Sign in

David Bhella

@dbhella.bsky.social
1.7K followers 815 following 73 posts

Professor of Structural Virology and Associate Director at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR). Director of the Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging. CryoEM, viruses, music, field archery, scicom and pix of our toy poodle.

PostsRepliesMedia
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Microsoft Word really knocking it out of the park today!
Microsoft Word spell-check highlights the work 'suggestions' as an error and has 'no suggestions available'
030
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Excellent baking delivered by the Bhella and Fletcher groups for our CVR coffee morning. This month the coffee morning raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support - thanks to Will Rooney for organising that.
CVR coffee morningCVR coffee morning
040
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
It’s the time of the year when I get to enjoy watching bats fly around my back garden at dusk - bat detector in hand… wonderful 😊
050
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I am privileged to enjoy a fantastic collaboration with my @cvrinfo.bsky.social colleagues Margaret Hosie, Brian Willett, Lee Sherry and Hagar Sasvari. Lee and Hagar used their reverse-genetics expertise to make some great tools to help us dissect calicivirus entry. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Feline calicivirus encoding NanoLuc luciferase as a tool for assessing antibody neutralisation and antivirals
Feline calicivirus (FCV) is among the most common viruses to infect cats worldwide, with prevalence estimated to range from 10-90% depending on the population sampled. Typical FCV infection presents w...
0104
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The west coast of Scotland just isn’t the place for observing astronomical events! Just like when we have forecasts of fantastic northern lights - the eclipse is turning into an evening of cloud watching.
050
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Interested in learning about cryo-ET on JEOL microscopes? Sign up for a pre-IMC21 one-day workshop in Liverpool 30/08/2026 here: www.imc21.org.uk/congress/pre...
Poster advertising a JEOL organised cryo-electron tomography workshop on 30th August 2026 in Liverpool UK.
053
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The illusion of freedom - autocorrect is how our robot overlords humiliate us to remind us of our place in the order of things.
020
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
A great collaboration with Morgan Herod and colleagues in Leeds. Thermally stable murine norovirus shows a delayed uncoating phenotype, with cryoEM led by Lee Sherry and Charlotte Lewis at the @cvrinfo.bsky.social.
164
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We really appreciate the time and work that @orestissavva.bsky.social put into preparing the PreLights article, and his thoughtful questions were a nice avenue for Charlotte to expand on her work. Thanks to BioRxiv for highlighting this resource.
031
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Thanks @juanrv.bsky.social and Denis Ptchelkine for the invitation to visit AFMB and speak at their cryo-EM workshop. What treat to see the beautiful Luminy campus, hear some fantastic science and catch up with @sonia-longhi.bsky.social.
David at the laboratoire architecture et fonction des macromolecules biologiques David at laboratoire architecture et fonction des macromolecules biologiques
041
Reposted by David Bhella
preLights @prelights.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Cats: the ultimate pets and scientific heroes. 🐱 Studying feline viruses to identify innovative solutions to prevent human infections. #preprint by @cb99-lewis.bsky.social, @dbhella.bsky.social & team #microbiology #preLight by @orestissavva.bsky.social: prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
prelights.biologists.com
Inhibition of VP2-mediated entry: a potential antiviral strategy to treat or prevent calicivirus disease - preLights
Cats: the ultimate pets and scientific heroes. Researchers are studying feline viruses to identify innovative solutions to prevent human infections
075
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Nothing U2 ever did or could do would make up for the moment a billion souls cried out in unison - “how the hell do I delete this crap from my Apple Music library.”
000
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Wow - this is just amazing. Hui Guo and colleagues from John Briggs’ lab use cryoEM helical reconstruction to discover how filamentous influenza virion assembly is directed by multiple conformations of M1 - explaining how NA is concentrated at the proximal pole. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
22613
Reposted by David Bhella
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 13/05/2026
France confines more than 1,700 people to cruise ship over suspected norovirus death
theguardian.com
France confines more than 1,700 people to cruise ship over suspected norovirus death
One elderly passenger on vessel docked in Bordeaux has died and about 50 people have symptoms, say officials French authorities have confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew members on a cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after a passenger died from suspected norovirus, officials have said. The Ambassador Cruise Line vessel carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them British or Irish, arrived in Bordeaux on Tuesday. One 90-year-old passenger had died and about 50 people had shown symptoms of the virus, French health officials said. Continue reading...
109345
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Amazing work from Charlotte Lewis - our latest preprint describes structure guided development of an antiviral peptide, targeting VP2 portal assembly - a strategy that may have broad application to treat or prevent calicivirus disease. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
1176
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Really happy to see this paper out now in PLOS Pathogens - a really nice collaboration with @alanlparker.bsky.social - led by Kasim Waraich and Rosie Mundy. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
journals.plos.org
Identification of a novel fiber shaft structural motif and overexpression of key transcripts elucidated in human adenovirus D 10
Author summary Adenoviruses cause infections with pathologies ranging from cold like respiratory symptoms to gastroenteritis and conjunctivitis. In addition to research on adenovirus pathology, substa...
075
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
How to get ahead in academia 1. Creative thinking. French professor investigated for awarding himself fake prize www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
French professor investigated for awarding himself fake prize
The academic is accused of dreaming up the prize he went on to win and has been suspended from his university.
030
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
First time out in the woods at Palacerigg this year. Not too shabby groups, although my bow feels very heavy… will take a bit of practice before I shoot a round I think.
020
Reposted by David Bhella
Ed Hutchinson @socialinfluenza.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
🚨New pre-print!🚨 Because influenza virions are highly variable in form no single method can show their molecular architecture in detail. Here, we integrate multiple structural and compositional approaches to identify new features of these beautiful virus particles www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
An illustration of an apical region of an animal cell in cross section, shown crowded with individual molecules. The plasma membrane is densely occupied by influenza virus glycoproteins, and from the surface bud influenza virions with different morphologies (L-R): spherical, bacilliform, filamentous with a genome, filamentous and empty, filamentous with a helical inner layer, and filamentous with a cofilactin cytoskeleton.
37428
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Delighted to share our latest preprint describing an integrative model for influenza A virions. We combined proteomics, lipidomics and cryo-ET to build a comprehensive set of models, using subtomogram averaging we show that IAV filaments package cofilactin. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
083
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The abstract deadline for the 21st International Microscopy Congress has been extended to 20th March. Pranav Shah and I will be chairing a one-day session on “Imaging pathogen biology from structure to mechanism” and we would love to hear about your work! www.imc21.org.uk
imc21.org.uk
Homepage
041
Reposted by David Bhella
EMBL @embl.org · 05/03/2026
A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, the Institut Pasteur, and EMBL has shown in a Nature paper how the influenza polymerase, a molecular thief, uses the host RNA to replicate. Check out the MPI press release: www.mpinat.mpg.de/5179649/pr_2...
2145
Reposted by David Bhella
Pranav NM Shah @proteincapsid.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Abstract submission closes this Friday. If you have a story to tell and have just seen this do apply! @dbhella.bsky.social and myself look forward to your abstracts!
034
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Photo of David Bhella with students at the Taj MahalPhoto of David Bhella with CEM3DIP students
000
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Thanks so much to Profs. Manidipa Banerjee, Ashok Patel, Ramanathan Natesh, Prem Kaushal and Subhash Yadav for inviting me to participate in this years EMBO CryoEM and 3D Image Processing workshop. It is so inspiring meeting all the fantastic students and hearing about their exciting science!
140
Reposted by David Bhella
Amit Meir @amitmhbh.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Very excited to share our work, a fish herpesvirus' cryo EM structure. It features a long PVAT tail, with new and host-like proteins discovered using modelAngelo, Dali, and Viro3D, including a host-like macrodomain doi.org/10.64898/202... @dbhella.bsky.social @grovearmada.bsky.social
doi.org
1208
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
I am excited to share our latest preprint - An evolutionarily divergent herpesvirus with a giant tail. Featuring symmetry breaking and genome annotation from structure using ModelAngelo. doi.org/10.64898/202...
Image of a herpesvirus structure
17524
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
I will also be co-chairing a one-day symposium on "multimodal imaging of pathogens, from structure to mechanism”, along with @proteincapsid.bsky.social - our invited speakers are Prof. Wah Chiu (Stanford) and @marvintanenbaum.bsky.social (Hubrecht Institute. Utrecht).
000
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Calling all microscopy enthusiasts! I have been working with Gail McConnell to coordinate the life-science section of the 21st International Microscopy Congress taking place in Liverpool, UK this September. We have some great symposia lined up! Registration and abstracts 👉 www.imc21.org.uk
imc21.org.uk
Homepage
164
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Thanks to @sjorsscheres.bsky.social and Kiarash Jamali for coming to hear me fan-boy about Relion and ModelAngelo in my talk and bringing more advice on how to do cool stuff even better….
110
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Had a fantastic day visiting the Virology Division in the University of Cambridge Dept of Pathology. Thanks to Myra Hosmillo, Ian Goodfellow, Andrew Firth, Hazel Stewart and Valeria Lulla for great virus- and science-life chat.
Picture of Homerton College - University of Cambridge
160
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
The UK cloud cover forecast for tomorrows geomagnetic storm. If there is one guarantee in life it’s 100% cloud cover when there is a forecast of northern lights. www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...
Cloud cover forecast showing lots of cloud over the UK
010
Reposted by David Bhella
Microbiology Society @microbiologysociety.org · 07/10/2025
Huge congratulations to Emma Davis, the winner of 2025's Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prize! We agree with Emma that all of the finalists' talks were brilliant and a massive well done to everyone involved!
2318
Reposted by David Bhella
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
My nightmare: “Almost 100 people came down with norovirus aboard a Royal Caribbean ship amid a 13-day voyage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this week… The first reports of illness were made on Sept. 28, with four crew members and 94 guests falling ill”
nytimes.com
Norovirus Outbreak Sickens Nearly 100 on Royal Caribbean Cruise
55415
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
This is the coolest resource - so much more than a repository of predicted viral protein structures. Check it out…
030
Reposted by David Bhella
Joe Grove @grovearmada.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Check out this new BBC documentary on Disease X and pandemic preparedness, broadcast tonight (22/09) and on BBC iPlayer. It features @cvrinfo.bsky.social's work using #AI to investigate #virology and much, much more. 🧪🦠🤖 It was a real pleasure working with Chris VT and the team. Thank you!
0154
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
46 articles and book chapters for me. The thing is, if Meta had licensed my work they wouldn’t have paid me - they would have paid Springer, Wiley et al. I am not saying it is right that they stole the work, it is just another layer of exploitation of creators.
061
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
I am delighted to share this preprint describing the structure and transcriptomics analysis of adenovirus D10 - a fantastic collaboration - and a lot of hard work by Kasim and Rosie.
0114
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Second time in a week - so proud of Charlotte’s achievements. ECR oral presentation prize at the 9th international Calicivirus workshop. So accomplished and just starting year 3 of her PhD.
080
Reposted by David Bhella
The Dunn School, Oxford @dunnschool.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Our PhD studentship programme is officially open; pass it on If you are looking for a fully-funded PhD in the mechanisms underlying human disease, here are the details... Great science and a great environment! www.path.ox.ac.uk/news-article...
path.ox.ac.uk
Applications now open for our PhD studentship programme - Dunn School
Applications are now open to apply for our four year, fully-funded PhD programme in Molecular Cell Biology in Health and Disease.
12019
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Well this is terrible… honestly the stuff I have to do for science - in Banff for the 9th international Calicivirus workshop.
0453
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Proud supervisor moment - congratulations Charlotte Lewis on winning the ECR best presentation prize at the Glasgow Virology Workshop. 👏👏👏👏👏👏
150
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
I agree Edinburgh is terrible - all the more annoying that it has pulled routes away from Glasgow, which is much nicer. I expect it is cheaper for the airlines. I think Stansted is worse tho… truly awful.
120
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I didn’t know the Ontario science centre had closed ☹️. So many happy childhood memories from summers spent in Toronto. OSC blazed a trail for science museums around the world and the building is epic. I hope it can be saved and put to a use that respects the legacy.
010
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
“beans on toast, ngl, kinda gross” you are objectively and categorically wrong on this. Beans on toast is the perfect meal - breakfast, dinner, tea. Doesn’t matter which.
110
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
First field archery competition in ~25 years. I was terrible 😀 - but it was lovely being out in the woods again.
040
Reposted by David Bhella
MRC-UofG Centre for Virus Research @cvrinfo.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Last week we welcomed colleagues from ‪@helmholtzhzi.bsky.social‬ Centre for Infection Research & other project partners for our CVR-HZI Collaborative Development Fund Symposium. We heard about exciting research projects and discussed new opportunities to further our collaborations. cvr-hzi.co.uk
 man presents to an audience in a conference room. The projected slide reads “Anatomical origin of exhaled SARS-CoV-2 within the respiratory tract” and features a colourful virus illustration. Attendees are seated and focused on the presentation.A group of people sits around a long table in a dimly lit restaurant. The table is filled with drinks. The setting features wooden wall panels and modern hanging light fixtures. A group of people sits in a conference room with large windows, participating in a discussion. Attendees are taking notes or using laptops.Twelve people pose for a group photo in front of a wall displaying logos for the Medical Research Council- University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. They are dressed in business casual attire. The setting is an indoor office.
1104
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Or Coccoliths?
010
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Epseptimavirus phagemcphageface made my day... doi.org/10.1099/jgv....
doi.org
Binomial names for virus species: the rediscovery of an old idea
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses now mandates that all virus species names be presented in a binomial format. This requirement replaces the various naming formats that have been used...
042
David Bhella @dbhella.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Thinking about it - it might not even have been under vacuum - we were testing culture from frozen grids to support use in a fib… I need to check. Anyhow the RSV didn’t make it…
110