Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Aug 1

Congratulations Rita!!

Reposted by Lukasz Bugaj

Kevin Gardner @nmrkaygee.bsky.social · Jul 30

Absolutely outrageous interference in NIH extramural funding by OMB dropping this evening. Damaging to our nation’s world leadership, innovation, and training today and for years in the future. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research Funding

The National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Lukasz Bugaj

Tara Deans @genegirl007.bsky.social · Jun 5

Don’t miss this great opportunity for a wonderful workshop run by NCI to discuss genetic tools and omics to better understand cancer. Join us to learn and contribute to unraveling the complexities of cancer. Let’s do this together! Details 👇🏼

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Jun 5

Last day to apply!

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 29

Explore how synthetic & systems biology can advance our understanding of cancer initiation at NCI’s virtual S³ Innovation Lab!

Synthetic biologists particularly encouraged to apply!

Application deadline now June 5:
apply.knowinnovation.com/s3-cancer-in...

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Jun 5

Last day to apply!

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 29

Explore how synthetic & systems biology can advance our understanding of cancer initiation at NCI’s virtual S³ Innovation Lab!

Synthetic biologists particularly encouraged to apply!

Application deadline now June 5:
apply.knowinnovation.com/s3-cancer-in...

s3-cancer-initiation

apply.knowinnovation.com

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 29

Explore how synthetic & systems biology can advance our understanding of cancer initiation at NCI’s virtual S³ Innovation Lab!

Synthetic biologists particularly encouraged to apply!

Application deadline now June 5:
apply.knowinnovation.com/s3-cancer-in...

s3-cancer-initiation

apply.knowinnovation.com

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 19

Final #SynSysBio4SpatialCancerResearch workshop (#3) on Tuesday! Drug response and resistance

Featuring: Gordon Mills, Kathryn Miller-Jensen, Matt Thomson, Brian Brown, Stacey Finley, Andriy Marusyk, Pulin Li, Karmella Haynes, Arjun Raj, Justin Prichard

events.cancer.gov/nci/syntheti...

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 9

Are you interested in synthetic and systems biology approaches to study #spatiotemporal processes in cancer? Join NCI for virtual workshops on May 13, 15, & 20 (next week!) from 12:00–4:30 PM ET:

registration: events.cancer.gov/nci/syntheti...

#SynSysBio4SpatialCancerResearch

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 14

Join us Thursday (tomorrow!) for session 2: Tumor-Immune Interactions.

Including: Thea Tlsty, Karin Pelka, Evanthia Roussos Torres, Rogelio Hernandez-Lopez, Elizabeth Wayne, Jose Reyes, Xiaojing Gao, Tullia Bruno, Lucas Pelkmans, Josh Leonard

events.cancer.gov/nci/syntheti...

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Reposted by Lukasz Bugaj

Michael Baym @baym.lol · May 13

Yesterday, the NIH R35 “Outstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

A screenshot of the termination notice showing "Outstanding Investigator Grants"

A screenshot of the termination notice with "This award is terminated effective the date of this award, due to unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest the institution lacks concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students." highlighted

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Reposted by Lukasz Bugaj

Dr. Allyson Sgro @allysonsgro.bsky.social · May 13

“Maybe if people see [images from my research], they will understand why I want to get back to work.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...

Opinion | The Science I Would Be Doing if I Weren’t in ICE Detention

www.nytimes.com

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 12

First session *tomorrow*, on Tumor Initiation.

Speakers: Lau, Dumitrascu, Snyder, Schutt Ibsen, Cukierman, Burdziak, Stevens, Bugaj, Lander, Khalil

Join us for this interactive event!
events.cancer.gov/nci/syntheti...

#SynSysBio4SpatialCancerResearch

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 9

including: Ken Lau, Thea Tlsty, Gordon Mills, @tme-caf-ecm.bsky.social, Arthur Lander, @mokhalil.bsky.social, @lucaspelkmans.bsky.social, @josh-leonard.bsky.social,
@arjunraj.bsky.social, Matt Thomson, many more

pleasure to co-organize w/ @zevgartner.bsky.social, Laura Heiser, @ajitjohnson.com

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 9

Congratulations Ophir! Quite a past couple weeks for your group!

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 9

congrats to you and your group George!

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 9

Are you interested in synthetic and systems biology approaches to study #spatiotemporal processes in cancer? Join NCI for virtual workshops on May 13, 15, & 20 (next week!) from 12:00–4:30 PM ET:

registration: events.cancer.gov/nci/syntheti...

#SynSysBio4SpatialCancerResearch

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 7

thanks Priya! Sitting next to you trading puns for 4 years was formative:)

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 1

Hah! What a great pic. Missed opportunity by ACS.

Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · May 1

Yes!! Congrats John!!

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

We like Aviatar because it does with 1 protein what used to require 2, in a modular manner that is straightforward to engineer.

Also, check out Dennis's recent preprint on BcLOV4, a naturally-evolved membrane-binding 'Aviatar' that inspired us to expand the concept to other compartments

Zikang (Dennis) Huang @dennishuang.bsky.social · Apr 15

How can an individual protein show adaptation? The light- and temp-sensitive BcLOV4 gives a pulse of translocation during a step input of light. Answer in our preprint: *intra-molecular* feed-forward regulation. bit.ly/3Rg9veD
A @bugajlab.bsky.social collab with @nmrkaygee.bsky.social 🧵

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

We also developed a "universal" Aviatar that can localize to any GFP-tagged compartment using a weak nanobody, and we used it to localize to stress granules through endogenously-tagged G3BP1

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

Aviatar regulated actin polymerization at the membrane and revealed compartment-specific differences of RTK fragments commonly mislocalized in cancer

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

Aviatar can target any desired compartment for which a weak binder can be found. We show common targets: plasma membrane, endosomes, Golgi, ER, and microtubules.

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

In Aviatar (Avidity assisted targeting), a single light-sensitive protein translocates from the cytoplasm to an unmodified subcellular compartment. Light induces clustering, clustering turns a weak binder to a high-avidity assembly, and Aviatar flies to its target location.

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 30

Proteins often bind targets using avidity, the combined interaction strength of multiple weak binders. Now we’ve harnessed this principle for compact, *single*-component optogenetic tools for translocation. Lead by phenom PhD student @dennishuang.bsky.social #synbiosky🧵

📝 tinyurl.com/aviatar

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Reposted by Lukasz Bugaj

bioRxiv SysBio @biorxiv-sysbio.bsky.social · Apr 14

Pulsatory response of the BcLOV4 photoreceptor through intramolecular feed-forward regulation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.08.647774v1

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Lukasz Bugaj @bugajlab.bsky.social · Apr 23

Super clever, turning biosensors into bio-actuators. 👏👏👏

jared toettcher @toettch.bsky.social · Apr 21

I'd like to share a little bit of happy lab news in these chaotic times: a new preprint, driven by the brilliant Qinhao Cao!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We address a big challenge in synbio: If you give me a protein "X", how can I give you a version of X whose activity is controlled by a kinase?