Wanunu Lab 🇺🇸

This was a fruitful collaboration between our group and the @ShemaEfrat lab at @WeizmannScience and Sean O'Leary at @UCRiverside.

Incubating primed NucBells with polymerase and immobilizing them on the @PacBio RSII platform (I know, outdated, but versatile!) allows histone marks to be detected using fluorescent immunoaffinity reagents. Then, following a wash step, the DNA is sequenced.

Pleased to share our latest manuscript that introduces NucSeq, a SMRT-sequencing based single-molecule approach to interrogate histone PTMs and sequence the wrapped nucleosomes around these histones. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…

I recently learned that RNase A enzymes can survive autoclaving, or high-pressure heating, at 121°C. This is strange. But then I learned there are entire organisms that not only survive autoclaving, but actually grow and divide at 121°C??? There was a 2003 paper, for example, where these two scientists took a submarine down to a hydrothermal vent in the Pacific ocean, scooped up some dirt, and kept everything in an airtight tube. This tube had an organism in it. The organism had features "typical of Archaea." They put this organism into an autoclave (held at 121°C) for a full 24 hours. When they took it out of the autoclave, the cell population had doubled. Thus, the organism was called "Strain 121." The 2003 paper ends with an enticing statement: "The factors that permit strain 121 to grow at such high temperatures are unknown. It is generally assumed that the upper temperature limit for life is related to the instability of key molecules essential for life, but which molecules are most important in defining the upper temperature limit have not been defined. However, strain 121 offers the possibility to do this work." I read this and got excited. I began searching for follow-up studies on Strain 121. But I was quickly disappointed. This organism has its own Wikipedia page, but every single reference is from 2003 or 2004. Its name was later changed to Geogemma barossii, so I searched for that, too. But all I could find were random news stories about this "heat-loving microbe," all of which linked back to the original 2003 paper. I'm extremely confused by this. Why is nobody studying this microbe? It doesn't even have a published genome sequence. Where is the intellectual center for hyperthermophile research?

Excited to take part in this effort to bring protein sequencing to reality! darpa.mil/news/2026/prot… @NortheasternCOS @NUBioE1 @Northeastern

DARPA Biological Technologies Office: Protean (Feb 20) sam.gov/workspace/cont…

I started a company! Luminos. We made a complete neuro-electronic interface: stimulate and record from any set of neurons in any pattern of space and time, over a 6 mm field of view. Also useful for optical pooled screens and target discovery. luminosmicro.com

Today’s American History Lesson: Puerto Rico has been part of the U.S. since 1898, and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917 🇵🇷 🇺🇸 We’ve cheered many non-Americans at the #SuperBowl. Bad Bunny isn’t one of them. 🏈 🎤

@FCHWPO can you be more specific?

There is great evil in this world don’t be naive to it

@jrkelly Let’s talk - everyone else also please. What’s the most 🍌 idea you can come up with. I’m listening.

It is by studying non-model organisms that biotechnologists have, historically, found the most useful tools. Taq polymerase and CRISPR were both discovered in weird extremophiles. GFP was first isolated from jellyfish caught off the coast of Friday Harbor, Washington. Luciferase came from the North American firefly. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used in organ transplants, came from Easter Island soil microbes. Many more useful discoveries are surely awaiting, if only we could grow the many lifeforms that nobody has yet studied in any meaningful way. For my latest @AsimovPress column, I explain how @CultivariumFRX developed a robot that can transform (or get DNA into) all kinds of new, non-model microbes, thus expanding the slice of nature we can study in the laboratory. I think it could be a really big deal for biology.

Unpacking DARPA's NODES: A New Era of Biodefense Intelligence The DARPA NODES program, officially unveiled in July 2025, is designed to revolutionize the way the scientific community and defense agencies understand and respond to biological threats. At its core, NODES employs sophisticated AI algorithms to analyze the dynamic behavior of proteins, capturing their movements and shape changes to make high-confidence predictions about their functions. This is particularly crucial for the vast majority of proteins for which only sequence and structural data are available, allowing for rapid functional annotation even for previously unknown molecules. A key objective is to estimate the evolutionary probability of protein sequences, enabling the distinction between naturally occurring pathogens and potentially engineered biothreats. markets.financialcontent.com/wral/article/m…

🚨We’re reviewing applications now!🚨 UF Scripps is hiring multiple faculty (Asst/Assoc/Full Prof) in RNA science as part of a major investment.📍Jupiter, FL – a gorgeous place to live + raise a family. Apply 👉 jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/670563/ Info 👉 wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/rnamedicine RT to share!

📣 Got bold, brilliant ideas that’s not on anyone’s radar (yet)? We want to hear from you🫵 If your vision breaks the mold and dares to disrupt biotech and beyond — this is your moment. 🧬💡🚀😜 👉👉👉sam.gov/opp/5fff3c4c76… And check out all the revolutionary work happening at @DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office (aka Best Technology Office 🤩): darpa.mil/about/offices/… Let's continue to make the impossible possible🫡 #DARPA #BTO #Biotech #Innovation #ResearchOpportunity #FutureOfScience #DARPAHard

WORK! My lab currently have 5 (!) open positions for postdocs/PhD students for: -Nanopore protein sequencing -Archaeal CDV cell division -Microfluidics for synthetic cells -Nuclear Pore Complex -Origami mimics of peroxisomes Please apply! ceesdekkerlab.nl/come-join-us/ RT=👍

We’re reimagining biothreat detection with NODES—a new program aiming to predict protein function in UNDER AN HOUR using deep learning + biophysics 🤯 Big shoutout to @abhisekhsingha1 for leading this game-changing vision! 🙌 We’re looking for bold thinkers at the edge of Bio + AI to help build the future of bio-surveillance and national security. 🧠💪 📺 Check it out on YT: youtu.be/QTbNKqUoum4 🔗 Learn more: darpa.mil/research/progr… #DARPA #BTO #Biotech #MolecularDynamics #SyntheticBiology #Biosecurity #DeepLearning #Biophysics #TechForNationalSecurity #ProposersDay #BiothreatDetection #NODESprogram #NODES

Check out our new protocol for differential analysis of psi modifications using nanopore DRS and unmodified transcriptome control: STAR Protocols star-protocols.cell.com/protocols/4348 @SashaFanari @GenomeTDCC @NUBioE1 @STARProtocols

It’s online- try it ! A great tool for analyzing chemical probing data for RNA structure academic.oup.com/nar/article/53…

Wanunu Lab is currently searching for a Laboratory Manager. To join our exciting team, apply here: northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/Bo…