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Colin Kim

@colinmkim.bsky.social

MD/PhD student at @UTSW. Interested in human immunity, genetics, and cell biology. Views are my own.

Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

10. I am also deeply grateful to @shenyingzhang1.bsky.social and @casanovalab.bsky.social for training me and supervising me in other work (coming soon 😉), and to @ahmad-yatim.bsky.social for his mentorship and for leading this project.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

9. I thank all co-authors, including Maira Gaballa, @dan-yel.bsky.social, and Emmanuelle Jouanguy.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

8. We have successfully used fluorescent VLPs to study LFA-1 deficiency, an effort led by @ahmad-yatim.bsky.social and @casanovalab.bsky.social. Here, we proved that patient-derived variants of LFA-1 failed to bind their natural ligand. science.org/doi/full/10....

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

7. Potential users should consider our protocol for variant testing, studies on patient-derived cells, functional screens, and multicolor flow cytometry panels.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

6. Finally, we validate our assay using a known loss-of-function ligand variant. This proof-of-principle experiment opens the possibility of testing potentially pathogenic variants of transmembrane proteins at scale.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

5. Second, we show that our binding assay is highly specific and requires ligand expression on VLPs as well as receptor expression on target cells.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

4. We also validate our protocol and materials in multiple steps. First, we show that in-house VLPs with novel fluorescent tags are functional and incorporable into existing flow cytometry panels. Our new constructs will be available soon on @addgene.bsky.social.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

3. To address this, we describe the production and usage of fluorescent VLPs which display transmembrane proteins in a membrane-associated context. Our VLPs can be easily produced in HEK 293T cells using a short and highly modifiable protocol.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

2. Transmembrane ligand-receptor interactions govern essential biological processes, including cell adhesion and migration, checkpoint inhibition, and development. However, they are difficult to study due to the biochemistry and cost of recombinant reagents.

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Colin Kim @colinmkim.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

1. I’m happy to share my first publication from @casanovalab.bsky.social, now out at @ BioProtocol. We provide a cost-effective and scalable assay to study ligand-receptor interactions using virus-like particles (VLPs) and flow cytometry. bio-protocol.org/en/bpdetail?...

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