Blair Strang
@strangviruslab.bsky.social
City St George's, University of London.
HCMV, anti-viral drugs, placental infection, transmission, etc etc etc.
#JGV Editoral Board.
Views my own.
HCMV, anti-viral drugs, placental infection, transmission, etc etc etc.
#JGV Editoral Board.
Views my own.
Reposted by Blair Strang
We are looking for new editors for Microbiology, the flagship journal of @microbiologysociety.org
Deadline for applications is 16 Feb 2026
microbiologysociety.org/who-we-are/j...
Deadline for applications is 16 Feb 2026
microbiologysociety.org/who-we-are/j...
Jobs
View the current job vacancies at the Microbiology Society.
microbiologysociety.org
January 28, 2026 at 8:44 AM
We are looking for new editors for Microbiology, the flagship journal of @microbiologysociety.org
Deadline for applications is 16 Feb 2026
microbiologysociety.org/who-we-are/j...
Deadline for applications is 16 Feb 2026
microbiologysociety.org/who-we-are/j...
Reposted by Blair Strang
I'm seeing relatively little chatter or outcry about what is happening at the MRC, the UK's biomedical research funder.
Before Christmas MRC paused the acceptance of many of its grants, including the standard applicant-led research grant. There has been no public information on what is happening 🧵
Before Christmas MRC paused the acceptance of many of its grants, including the standard applicant-led research grant. There has been no public information on what is happening 🧵
January 23, 2026 at 1:50 PM
I'm seeing relatively little chatter or outcry about what is happening at the MRC, the UK's biomedical research funder.
Before Christmas MRC paused the acceptance of many of its grants, including the standard applicant-led research grant. There has been no public information on what is happening 🧵
Before Christmas MRC paused the acceptance of many of its grants, including the standard applicant-led research grant. There has been no public information on what is happening 🧵
Reposted by Blair Strang
The extraordinary biochemist & pharmacologist Gertrude Elion was born #OTD in 1918.
Elion won the 1988 #Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (w/2 others) for her pioneering "rational drug design." Her work saved countless lives...(👇 1/2) #WomenInSTEM
Elion won the 1988 #Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (w/2 others) for her pioneering "rational drug design." Her work saved countless lives...(👇 1/2) #WomenInSTEM
January 23, 2026 at 6:06 PM
The extraordinary biochemist & pharmacologist Gertrude Elion was born #OTD in 1918.
Elion won the 1988 #Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (w/2 others) for her pioneering "rational drug design." Her work saved countless lives...(👇 1/2) #WomenInSTEM
Elion won the 1988 #Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (w/2 others) for her pioneering "rational drug design." Her work saved countless lives...(👇 1/2) #WomenInSTEM
Reposted by Blair Strang
Discoveries beyond molecular mimicry describe how EBV drives multiple sclerosis: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Discoveries beyond molecular mimicry describe how EBV drives multiple sclerosis
In the current issue of Cell, three papers describe new mechanistic information about
how EBV transforms B cells to become antigen-presenting cells in the brain that drive
demyelinating disease.
www.cell.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Discoveries beyond molecular mimicry describe how EBV drives multiple sclerosis: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Excited to share: We show that basal IFNλ2/3 signaling helps human intestinal epithelial cells stay ready for viral infections, even before an acute infection. A reminder that a lot of innate immune defense happens quietly in the background. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Basal IFNλ2/3 signaling is required for ISG expression and viral control in human intestinal epithelial cells
Author summary Interferon-lambdas (IFNλs) are antiviral molecules that help protect the surfaces of our body, such as the gut and lungs, from infection. While IFNλs are best known for being produced d...
journals.plos.org
January 22, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Excited to share: We show that basal IFNλ2/3 signaling helps human intestinal epithelial cells stay ready for viral infections, even before an acute infection. A reminder that a lot of innate immune defense happens quietly in the background. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Really excited our paper about how H5N1 rapidly adapted to cattle (and how these adaptations also increased its ability to infect cells from the human respiratory tract) is now published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymerase mutations underlie early adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals - Nature Communications
Avian influenza jumped from wild birds into dairy cattle. Here, the authors report that two mutations in the viral polymerase helped the virus to quickly adapt to cattle. Mutations increased the polym...
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Really excited our paper about how H5N1 rapidly adapted to cattle (and how these adaptations also increased its ability to infect cells from the human respiratory tract) is now published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Interested in high containment work on viruses?
We have an opening at the Pirbright Institute, working on high consequence viruses of livestock and humans in the core CL3 team.
isw.changeworknow.co.uk/pirbright/vm...
We have an opening at the Pirbright Institute, working on high consequence viruses of livestock and humans in the core CL3 team.
isw.changeworknow.co.uk/pirbright/vm...
CL3- Research Assistant
The Pirbright Institute
The Pirbright Institute delivers world-leading research to understand, predict, detect and respond to viral disease outbreaks. We study viruses of livestock that are endemic a...
isw.changeworknow.co.uk
January 20, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Interested in high containment work on viruses?
We have an opening at the Pirbright Institute, working on high consequence viruses of livestock and humans in the core CL3 team.
isw.changeworknow.co.uk/pirbright/vm...
We have an opening at the Pirbright Institute, working on high consequence viruses of livestock and humans in the core CL3 team.
isw.changeworknow.co.uk/pirbright/vm...
Reposted by Blair Strang
🚨Job Alert🚨
Looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our multidisciplinary team of scientists. The postdoc will collaborate with world-class structural biologist Peijun Zhang to understand everything about HIV capsids and how they work via host interactions.
Spread the word!
Looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our multidisciplinary team of scientists. The postdoc will collaborate with world-class structural biologist Peijun Zhang to understand everything about HIV capsids and how they work via host interactions.
Spread the word!
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Molecular Biology of HIV Infection) - QMUL Jobs
ID: 8551. Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate (Molecular Biology of HIV Infection). Application Deadline:
qmul-jobs.tal.net
January 20, 2026 at 5:50 PM
🚨Job Alert🚨
Looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our multidisciplinary team of scientists. The postdoc will collaborate with world-class structural biologist Peijun Zhang to understand everything about HIV capsids and how they work via host interactions.
Spread the word!
Looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our multidisciplinary team of scientists. The postdoc will collaborate with world-class structural biologist Peijun Zhang to understand everything about HIV capsids and how they work via host interactions.
Spread the word!
From my colleagues at City St George’s @citystgeorges.bsky.social :
Link to Lancet article in the text.
Pls RT!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Link to Lancet article in the text.
Pls RT!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Paracetamol is safe in pregnancy, says new evidence against Trump autism claims
Researchers say their gold-standard review should put an end to the debate over use of the common painkiller during pregnancy.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 17, 2026 at 11:12 AM
From my colleagues at City St George’s @citystgeorges.bsky.social :
Link to Lancet article in the text.
Pls RT!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Link to Lancet article in the text.
Pls RT!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Vaccination against whooping cough, RSV and flu during pregnancy saves babies lives, but expectant parents are sometimes unsure.
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
Vaccines in Pregnancy, UK | Learn More About Vaccination Today
Comprehensive guide to vaccines during pregnancy in the UK, including timing and locations for vaccination. Essential information for expectant parents and healthcare providers.
www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
January 16, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Vaccination against whooping cough, RSV and flu during pregnancy saves babies lives, but expectant parents are sometimes unsure.
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
Reposted by Blair Strang
Re-emerging Oropouche virus infections: insights into maternal–fetal crosstalk, coinfections, and expanding public health threats
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Re-emerging Oropouche virus infections: insights into maternal–fetal crosstalk, coinfections, and expanding public health threats
Oropouche virus (OROV), a re-emerging orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup, is increasingly recognized as a significant arboviral threat across the …
www.sciencedirect.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Re-emerging Oropouche virus infections: insights into maternal–fetal crosstalk, coinfections, and expanding public health threats
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Blair Strang
If you are an Israeli PhD student and are interested in a postdoc at Harvard Medical (my lab included!), I strongly recommend looking into the Kalaniyot fellowship program, providing 2-3 years of full support:
globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu/kalaniyot-hm...
globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu/kalaniyot-hm...
Programs
globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu
January 15, 2026 at 7:23 PM
If you are an Israeli PhD student and are interested in a postdoc at Harvard Medical (my lab included!), I strongly recommend looking into the Kalaniyot fellowship program, providing 2-3 years of full support:
globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu/kalaniyot-hm...
globalprograms.hms.harvard.edu/kalaniyot-hm...
FYI 👇
There are a number of directories and an entire guild of scientific illustrators ( @gnsiart.bsky.social )
January 15, 2026 at 6:24 PM
FYI 👇
Reposted by Blair Strang
Our new preprint on #SARSCoV2 nsp14 #exonuclease function in replication fidelity and fitness. ExoN- viruses are attenuated in vitro and in vivo but w/o #interferon signaling replication is largely restored! Suggests nsp14 plays a role in innate antagonism in vivo www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Loss of nsp14-exonuclease activity impairs the replication, proofreading, fitness and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2
Coronaviruses (CoVs) replicate their RNA genomes with increased fidelity than other RNA viruses, a mechanism mediated by the proofreading and recombination activities of the exoribonuclease domain of ...
www.biorxiv.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Our new preprint on #SARSCoV2 nsp14 #exonuclease function in replication fidelity and fitness. ExoN- viruses are attenuated in vitro and in vivo but w/o #interferon signaling replication is largely restored! Suggests nsp14 plays a role in innate antagonism in vivo www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Blair Strang
3 papers in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social today exploring the mechanistic connection between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis #MultipleSclerosis
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
January 13, 2026 at 4:25 PM
3 papers in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social today exploring the mechanistic connection between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis #MultipleSclerosis
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Blair Strang
GSK put out a teaser regarding Phase 3 clinical trial results of its candidate drug bepirovirsen. They came that a significant proportion of participants who received the drug alongside other antiviral achieved functional cure. I look forward to seeing the data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
New hepatitis B drug could help ‘functionally cure’ some patients
Scientists welcome GSK announcement that two trials succeeded—even though data are still lacking
www.science.org
January 12, 2026 at 5:50 PM
GSK put out a teaser regarding Phase 3 clinical trial results of its candidate drug bepirovirsen. They came that a significant proportion of participants who received the drug alongside other antiviral achieved functional cure. I look forward to seeing the data.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Will mpox go global again? Research shows it's evolving in curious ways www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Client Challenge
www.nature.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Will mpox go global again? Research shows it's evolving in curious ways www.nature.com/articles/d41...
One of these was created by my colleagues and I. The aesthetic is not great, but attempts to capture the range of topics within the special edition. Using an artist? Great! But, prohibited by cost. That said, we hope everyone enjoyed reading the excellent work in this collection.
Dear Journals,
please hire an artist/illustrator, instead of using these low quality and irrelevant AI-generated journal covers 🤮
Thanks
please hire an artist/illustrator, instead of using these low quality and irrelevant AI-generated journal covers 🤮
Thanks
January 8, 2026 at 6:33 PM
One of these was created by my colleagues and I. The aesthetic is not great, but attempts to capture the range of topics within the special edition. Using an artist? Great! But, prohibited by cost. That said, we hope everyone enjoyed reading the excellent work in this collection.
Reposted by Blair Strang
Wanting to do some paleovirology of your own? We recently published HI-FEVER, enabling users to run their own fast searches for endogenous viral elements.
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
HI-FEVER: a Nextflow pipeline for the high-throughput discovery and annotation of endogenous viral elements
AbstractSummary. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer valuable insights into virus and host evolution, but their detection remains computationally and bi
academic.oup.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Wanting to do some paleovirology of your own? We recently published HI-FEVER, enabling users to run their own fast searches for endogenous viral elements.
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Reposted by Blair Strang
MPXV Clade IIb virus infection in mice leads to prolonged viral replication, macrophage infiltration, and decreased spermatogenesis in the testes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
MPXV Clade IIb virus infection in mice leads to prolonged viral replication, macrophage infiltration, and decreased spermatogenesis in the testes
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) and has prompted two recent global health emergencies. Clade IIb MPXV, a recently recognized subclade, has been associated with oral and g...
www.biorxiv.org
January 2, 2026 at 9:51 PM
MPXV Clade IIb virus infection in mice leads to prolonged viral replication, macrophage infiltration, and decreased spermatogenesis in the testes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Mpox is transmitted by sex, but is it transmitted by semen?
We first need to know if the virus is actually replicating in the testes, so that’s what we set out to find, led by @akelvinlab.bsky.social
Yep, there’s MPXV growing in those balls!
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/is-that-mp...
We first need to know if the virus is actually replicating in the testes, so that’s what we set out to find, led by @akelvinlab.bsky.social
Yep, there’s MPXV growing in those balls!
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/is-that-mp...
Is that Mpox in Your Balls or Are You Just Happy to See This Preprint?
Deez disordered seminiferous tubules
rasmussenretorts.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Mpox is transmitted by sex, but is it transmitted by semen?
We first need to know if the virus is actually replicating in the testes, so that’s what we set out to find, led by @akelvinlab.bsky.social
Yep, there’s MPXV growing in those balls!
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/is-that-mp...
We first need to know if the virus is actually replicating in the testes, so that’s what we set out to find, led by @akelvinlab.bsky.social
Yep, there’s MPXV growing in those balls!
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/is-that-mp...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Congratulations to @karishmabisht.bsky.social with her paper on the effect of fever on influenza replication and innate immune activation! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Febrile temperature activates the innate immune response by promoting aberrant influenza A virus RNA synthesis
Fever promotes aberrant influenza A virus RNA synthesis and innate immune activation.
www.science.org
January 2, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Congratulations to @karishmabisht.bsky.social with her paper on the effect of fever on influenza replication and innate immune activation! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thread👇
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... It's finally out! Meriam Guellil expertly led this project from the first HHV6 detection to the final paper. We found both human herpesviruses 6A and 6B in ancient remains going back 2500 years.
January 2, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Thread👇
Reposted by Blair Strang
"Magical thinking has no place in public health. Every scientist and health care provider has a duty to speak up against these misguided policies and positions".
"... getting up and walking more" is 👍. As a pandemic preparedness strategy, however, a wee bit lacking.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
"... getting up and walking more" is 👍. As a pandemic preparedness strategy, however, a wee bit lacking.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Magical thinking will not prevent future pandemics or improve public health
For much of human history, infectious diseases were the main causes of morbidity and mortality. The sciences of public health, epidemiology, microbiology, and vaccine and drug development have dramati...
www.science.org
January 1, 2026 at 9:59 PM
"Magical thinking has no place in public health. Every scientist and health care provider has a duty to speak up against these misguided policies and positions".
"... getting up and walking more" is 👍. As a pandemic preparedness strategy, however, a wee bit lacking.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
"... getting up and walking more" is 👍. As a pandemic preparedness strategy, however, a wee bit lacking.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Blair Strang
Repurposing of the bisbenzimide antibiotic Ridinilazole as an antiviral compound against human cytomegalovirus
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Repurposing of the bisbenzimide antibiotic Ridinilazole as an antiviral compound against human cytomegalovirus
Novel antiviral drugs targeting DNA viruses are desirable. Previous studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that DNA binding bisbenzimide compounds are capable of inhibiting replicati...
www.microbiologyresearch.org
December 31, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Repurposing of the bisbenzimide antibiotic Ridinilazole as an antiviral compound against human cytomegalovirus
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...