Sign in

Di Michele Lab

@dimichelelab1.bsky.social
906 followers 453 following 38 posts

Lorenzo Di Michele's research group at @cebcambridge.bsky.social University of Cambridge (and also a bit at Imperial College). Working on DNA/RNA nanotechnology and Synthetic Cells

PostsRepliesMedia
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
PS photos are before and after. We all survived - we just couldn't locate everyone in the dramatic minutes before the race 😅
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
As promised, we run the town and gown 10k! In the photos are group members @rogerrubiosanchez.bsky.social Juliette Bucci, Brian Ng, Cathrine Fan, Sebastian Krauss and Lorenzo (the old one). Thanks to all who supported us with donations to @mdukcharity.bsky.social
192
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Thanks @diantoniogroup.bsky.social
010
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Thanks - will do!
010
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Grazie!!!
000
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
@francolab.bsky.social @pcicuta.bsky.social
000
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
@lasergroup.bsky.social @diantoniogroup.bsky.social @oasaleh.bsky.social @rogerrubiosanchez.bsky.social
200
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Hey! Some group members and I are running a 10k race in Cambridge this Sunday, and raining some funds for @mdukcharity.bsky.social Please donate and share! @ceb.cam.ac.uk @pembroke1347.bsky.social sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsorship/...
sportsgiving.co.uk
SportsGiving - Entry: Lorenzo Di Michele
Lorenzo Di Michele is fundraising for charity. Visit their fundraising page to sponsor them online now!
352
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Check out this new @jacs.acspublications.org paper by @rogerrubiosanchez.bsky.social. Building cation responsive DNA receptors for synthetic cells!
061
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Thanks @oasaleh.bsky.social, great suggestion!
010
Reposted by Di Michele Lab
Jonathan Hedley @drjonhedley.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Happy to have developed the theory here, linking sequence-dependent charge patterns to favourable electrostatic interactions between homologous dsDNA🧬🧬 Matching theory & expt suggests a physical basis for sequence recognition that may underpin aspects of recombination, DNA repair, and replication.
041
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Thanks @floppleton.bsky.social Andy Stannard did that
010
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Also - we still need to decide where to submit this. Let’s try an unofficial poll. Where do BlueSky DNA enthusiasts see manuscript?
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Great collaboration with Alexei's team, ‪@diantoniogroup.bsky.social‬ and many others. Thanks @leverhulme.ac.uk ‪‪@royalsociety.org‬ @erc.europa.eu ‪@imperialchemistry.bsky.social‬ @ceb.cam.ac.uk
030
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
It turns out sDNA 🧬 interacts selectively! Andy Stannard measured these interactions very (very) precisely, and Ehud Haimov, @drjonhedley.bsky.social‬, Alexei Kornyshev worked out how it all works. It has to do with charge correlation... Check it out here chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
chemrxiv.org
Detection and quantification of counterion-mediated homologous recognition in double-stranded DNA
Stretches of double-stranded DNA sharing the same sequence can recognise each other in cells. This phenomenon, known as homologous recognition, is essential for DNA recombination and repair. Yet, its ...
282
Reposted by Di Michele Lab
Diana Tanase @dianatanase.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
My work on DNA condensates @dimichelelab1.bsky.social is now out! 🧬🎉🍬 A huge thank you to @francolab.bsky.social lab for their invaluable expertise and to everyone in our lab for their insights, feedback, and countless discussions along the way. I’ve learned so much from working with you all!
1204
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
We believe that this simple but modular condensate design strategy, based on nanostars and linkers, is really powerful and flexible. Hopefully others will find it useful too. Thanks to @erc.europa.eu @royalsociety.org @ceb.cam.ac.uk for funding and support! n/n
020
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Finally, we explore the effect on phase behaviour of changing annealing protocols, demonstrating that multicomponent DNA condensates equilibrate veeeeeeeeeeery slowly. Something to bear in mind if you plan to work with similar systems 5/n
130
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Simulations by Dino Osmanovic @francolab.bsky.social, based on Flory-Huggins, map well onto the experimental trends and allowed us to establish a link between the experimental order parameter and the F-H interaction parameter. Experimental (top) and simulated (bottom) snapshots below 4/n
131
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
We can control phase behaviour by changing linker and nanostars concentrations, without having to re-design nanostructures. This is rather convenient, and allowed us to map a large phase diagram and identify an order parameter controlling the transition between 1- and 2-phase condensates 3/n
120
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Condensates assemble from two populations of tetravalent DNA nanostars, and three types of divalent linkers that mediate nanostar-nanostar interactions, either within the same nanostar population or across populations 2/n
130
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Thrilled to share this new Adv. Sci. paper by @dianatanase.bsky.social with Dino Osmanovic @rogerrubiosanchez.bsky.social @laylamalouf.bsky.social @francolab.bsky.social. We demonstrate a modular approach to program internal phase separation in DNA condensates 1/n doi.org/10.1002/advs...
doi.org
Internal Phase Separation in Synthetic DNA Condensates
The modular, programmable system of DNA nanostructures developed provides programmatic control over multiphase condensate behavior, enabling mapping onto a predictive Flory-Huggins model. This combin...
1177
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Grazie Otti!
000
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Thanks @ceb.cam.ac.uk @erc.europa.eu @royalsociety.org and BBSRC n/n
020
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
The MLO platform is robust, inducible and modular and many design modifications can be applied to the nanostars to capture different proteins or change MLO properties. Hopefully you’ll find this useful, and we look forward to your feedback! 9/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Finally, we show that condensation is thermally reversible. The MLOs melt upon heating and re-assemble upon cooling, releasing and re-capturing GFP in the process 8/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
The nanostar designs are modular and allow for embedding of protein binding aptamers. We show that GFP can be selectively captured by the MLOs when a GFP-binding aptamer is included 7/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
We can express two non-interacting nanostars within the same cell, creating two orthogonal MLOs. This is only possible thanks to the selectivity of base pairing. Also here, most cells will have both MLOs, located at or near the poles 6/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
MLOs are located at the cell poles but small RNA clusters may appear near the centre before moving towards the poles. MLOs also tend to appear in the central section as cells approach division. The new MLOs may end up in one of the daughter cells, or be split between both 5/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
We express RNA “nanostars” interacting with kissing loops (KL) in E. coli and show that these form MLOs located at the poles of the cell. Expression is inducible and very efficient. Making the nanostars non-sticky stops condensation, indicating specificity 4/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Eukaryotic cells use membrane-less organelles (MLOs) to control many processes. Being able to engineer “designer” MLOs in prokaryotes could be useful for optimising metabolic and biomanufacturing pathways. We think that RNA nanotechnology could be the key to achieving this 3/n
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Great work from @brianngsh.bsky.social , Catherine Fan, @milandordevic.bsky.social, ‪@adamknirsch.bsky.social‬, @laylamalouf.bsky.social, @giacomofabrini.bsky.social, Sabrina Pia Nuccio, @rogerrubiosanchez.bsky.social ‬, coll Graham Christie @takinouelab.bsky.social ‬ @pcicuta.bsky.social 2/n
110
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Thrilled to share our latest preprint on expressing synthetic organelles made from RNA nanostructures in bacteria! 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Expression of nano-engineered RNA organelles in bacteria
Designing synthetic biomolecular condensates, or membrane-less organelles, offers insights on the functions of their natural counterparts, and is equally valuable for cellular and metabolic engineerin...
3133
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Thanks @syncelleu.bsky.social !!!
010
Reposted by Di Michele Lab
Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 03/01/2025
Origami Black Hole xkcd.com/3033
9682251094
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Please RT and share with relevant candidates!
000
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Candidates should hold a strong master degree in physics, physical chemistry or engineering and fit the residency requirements of MSCA doctoral networks (not have spent more than 1 year in the UK in the last 3). Salary is pretty good 😉
100
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
The candidate will use Synthetic Cell models and DNA nanotechnology to study interactions between lipid membranes and condensates. The project involves exciting training opportunities across Europe and placements with Petra Schwille in Munich and @continiclau.bsky.social in London
110
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Happy new year everyone, and some great news! We have an opening for a PhD candidate to join our lab @cebcambridge.bsky.social in October 2025 as part of the new exciting MSCA Doctoral Network @comeincell.bsky.social jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49240/
jobs.cam.ac.uk
1105
Reposted by Di Michele Lab
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge @ceb.cam.ac.uk · 06/12/2024
🧪
0197
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Great to see @pembroke1347.bsky.social here!
000
Reposted by Di Michele Lab
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge @ceb.cam.ac.uk · 20/11/2024
HI! 👋 We’re the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. We like: 🧪Science that pushes the envelope 🌏Working to solve the world’s biggest challenges 🧑‍🔬Collaborating with amazing scientists 🫖Tea! 🤖Robots! #DrivenByCuriosity #DrivingChange
0205
Di Michele Lab @dimichelelab1.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Amazing to see our work on designer RNA condensates featured on the cover of @naturenano.bsky.social!!! #RNAnanotech #condensates #SynCells www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Co-transcriptional production of programmable RNA condensates and synthetic organelles - Nature Nanotechnology
Controlling RNA and protein condensation is helpful in synthetic biology. Here the authors show programmable assembly of synthetic RNA nanostructures into designer membrane-less organelles that select...
0123