Slavov Laboratory

Six years on from this perspective: science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The technology has rapidly advanced and spread beyond a few pioneering labs.

I am excited for the next phase, when the technology will increasingly enable mechanistic investigations & discoveries.

🚀

Here is a robust biochemical & functional difference between young and old mammalian cells:

- The fraction of new amino acids incorporated into proteins.

The difference is consistent, quantitative, cell-type specific, and deeply intriguing.

What aging mechanisms cause it ?

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At the same time, some proteins are very long-lived. Some persist as long as the organism itself.

Protein lifetimes range from minutes to decades:
that's a dynamic range of ~6,000,000-fold.

Lifetimes vary across cell types & states, and these dynamics are essential to life!

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hashFrag aims to partition data with minimal leakage and thus improve estimates of model performance.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A recurrent theme in ML:
◼️ Poorly trained models appear to excel at predictions.

"Because the sequence and its function are inexorably linked, even a maximally overfit model with no understanding of gene regulation can predict the expression of sequences that are similar to its training data."

Molecular features of human pathological tau distinguish tauopathy-associated dementias The FLEXITau platform provides detailed, quantitative, peptide-resolved molecular maps of tau for six tauopathies, as well as symptomatic and asymptomatic controls. The data identify disease-specific ...

Molecular features of human pathological tau distinguish tauopathy-associated dementias

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www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Post-translational protein modifications underpin protein functions and dysfunctions.

=> Naturally, proteoforms enable molecular disease stratification.

This resource article maps 145 PTMs and 195 cleavage sites on tau and uses them as biomarkers for tauopathies.

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I’m grateful to be named a COE Distinguished Professor by Northeastern University.

This recognition reflects the support, collaboration, and creativity of many students, and colleagues over the years. I’m thankful to be part of a community that values rigorous science, and mentorship.

Discussing research with the innovators beats scrolling a feed.

If you’re in single-cell biology, proteomics, mass spec tech, or computational biology, join our next meeting this July.

#SCP2026

Single-cell proteomics is moving past descriptive snapshots to quantitative models of cellular regulation and biological mechanisms.

Come to #Boston this July to shape the next chapter and have your voice heard.

Abstract deadline: Apr 1, 2026.

single-cell.net/proteomics/s...

Proteins made to die Protein synthesis is among the most energy-demanding processes in a cell. Yet, some proteins are synthesized and immediately degraded. This may seem like a futile cycle, but it’s a remarkable…

Protein degradation is often considered a final step in gene expression regulation, but it also regulates the first step: Transcription

Many TFs, including p53, HIF-1α and c-Myc, are regulated by 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥:
⬛️ It has a key advantage.

blog.slavovlab.net/2025/08/16/p...

Transformative discoveries, such as restriction enzymes, yeast cell-cycle mutants and CRISPR–Cas9, were once considered simply oddities of nature.

Let’s adopt more humility about predicting impact, which can truly be known only in retrospect.

Happy and successful 2026 !

It will be a productive one for single-cell proteomics.

single-cell.net/proteomics/s...

We should create a culture that encourages and stimulates creativity, mentoring and supporting the growth of young researchers towards creative intellectuals.

Links to the code, data and more supporting information are available at the supporting website:

scp.slavovlab.net/Iwamoto-Stoh...

Our latest article is out in Cell !

Together with the Zernicka-Goetz lab, we show that fertilization triggers proteomic asymmetry in mammalian zygotes, giving rise to alpha vs. beta 2-cell blastomeres with distinct developmental potential.

cell.com/cell/fulltex...

The interview covers the trajectory from early, high-risk ideas to robust, scalable workflows.

Much has changed, and progress continues unabated.

𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 !

The 9th Single Cell Proteomics Conference (#SCP2026) will take place in #Boston, July 2026.

The Single Cell Proteomics Conference focuses on providing opportunities for scientific discussions, interactions and community development.

single-cell.net/proteomics/s...

This feature highlights early advances from our group in liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for single-cell proteomics.

center.single-cell.net/single-cell-...

Publications - PTI - Parallel Squared Technology Institute Parallel Squared Technology Institute is a non-profit research institute that’s scaling up proteomics to illuminate the link between protein patterns, functional interactions, and disease.

he multiplexing capabilities introduced by Parallel Squared Technology Institute (@parallelsq.bsky.social) can substantially increase the scalability of these methods.

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www.parallelsq.org/publications

We are exited about the experimental opportunities enabled by these approaches and the potential to increasingly bring dynamics to omics scale analyses of tissues at single-cell resolution.

Mass spectrometry enables omics scale quantification of the rates of macromolecule synthesis and degradation in the single cells of a living mammalian tissue.

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The majority of isoform pairs (of alternatively spliced transcripts) share less than 50% of their interactions.

In the context of interactome networks, alternative isoforms tend to behave like distinct proteins rather than minor variants of each other.

Protein degradation plays major roles in aging physiology & pathology.

We can start analyzing it quantitatively at higher resolution & scale.

A promising new direction for aging research 🚀

Mechanotransduction in the nucleus

Multiple TFs transmit mechanical forces into transcriptional regulation.

Nuclear shape, size, and chromatin abnormalities are common features of many diseases.

Principles of protein abundance regulation across single cells in a mammalian tissue Protein synthesis and clearance are major regulatory steps of gene expression, but their in vivo regulatory roles across the cells comprising complex tissues remains unexplored. Here, we systematicall...

Preprint:

Principles of protein abundance regulation across single cells in a mammalian tissue

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The Science Sanz Hub did a podcast highlighting our recent preprint.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZTX...

YouTube video by Nikolai Slavov Proteomics: The arc of progress in life sciences | Research Fest by PTI

The big picture:

Tracing the arc of conceptual milestones in life sciences over the past century, centered around major discoveries driven by evolving technologies.

We are excited about the progress & the research enabled by tech from @ParallelSqTech.

youtu.be/SrzoLGBVTsY?...

Alternate RNA decoding results in stable and abundant proteins in mammals Amino acid substitutions may substantially alter protein stability and function, but the contribution of substitutions arising from alternate translation (deviations from the genetic code) is unknown....

Preprint:

Alternate RNA decoding results in stable and abundant proteins in mammals

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A highlight of our results on alternate RNA decoding.