Reposted by François X. P. Bourassacpbf.bsky.social @cpbf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Applications for our annual postdoc fellowship search are due October 1! Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/188492 002
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 28/04/2026We are hiring post-docs ! If you are interested in projects at the interface between physics, biology and machine learning (AI ?) please contact me ! More details here www.francoisresearch.org/positions 11210
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Happy to share our latest review article, “Learning the Principles of T Cell Antigen Discernment.” www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... with @fxpbourassa.bsky.social , Sooraj Achar and Grégoire Altan-Bonnet ! 1/4annualreviews.orgLearning the Principles of T Cell Antigen DiscernmentT cells are central to the adaptive immune response, capable of detecting pathogenic antigens while ignoring healthy tissues with remarkable specificity and sensitivity. Quantitatively understanding h... 1115
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026We hope our focus on fluctuating odors will inspire more experiments with naturalistic temporal statistics in olfactory mixtures. On the theory side, the manifold learning concept may inform background filtering strategies in other biological and artificial systems. 020
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026We then dissect, numerically and analytically, the dynamics and stability of these models (detailed Appendix!). Notably, we find that local interneurons endowed with the IBCM learning rule decompose the background by selecting individual odors. 120
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026We combine biologically plausible models of synaptic plasticity to implement this strategy in the early olfactory circuit. Simulating these learning rules show they greatly improve the recognition of new odors in fluctuating backgrounds. 110
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Our proposal: manifold learning is optimal against fast fluctuations in high-dimensional olfactory space. Instead of filtering by anticipating inputs, a better strategy is to learn the low-dimensional manifold of background odors and suppress input projections in that subspace. 110
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Due to turbulent transport, natural odor signals are intermittent and vary rapidly. Yet, animals filter out backgrounds with such fluctuations to discern new, relevant olfactory cues. How does that work? 110
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Why do we stop smelling odors that linger? In our new @prxlife.bsky.social paper with @pfrancois.bsky.social, @gautamreddy.bsky.social, and Massimo Vergassola, we develop a manifold learning theory of this olfactory habituation process in fluctuating environments. 🔗 doi.org/10.1103/q62z... 🧵🔽 1256
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaDavid Hathcock @davidhathcock.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Last call for postdoctoral applications to join my group at University of Toronto. Feel free to reach out if you want to learn more about the position. 056
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Congrats @vmochulska.bsky.social and Paul, so nice to see this story officially published! The figures look amazing! 020
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Very happy to share our 'Evoscape' paper, now published in PNAS ! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgGenerative epigenetic landscapes map the topology and topography of cell fates | PNASEpigenetic landscapes were proposed by Waddington as the central concept to describe cell fate dynamics in a locally low-dimensional space. In mode... 17827
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 25/11/2025"Learning the principles of T cell antigen discernment" a review focused on the theoretical and experimental principles of Adaptive Kinetic Proofreading, with recent application to cancer immunotherapy ! With @fxpbourassa.bsky.social , Sooraj Achar and Grégoire Altan-Bonnet. arxiv.org/abs/2511.18626arxiv.orgLearning the principles of T cell antigen discernmentT cells are central to the adaptive immune response, capable of detecting pathogenic antigens while ignoring healthy tissues with remarkable specificity and sensitivity. Quantitatively understanding h... 021
François X. P. Bourassa @fxpbourassa.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Merci beaucoup Paul pour la nomination, la supervision et le soutien pendant ma thèse! 010
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaQiwei Yu @qiweiyu.bsky.social · 11/10/2025As the march meeting abstract deadline approaches, please check out our session! Please RT/forward 043
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 10/10/2025We are hiring ! If you want to become professor of Bioinformatics in the best city of North America, check the announcement below ! Also you do need to speak French (as long as you commit to learning it :) ) www.umontreal.ca/public/www/d...umontreal.ca 157
Reposted by François X. P. Bourassacpbf.bsky.social @cpbf.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Apply now to be a CPBF Fellow in 2026! puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...puwebp.princeton.edu 062
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 30/04/2025National Cancer Institute on our venture in Cancer Immunotherapy :) ccr.cancer.gov/news/article...ccr.cancer.govT-cell receptors can help CAR T cells steer clear of healthy tissue while they attack tumors | Center for Cancer ResearchAdding a specific T-cell receptor to CAR T cells may reduce side effects of immunotherapies designed to target solid tumors. 042
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 15/04/2025"Pour une immunothérapie encore plus précise" : merci à Catherine Couturier et à UdeM Nouvelles pour la couverture de notre récent article, en collaboration avec les groupes Taylor et Altan-Bonnet au NCI ! nouvelles.umontreal.ca/article/2025...nouvelles.umontreal.caPour une immunothérapie encore plus préciseUne équipe de recherche réussit à créer une cellule immunitaire plus efficace qui combat les cancers sans toucher aux tissus sains. 021
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 14/04/2025As promised, a 'skeet' -orial on our paper published last week ! 1289
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaCell - a Cell Press journal @cp-cell.bsky.social · 11/04/2025Now online! Engineering TCR-controlled fuzzy logic into CAR T cells enhances therapeutic specificitydlvr.itEngineering TCR-controlled fuzzy logic into CAR T cells enhances therapeutic specificityRobot-assisted analysis and theoretical modeling of TCR/CAR crosstalk enable the design of adoptive T cell therapies that maximize anti-tumor activity and minimize toxicity in healthy tissues. 072
Reposted by François X. P. BourassaPaul Francois @pfrancois.bsky.social · 11/04/2025Delighted to share our herculean, collaborative paper, published online today in Cell ! In short, we circle from data to theory back to experiments to design a new anti-cancer immunotherapy. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... 182