verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab
@verhelstlab.bsky.social
630 followers 76 following 86 posts
Chemical biology lab at KU Leuven, Belgium. ABBP. Chemical probes. Proteases. Posts by Steven Verhelst. See www.verhelstlab.net
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 16h
The chemistry prize must be respected!
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 6d
After a close friend was diagnosed with cancer, medical student Emeric Bomans at KU Leuven decided to run the Antwerp full marathon on October 19, 2025. I am joining this year as well.
Please consider donating to Emeric’s cause. And any gift above 40 EUR is tax deductable (in Belgium).
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 6d
Some journeys are even tougher – getting diagnosed and facing a battle with cancer, for example. Fortunately, I have never encountered this, but many people have.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 6d
Run for tomorrow - donate.kuleuven.cloud/crowdfunding...
You may know that I am an avid runner, for >35 years. The older, the more motivated I became. Last year, I ran my first full marathon. When I crossed the finish line, I thought: "This was the toughest thing I’ve ever done (beside a PhD)."
Run for Tomorrow: Antwerpen Marathon tegen kanker
Ik ben Emeric Bomans, student in mijn tweede bachelor geneeskunde aan de KU Leuven. Kanker vormt één van de grootste uitdagingen in de geneeskunde. Maar voor mij werd deze ziekte plots ...
donate.kuleuven.cloud
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 11d
Because phosphonate esters can be steered in their selectivity, we think that these molecules will find future use for real-time imaging of various serine proteases in dynamic processes.
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 11d
Congrats to first author JP, who did the bulk of the work during his PhD, from chemical synthesis of these challenging molecules, to biochemistry and cell biology. Thanks also to Jonathan, Marcin and Dimitris who performed experiments at the revision stage.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 11d
Our most recent paper, in ACS Chem Biol is now online. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... We describe quenched fluorescent ABPs for Neutrophil Serine Proteases and their application in real-time imaging of neutrophil activation.
Mixed Alkyl Aryl Phosphonates as Quenched Activity-Based Probes for Real-Time Imaging of Active Neutrophil Serine Proteases
Activity-based probes have been instrumental in the study of proteases, and quenched fluorescent versions can be utilized in real time imaging. Unfortunately, this application has not yet been reporte...
pubs.acs.org
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 11d
This year, we ran 14.25 km, referring to the year that KU Leuven was founded, now 600 years ago.
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 11d
Because of preparation for the new semester haven't had time yet to write about this. Two weeks ago, I participated in the yearly University Trail @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social with post-doc Roeland Vanhoutte, PhD student Femke Speelman-Rooms and her co-promotor Flore Sneyers
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Reposted by Verhelst Lab
chembiotalks.bsky.social
Virtual ChemBioTalks @chembiotalks.bsky.social · 15d
The 5th Virtual @chembiotalks.bsky.social on September 30th are one week away. We have an exciting program including our keynotes Sarah O'Connor (@oconnorlab.bsky.social) and @craigmcrews.bsky.social.

Make sure to register for free: web.cvent.com/event/...
#ChemSky #ChemBio
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 29d
Monday, during the first session of the Polish Peptide Symposium, there was a power outage. Speaker Anna Wardowska went in front of the audience anyway and held an impressive talk without slides about peptides as immune regulators. Fortunately for other speakers, electricity was back within 20 min.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · 29d
Polish peptide symposium at a wellness hotel in Szklarska Poreba. Starting the day well with a 1.5h treadmill run...
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 28
There are still 6 days left to apply for these two positions in my lab! 1 PhD student position in Organic Synthesis (focus on carbohydrates) and one in Cell Biology/Biochemistry.
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 12
My lab has two open positions! One in Organic Chemistry (focus on carbohydrates), one in Cell Biology/Biochemistry. Deadline Sept 3rd, 2025!

PhD student Organic Synthesis: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

PhD student Cell Biology/Biochemistry: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student in Organic Synthesis
Organic synthesis in chemical biology project
www.kuleuven.be
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 25
Congrats to all authors and thanks to Michel Sanner and Stefano Forli at Scripps for the collaboration.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 25
We think that the SODA building blocks are beneficial because the ID-ing of modification sites is now independent of probe structure, which is particularly attractive for probes that are prone to fragmentation, such as peptide-based probes.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 25
In silico docking revealed that residues in close proximity to the diazirine nitrogen were also amongst the modified residues detected in the LC-MS3 measurements.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 25
As proof of principle, we incorporated the SODA building blocks into Pepstatin A, a natural product that targets aspartic proteases. We were able to covalently modify target proteases, optimize sulfoxide cleavage, and identify the modification site on the target protease.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 25
Our latest manuscript has now appeared in Analytical Chemistry! We designed SODA (sulfoxide-diazirine). It enables photoaffinity labeling and subsequent MS-based cleavage of the probe, leaving a small fingerprint on the modified digested peptide.

pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Sulfoxide-diazirine (SODA) as a Cleavable Photoaffinity Group To Enable the Identification of Photolabeled Modification Sites via LC–MS3
Photoaffinity labeling is a common approach in chemical proteomics for the identification of small-molecule probe targets. However, the modification site on the target protein remains difficult to ide...
pubs.acs.org
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 12
Are you interested in chemical biology approaches and like to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment, with excellent scientific training possibilities? See above links for details on the projects and how to apply!
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Aug 12
My lab has two open positions! One in Organic Chemistry (focus on carbohydrates), one in Cell Biology/Biochemistry. Deadline Sept 3rd, 2025!

PhD student Organic Synthesis: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

PhD student Cell Biology/Biochemistry: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
PhD student in Organic Synthesis
Organic synthesis in chemical biology project
www.kuleuven.be
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Jul 27
Vacation to Norway (by train and ferry) without laptop. Only replied to emails if highly urgent. It was a relaxing vacation with nature, museums and running. On the evening I got back, exhausted, I went into the moshpit a Therapy? concert in my hometown Leuven. Feeling 17 again. Battery recharged.
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · Jun 26
Our department has an open position for a research professor in Translational Research on Molecular Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer. For more details, see: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
Deadline for application: Sept 2, 2025
Research professor in Translational Research on Molecular Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer (BOFZAP)
The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine – KU Leuven is recruiting a professor in Translational Research on Molecular Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer.
www.kuleuven.be
Reposted by Verhelst Lab
chembiotalks.bsky.social
Virtual ChemBioTalks @chembiotalks.bsky.social · May 26
We are about to finalize the program for this year's Virtual ChemBioTalks and we are very excited about the lineup we have been able to put together including our keynotes Craig Crews and Sarah O’Connor. Already mark your calendars for September 30th at 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. CEST!
#ChemBio #ChemSky
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verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · May 23
The policy and decisions of the current US president have nothing to do with democracy. Republicans in congress should take a good look in the mirror and stand up against his actions, because I am sure this type of ruling of the country is not what any party in the US actually wants.
verhelstlab.bsky.social
Verhelst Lab @verhelstlab.bsky.social · May 23
I cannot stay quiet about what happens in the US. Today, I read that the current US president bars Harvard University from enrolling international students. As an undergraduate, I spent 6-7 months at Harvard in the lab of Hidde Ploegh. This has had a bit impact on my career.
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