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Chris Serpell

@cjserpell.bsky.social
833 followers 395 following 76 posts

Assoc. Prof. of Drug Discovery at UCL School of Pharmacy. Weird-y nucleic acids, chem. bio. of natural products. Catholic. blogs.ucl.ac.uk/serpell

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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
There's only one competition that still matters - the Serpell Group Pub quiz. Who's going to triumph - The Eppendwarfs, QuizPR-Cas9, or SoP to the Top?
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RSC Medicinal Chemistry @rscmedchem.rsc.org · 13/04/2026
🔓Check out a #OpenAccess paper from @cjserpell.bsky.social, @shepherdlabkent.bsky.social & co. at @kent.ac.uk & @ucl.ac.uk in our latest issue investigating how madecassic acid inhibits bacterial respiration #medchem Read their full report on our website🔽
pubs.rsc.org
Investigating the role of cytochrome bd oxidases in the antibacterial activity of madecassic acid and derivatives thereof
Natural products are valuable starting points for drug discovery, although individual modes of action are often difficult to pin down. Ursanes such as madecassic acid have been shown to have…
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shepherdlabkent.bsky.social @shepherdlabkent.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Here is our exciting new work on madecassic acid inhibiting bacterial respiration @kent.ac.uk @cjserpell.bsky.social @rscmedchem.rsc.org doi.org/10.1039/D5MD...
doi.org
Investigating the role of cytochrome bd oxidases in the antibacterial activity of madecassic acid and derivatives thereof
Natural products are valuable starting points for drug discovery, although individual modes of action are often difficult to pin down. Ursanes such as madecassic acid have been shown to have antibacte...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
So infuriating having Word making predictions of what I want to type and derailing my train of thought! And then wasting time working out to turn it off, and venting here...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Our newest paper is on agriculture! Liver cancer is a big problem in Vietnam, in part due to agrochemicals. Madecassic acid might be the basis for a medicine for it, and it can be extracted from Centella plants - but can you grow them without the agrochemicals? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
A comparative study of organic and conventional production methods on biomass accumulation and bioactive compounds content in Centella asiatica (L.) Urban in Vietnam
Centella asiatica is a widely cultivated herb in South and Southeast Asia, recognized for its considerable nutritional value in these regions. In trad…
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Are you a cell biologist interested in developing a potential new modality for targeting oncogenic protein-protein interactions? Michelle Garret and I have a postdoc position at Kent - it's for 3yr, and a really exciting collaboration to be part of! jobs.kent.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
jobs.kent.ac.uk
Job Opportunity at the University of Kent: Research Associate in Cell biology
Do you have experience in cell biology? Are you passionate about research and interested in drug discovery? If so, we’d welcome an application from you.Prof Michelle Garrett is looking for a Research ...
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The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 09/10/2025
We're now recruiting early career group leaders at the Crick to lead ambitious research programmes and explore bold scientific questions. Hear our Director, Edith Heard, explain why the Crick is a unique place for curiosity-driven research. Apply now ➡️ www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
I need to check - does the Funding Service website work in China?
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Thanks to @jesspanch.bsky.social at Trends in Chemistry for handling this review article on DNA-peptide self-assembly which is just out. This outlook is going to frame some more papers you'll see coming out my lab over the next year or so. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Self-assembly of (poly)peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates: from orthogonality to emergence
Peptides and DNA both display characteristic self-assembly motifs which underpin the spectacularly varied and functional nanostructures of biology. Ea…
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Postdoc position open for applications until 8th Sept! www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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RSC MASC @rsc-masc.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
📣 Call for Abstracts - vMASC 📣 We are currently inviting abstracts from all early-career researchers (Master’s, PhD, PDRA) for oral presentations in 2025/2026 as part of our monthly vMASC seminar series. Submission deadline 📆 18th Aug 2025 Find out more on mascgroup.co.uk/vmasc-4/vmas...
mascgroup.co.uk
vMASC Call For Abstracts (for 2025/26)
vMASC Early-Career Seminars: Call for Abstracts The organising committee of the virtual Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (vMASC) seminar series are inviting abstracts from all early-career …
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
I've got a postdoc position open @ucl.ac.uk - using phosphoestamers to block oncogenic protein-protein interactions. Large collaboration, translational outlook, cool chemistry underneath! www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
PharmAlliance creates all kinds of opportunities for collaboration between UCL, UNC, and Monash
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
A great group outing to Bloomsbury Lanes!
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Dr Kat, Epidemiologist @epidemiologistkat.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Hating on “Big Pharma”? Cool, it’s a $1.6 trillion regulated industry. But hang on…the $6.3 trillion wellness industry sells you mushroom tea, dewormers, crash diets, and alkaline water—no regulations, no oversight. But hey, it’s ‘natural,’ right?
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Thanks, AI
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Andrew Beekman @andrewbeekman.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Want to take on a new protein-protein interaction but don't know where to start? Have a look at our latest review in @chemsocrev.bsky.social on designing peptides to control protein interactions. doi.org/10.1039/D4CS...
doi.org
Peptide design to control protein–protein interactions
Targeting of protein–protein interactions has become of huge interest in every aspect of medicinal and biological sciences. The control of protein interactions selectively offers the opportunity to co...
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Charlie McTernan @charliemcternan.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Come join our lab @crick.ac.uk and KCL - looking for a Chemical Biologist, ideally with experience of assay design, to lead our chemical biology work, collaborating across my group, and driving forward basic and translational projects tinyurl.com/4h732e22 closes 23/2! 24-month post initially
tinyurl.com
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
We're looking for a postdoc to join the group at @ucl.ac.uk School of Pharmacy to use sequence to tie polymers in knots. Come and combine supramolecular chemistry with precision synthetic macromolecules! www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
I finally made a new group website for UCL! Basic for now, but has the key info: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/serpell/
blogs.ucl.ac.uk
UCL The Serpell Group
UCL Homepage
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Going to use this method to find out which reviewers to put on my 'please exclude' list
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Having a discussion with collaborators. I would much rather see a figure above the text discussing it, others would prefer the text first. Who's right?
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Batch vs flow www.youtube.com/watch?v=re1R...
youtube.com
How Animals Got Butts
YouTube video by PBS Eons
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
There's so much more we can do with phosphoestamers - I will be soon advertising for a postdoc who'll be working on tying them in knots - get in touch if you're interested.
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Esther Johnston @estherjohnston.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
This one is also a #ChemSci HOT article 🔥! #ChemSky #ChemBio 🧪
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Really pleased to see this out now in Chem. Sci.! We can selectively block the interaction between mutant #KRAS protein (25% of tumours) and its partner RAF using the tools of supramolecular chemistry, DNA synthesis, cell sorting, and mass spec. pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
pubs.rsc.org
Sequence-defined phosphoestamers for selective inhibition of the KRASG12D/RAF1 interaction
RAS proteins are the most frequently mutated in cancer, yet they have proved extremely difficult to target in drug discovery, largely because interfering with the interaction of RAS with its downstrea...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Has anyone taken apart an Expedite 8909? We've got a small part to replace, and I'm sure there must be a clever way to get there... #DNA
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juliayrho.bsky.social @juliayrho.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Fully funded PhD in biomaterials and polymer chemistry. Come join us at UCL 😊 rhoresearchgroup.uk www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
findaphd.com
Biomaterials/Polymer Self-assembly at University College London on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Biomaterials/Polymer Self-assembly at University College London, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Here's an interesting paper: pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/A... - what do you think is going on? My gut feeling is that there must be some other source of chirality in their system.
pubs.rsc.org
Enantiomeric peptides self-assembling into fibrils with the same handedness
It is widely accepted that peptides with enantiomeric configurations would self-assemble into nanostructures with opposite supramolecular chirality. However, in this work, we found that the l-peptide ...
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Thorn-Seshold Lab @thornsesholdlab.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Chemical Biology #ChemBio starter pack here: go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj Please repost! #ChemSky #realtimechem #FluorescenceFriday
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
So are we going to make a proper bash at recreating the chemistry(/science) community that used to exist on Twitter here? I'm not sold on left and right having different platforms, but that community was genuinely valuable and I'm here for it.
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 15/03/2024
New preprint! We can selectively block the interaction between mutant #KRAS (25% of tumours) and its partner RAF using the tools of supramolecular chemistry, DNA synthesis, cell sorting, and mass spec. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 03/01/2024
chemsky - Is it 'numerous' if the number is 1?
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 21/11/2023
Here's the 1st preprint from our UV-CAP work with Viet Nam - can you get valuable natural products (starting points for therapeutics against liver cancer) without agrochemicals? Yes! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr... (next: med chem on the compound, social science on acceptability, target ID)
chemrxiv.org
Cambridge Press Open Research Platform server
Cambridge Press Open Research Platform server
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 04/10/2023
Phosphoramidite chemistry is the best chemistry. Here's hoping it gets the #chemnobel today. Know any other chemistry you can use to dial up perfectly defined macromolecules delivered next day? Which underpin all of molecular biology, lots of medicine, and fun nanotech? #TeamDNA
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 01/10/2023
Look, we've got @nickwhite.bsky.social !
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 29/09/2023
I only just found the introduction to every nanoparticle thesis
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 25/09/2023
Anyone know if I can create a Bluesky bot which will repost from a Twitter feed? This place is nice, but no IFTTT integration...
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Chris Serpell @cjserpell.bsky.social · 19/09/2023
Having been at UCL for a couple of months now, today we ran the first reaction in the lab. Seems like a long time, but actually lots of stuff's been happening in the background.
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