recombination defects are caused upon loss of BRCA2? Check out our recent efforts in uncovering this phenomenon just out in Science!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Among the anti-recombinases, FIGNL1 rules them all. So much that inactivating it brings BRCA2-deficient cells to life. Who is responsible for RAD51 loading without BRCA2/FIGNL1, check out the paper to find out! Great collaboration with @raychaudhurilab.bsky.social

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

🧬 Excited to share Nicheformer out now in Nature Methods!

A transformer foundation model linking single-cell & spatial omics, learning spatial context from gene expression to map tissue organization.

Led by Ale Tejada & Anna Schaar 👏
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Amazing work! Congratulations 👏👏👏

Very happy to share our latest work extending iterative immunofluorescence to in toto imaging of early zebrafish embryos (3D-4i), integrated with a 3D-dedicated image analysis pipeline! 🐟🔬📊
Huge kudos to Max Hess for this PhD milestone! 💪
@lucaspelkmans.bsky.social shorturl.at/cO0u7
Let's zoom in!

Can an AI tool help us better understand the origins of cancer?

Researchers from EMBL's Korbel Group have developed a new AI method – MAGIC – which, through a game of molecular laser tag, is shedding light on how chromosomal abnormalities form in cells.

www.embl.org/news/science...

For the love of frontier research, or why Elon’s rockets keep blowing up | EMBO reports EMBO Press is an editorially independent publishing platform for the development of EMBO scientific publications.

Nektarios Tavernarakis on why curiosity-driven research, not focusing on application, is fundamental to problem solving and requires government support in @emboreports.org doi.org/10.1038/s443...

📢 Excited to share that our study has just been published in Nature Communications! We uncover how CRL4-DCAF12 regulates the cellular levels of MCMBP, a chaperone essential for assembling nascent MCM2-7 complexes, to ensure accurate and error-free genome duplication.

Directed evolution of compact RNA-guided nucleases for homology-directed repair in mammalian cells RNA-guided nucleases enable DNA editing and offer promise for treating genetic diseases, particularly when used for precise sequence replacement. However, many of the most effective enzymes, such as S...

Sometimes #Cas9 is too dang big. But mini Cas proteins are bad at both NHEJ & HDR. PhD student Fedor Gorbenko used mammalian cell evolution for *HDR* to make REALLY super #Cas12f1 and #TnpB. As good as or better than Cas9! Base editors included! www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2025.10.27.684765v1

See our paper “Mechanism of trinucleotide repeat expansion by MutSβ-MutLγ and contraction by FAN1”. Using biochemistry, we show how DNA incisions by the MutLγ nuclease can lead to expansions, and how expansion is prevented by FAN1. Well done Issam and Valentina!

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

🚀 Our new Science paper is out (w/ B DeMeo, D Burkhardt, A Shalek, M Cortes): www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We show that active learning + transcriptomic perturbations can guide which exps to run next, boosting phenotypic hit rates >13x. AI not just predicting bio, but designing it. 🔁

Cell-stereotyped DNA repair outcomes are widespread during genome editing Genome editing outcomes are governed by DNA repair pathways that vary with cell type and state. We developed scOUT-seq (single-cell Outcomes Using Transcript sequencing), a scalable approach that join...

Ever noticed that #CRISPR editing results differ between cells? Awesome PhD student Moritz Schlapansky developed "scOUT-seq" to measure single cell transcriptomes + editing. 1.2 million cells, 74 cell types, living 🐭. Cell subtypes differ wildly from bulk average! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The CRG PhD call is open! 🌟
A truly special place, world-class facilities, an inspiring community, and a training team that really cares about helping each student reach their full potential.
My lab will be recruiting (moving next year), as will many amazing new colleagues!
#CRGPhD2026 #CRGBarcelona

People with some cancers live longer after a COVID vaccine mRNA vaccines seem to boost the effectiveness of an immune therapy for skin and lung cancer ― in an unexpected way.

People with some cancers live longer after COVID vaccination 😮

mRNA vaccines can augment immune checkpoint inhibition efficacy for patients with skin or lung cancers - by globally boosting immune responses 💉🧪⚕️

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Grippen et al study:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

On that note: hello world! My new lab on genetics of proteome remodeling is starting at the incredible MPI-CBG. We have big plans and open positions for PhD students and an RA. Apply now (!) at imprs.mpi-cbg.de and tinyurl.com/2vywj6f6 respectively.

Looking forward, I am launching my lab in the @mitkochinstitute.bsky.social and IMES at @mit.edu, and will continue studying how the unique regulatory landscape of ecDNA enables tumor evolution. We're looking for creative scientists to push this frontier - if you're interested, get in touch!

Two back-to-back stories on mitosis led by my incredible postdoc @krunovuk.bsky.social at @institutrb.bsky.social, in which we challenge the gliding model of CENP-E-driven chromosome congression! Today in @natcomms.nature.com
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Enhancer activation from transposable elements in extrachromosomal DNA - Nature Cell Biology Kraft, Murphy, Jones et al. identify extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA)-interacting elements (EIEs) enriched for transposable elements within ecDNA in colorectal cancer cells. They show that EIE 14 integrat...

Here, we show that the unique regulatory landscape of ecDNA enables an ancient LINE to resurrect and act as an enhancer of Myc. This was so fun with @katerinakraft.bsky.social and @mattjones.bsky.social and others. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our collab w. V Goel, @nicholas-aboreden.bsky.social , J Jusuf, G Blobel, L Mirny, @irate-physicist.bsky.social out in @natsmb.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Was co-submitted with @allanaschooley.bsky.social @jobdekker.bsky.social whose paper should also come out soon

Brief thread 👇

If you are interested in a PhD in the area of "Mechanisms of Genome Stability" and "Functional Genomics of Proteome Remodelling," apply now for a PhD @mpi-cbg.de! Overview of all participating RGLs: imprs.mpi-cbg.de/5761/researc...

Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...

1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?

Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Studentships and PhD training We have two core PhD programmes - traditional and transdisciplinary. Our PhD students are registered with Imperial and are embedded in our dedicated research facility.

We’re offering a 4y MRC PhD studentship with Fadri Martinez-Perez @mrc-lms.bsky.social Check it out!

lms.mrc.ac.uk/work-and-stu...

Super excited about first Shendure/Baker Lab collaboration & preprint on a multiplex sequencing-based strategy for screening de novo proteome editors in mammalian cells. Kudos to the brilliant Chase Suiter (not here) & @greenahn.bsky.social on the work! Preprint here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Deep generative modeling of sample-level heterogeneity in single-cell genomics - Nature Methods MrVI, based on deep generative modelling, is a unified framework for integrative, exploratory and comparative analyses of large-scale (multi-sample) single-cell RNA-seq datasets.

MrVI, based on deep generative modeling, is a unified framework for integrative, exploratory, and comparative analyses of large-scale (multi-sample) single-cell RNA-seq datasets. @justjhong.bsky.social @canergen.bsky.social @elhamazizi.bsky.social

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

Genetic elements promote retention of extrachromosomal DNA in cancer cells Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is a prevalent and devastating form of oncogene amplification in cancer. Circular megabase-sized ecDNAs lack centromeres and segregate stochastically during cell division ...

Oncogenes are often copy-number amplified on extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in cancer. But how is ecDNA inherited by dividing cancer cells? In this preprint, we identify elements within ecDNA that promote its retention in dividing cells. 1/11
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

mitochondria from bipolar patients are closer to the nucleus in these images; control patients' are spread out further

15 years in the making, we confirmed that mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell - have an unusual localization in patients who experience psychosis (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders). You’ll never guess what kind of patient cells we used to make this discovery… 🧵

Just out in @science.org: Together with the lab of @wilhelmpalm.bsky.social, we used sequential in-vitro/in-vivo CRISPR screens to decipher metabolic adaptations in tumors. We find that acidosis is a dominant factor that shapes energy metabolism and stress resilience. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Distinct ATRX functions cooperate with 9-1-1 and CST complexes to safeguard replication and telomere integrity Mutations in the ATRX chromatin remodeller predispose to a developmental genetic disorder and cancer, but how it safeguards genome and telomere stability remains unresolved. Here, we uncover critical ...

🧬 Preprint alert!

"Distinct ATRX functions cooperate with 9-1-1 and CST complexes to safeguard replication and telomere integrity."

Read the manuscript here 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...