Tom Ellis
@proftomellis.bsky.social
Synthetic Biology & Synthetic Genomics @ Imperial College London and the Sanger Institute. Bilingual in English and DNA. Views are either my own or my microbes'
Pinned
Tom Ellis
@proftomellis.bsky.social
· Oct 23
A new review paper from our lab courtesy of @jazzsynbio.bsky.social is published in Trends in Biotechnology
In this review, we look at the many opportunities for synthetic biology to be used in the research and applications of Holobionts.
In this review, we look at the many opportunities for synthetic biology to be used in the research and applications of Holobionts.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
🤖 Announcement for Opentrons users - OT-2 & Flex 🤖
We developed Slowpoke, an open-source, automated Golden Gate cloning tool with Fankang Meng & @proftomellis.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
Flex-optimisation by @gregorybatt.bsky.social at @pasteur.fr
👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
We developed Slowpoke, an open-source, automated Golden Gate cloning tool with Fankang Meng & @proftomellis.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
Flex-optimisation by @gregorybatt.bsky.social at @pasteur.fr
👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Slowpoke: An Automated Golden Gate Cloning Workflow for Opentrons OT-2 and Flex
In synthetic biology, DNA assembly is a routine process where increasing demands for standardization, high-throughput capacity, and error-free execution are driving the development of accessible, auto...
pubs.acs.org
February 12, 2026 at 10:57 PM
🤖 Announcement for Opentrons users - OT-2 & Flex 🤖
We developed Slowpoke, an open-source, automated Golden Gate cloning tool with Fankang Meng & @proftomellis.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
Flex-optimisation by @gregorybatt.bsky.social at @pasteur.fr
👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
We developed Slowpoke, an open-source, automated Golden Gate cloning tool with Fankang Meng & @proftomellis.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social
Flex-optimisation by @gregorybatt.bsky.social at @pasteur.fr
👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
A toolkit for programmable transcriptional engineering across eukaryotic kingdoms https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.10.705154v1
February 12, 2026 at 5:02 AM
A toolkit for programmable transcriptional engineering across eukaryotic kingdoms https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.10.705154v1
Reposted by Tom Ellis
“Everything we know about skin has been learned from so-called scientific studies funded by large corporations who have a financial stake in keeping our musculature covered in an unnecessary layer of man-made flesh,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. Questions Efficacy Of Skin
WASHINGTON—In a firm dismissal of decades of scientific research and real-world data on the organ’s benefits and safety, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly questioned t...
theonion.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:15 AM
“Everything we know about skin has been learned from so-called scientific studies funded by large corporations who have a financial stake in keeping our musculature covered in an unnecessary layer of man-made flesh,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Does the noncoding genome actually carry more genetic information than coding seqs? Motivated by this question we mutated every bp in the 10kb MYC locus. Results are even more exciting: Decoding the MYC locus reveals a druggable ultraconserved RNA element www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
January 31, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Does the noncoding genome actually carry more genetic information than coding seqs? Motivated by this question we mutated every bp in the 10kb MYC locus. Results are even more exciting: Decoding the MYC locus reveals a druggable ultraconserved RNA element www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
POV: Your cells died again! 😅
Occupational safety office, please close your eyes 🫣
#lablaughs #memesky #academicsky
Occupational safety office, please close your eyes 🫣
#lablaughs #memesky #academicsky
January 31, 2026 at 2:09 PM
POV: Your cells died again! 😅
Occupational safety office, please close your eyes 🫣
#lablaughs #memesky #academicsky
Occupational safety office, please close your eyes 🫣
#lablaughs #memesky #academicsky
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Any bio artists out here? I’m interested in commissioning 1-2 pieces, leaning more towards the art side but love stuff that is science-inspired... DM me if you're interested!
January 27, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Any bio artists out here? I’m interested in commissioning 1-2 pieces, leaning more towards the art side but love stuff that is science-inspired... DM me if you're interested!
Enjoyed listening to @adrianwoolfson.bsky.social on BBC 4 this week talking about synthetic biology at genome scale and what kind of step-change in capabilities are happening this decade. Interesting debate on the value of full redesign of genomes, versus iterative work. www.bbc.com/audio/play/m...
BBC Audio | Start the Week | Biology, technology and the future
Adam Rutherford asks what it might mean if we can build human bodies and minds.
www.bbc.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Enjoyed listening to @adrianwoolfson.bsky.social on BBC 4 this week talking about synthetic biology at genome scale and what kind of step-change in capabilities are happening this decade. Interesting debate on the value of full redesign of genomes, versus iterative work. www.bbc.com/audio/play/m...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Excited for the first LSN of 2026✨ See you there!
events.humanitix.com/london-synbi...
events.humanitix.com/london-synbi...
January 26, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Excited for the first LSN of 2026✨ See you there!
events.humanitix.com/london-synbi...
events.humanitix.com/london-synbi...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Please 🔁
My group at UBC received an allocation from the school to apply for the Canada Impact+ Training Awards (postdoc). Everything is moving fast but please email me in 48 hours with a CV if you are outside Canada and interested😎
Yachie lab: yachie-lab.org
sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/o...
My group at UBC received an allocation from the school to apply for the Canada Impact+ Training Awards (postdoc). Everything is moving fast but please email me in 48 hours with a CV if you are outside Canada and interested😎
Yachie lab: yachie-lab.org
sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/o...
Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards
The Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards are a one-time initiative designed to recruit international or returning Canadian students and postdoctoral researchers to Canada. These awards support the recruitment of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in priority areas, helping build capacity, strengthen the research ecosystem and enhance Canada’s global competitiveness.
sshrc-crsh.canada.ca
January 26, 2026 at 5:14 AM
Please 🔁
My group at UBC received an allocation from the school to apply for the Canada Impact+ Training Awards (postdoc). Everything is moving fast but please email me in 48 hours with a CV if you are outside Canada and interested😎
Yachie lab: yachie-lab.org
sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/o...
My group at UBC received an allocation from the school to apply for the Canada Impact+ Training Awards (postdoc). Everything is moving fast but please email me in 48 hours with a CV if you are outside Canada and interested😎
Yachie lab: yachie-lab.org
sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/o...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
I wrote a guide on constructive peer review. This is a polished version of an internal guide I had for my group. Of course, constructive feedback is welcome, peers!
deboer.bme.ubc.ca/2025/12/09/g...
deboer.bme.ubc.ca/2025/12/09/g...
December 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I wrote a guide on constructive peer review. This is a polished version of an internal guide I had for my group. Of course, constructive feedback is welcome, peers!
deboer.bme.ubc.ca/2025/12/09/g...
deboer.bme.ubc.ca/2025/12/09/g...
Which is worse - believing everything online is fake or believing everything online is real?
January 21, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Which is worse - believing everything online is fake or believing everything online is real?
So cool - someone finally hacked 'the vault'.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A genetically encoded device for transcriptome storage in mammalian cells
Understanding how cells make decisions over time requires the ability to link past molecular states to future phenotypic outcomes. We present TimeVault, a genetically encoded system that records and s...
www.science.org
January 16, 2026 at 1:10 PM
So cool - someone finally hacked 'the vault'.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Disney Geneticists Debut New Child Stars
January 14, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Disney Geneticists Debut New Child Stars
New Engineered Living Materials #ELMs preprint up on BioRxiv #SynBio from our group in collaboration with the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment at Northumbria University and with some help from CSIC, Madrid.
Unlocking Bacterial Cellulose Functionalisation: Comparative Genetic and Co-Culture Strategies in Komagataeibacter https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.12.699149v1
January 14, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by Tom Ellis
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
December 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
Reposted by Tom Ellis
New preprint! 🐝 We engineered a bacterial biosensor to reveal micron-scale arabinose gradients in the honeybee gut. Congratulations to Audam and all co-authors. Great collaboration with @pengellab.bsky.social as part of the NCCR Microbiomes at @fbm-unil.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Engineered symbiont biosensor maps micron-scale sugar gradients in the honeybee gut
The honeybee gut microbiota plays a key role in shaping host health and susceptibility to disease. Yet, the nutrient environment it experiences within the gut remains poorly characterized. In particul...
www.biorxiv.org
December 17, 2025 at 9:14 AM
New preprint! 🐝 We engineered a bacterial biosensor to reveal micron-scale arabinose gradients in the honeybee gut. Congratulations to Audam and all co-authors. Great collaboration with @pengellab.bsky.social as part of the NCCR Microbiomes at @fbm-unil.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A long standing goal in synthetic biology is ‘PURE makes PURE’ - effectively the start of self-replicating biology in a tube from just adding biochemicals and DNA instructions. This looks like a promising breakthrough from the Maerkl lab. 👀
PURE makes PURE: reconstitution of the PURE cell-free system from self-synthesized non-ribosomal proteins https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.17.694911v1
December 18, 2025 at 5:38 AM
A long standing goal in synthetic biology is ‘PURE makes PURE’ - effectively the start of self-replicating biology in a tube from just adding biochemicals and DNA instructions. This looks like a promising breakthrough from the Maerkl lab. 👀
Reposted by Tom Ellis
So you think your mammalian plasmids have nothing to fear from cloning and propagation in E.coli?
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides reveals sequence-encoded interactions that govern plasmid propagation
Plasmids are central to modern biotechnology, especially therapeutic development, yet their propagation in Escherichia coli remains difficult to predict. Although expression-induced burden is well und...
doi.org
December 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
So you think your mammalian plasmids have nothing to fear from cloning and propagation in E.coli?
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides by Tom Copeman will prove you wrong! Supervised with the amazing @proftomellis.bsky.social and AZ, now on BioRxiv:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
New work from Francesca Ceroni's mammalian #synbio group - really cool study by Tom Copeman with input from AstraZeneca. I've been lucky to be part of this one.
Quantitative profiling of millions of nucleotides reveals sequence-encoded interactions that govern plasmid propagation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.15.694402v1
December 17, 2025 at 6:28 AM
New work from Francesca Ceroni's mammalian #synbio group - really cool study by Tom Copeman with input from AstraZeneca. I've been lucky to be part of this one.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
Just when you thought we’d be safe from mirror life, then they come up with backwards life.
December 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Just when you thought we’d be safe from mirror life, then they come up with backwards life.
Congratulations to Dr Oliver Hernandez Fernandez who passed his PhD viva exam on Friday after 4 years at Imperial co-supervised by myself, Naomi Nakayama and Vahid Shahrezaei.
December 8, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Congratulations to Dr Oliver Hernandez Fernandez who passed his PhD viva exam on Friday after 4 years at Imperial co-supervised by myself, Naomi Nakayama and Vahid Shahrezaei.
Great talk today at VISTEC from Thapakorn Jaroentomeechai whose setting up his SynGlyco Lab at Mahidol University in Bangkok 🇹🇭 - great use of synbio and cell-free systems to study and apply glycobiolgy.
December 8, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Great talk today at VISTEC from Thapakorn Jaroentomeechai whose setting up his SynGlyco Lab at Mahidol University in Bangkok 🇹🇭 - great use of synbio and cell-free systems to study and apply glycobiolgy.
Reposted by Tom Ellis
