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Omar Rifaie Graham

@rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social
126 followers 94 following 23 posts

Assistant Professor at Queen Mary University of London. Previously Postdoctoral Fellow at Imperial College London. Polymer chemist interested in Synthetic Cells, biotech, and diagnostics.

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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I would like to thank and congratulate the first authors Uthaya Lathan and Beyzanur Kaya and fruitful collaborations with Farzina Matubbar, Mohamed Chami and Jonathan Yeow.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
These emergent behaviors remind us of the highly refined stimulus discrimination mechanisms achieved in biological cells, for example, in vision processes.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
1 enzyme + 1 membrane + 1 photoswitch = 2 different feedback mechanisms. Importantly, combining these wavelengths allows the internal reaction to progress to levels that one wavelength cannot reach alone.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
In this work we show that a confined enzymatic reaction can present an accelerated profile (positive feedback loop) or a decelerated one (negative feedback loop) all governed by the transport mechanisms of the membrane when alternating yellow and blue light:
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The molecules that are transported are enzymatic substrates that are converted ON and OFF by alternating light and darkness cycles.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
One of our innovations comes from functionalizing their membranes with light-responsive motifs (Donor Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts, DASAs) that facilitate molecular transport across their membranes in presence of light.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Polymers can generate self-assembled structures (polymersomes) that imitate bilayer membranes of living cells and can be potentially synthesized in one or low number of steps. We can encapsulate (bio)catalysts that enable a minimal metabolism.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
After some time in press I am finally sharing with you our group's @qmul.bsky.social latest piece of work. www.nature.com/articles/s41... In the last few years we have been interested in polymers as alternative building blocks to those we consider essential for life (e.g. lipids or nucleic acids).
nature.com
Wavelength-dependent feedback behavior in light-gated polymersome nanoreactors - Nature Communications
Biological systems integrate multiple feedback processes to regulate their adaptation to evolving stimuli with high specificity. Here, the authors present polymersomes functionalized with a broad-spec...
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I would like to thank and congratulate the first authors Uthaya Lathan and Beyzanur Kaya and fruitful collaborations with Farzina Matubbar, Mohamed Chami and Jonathan Yeow.
000
Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
These emergent behaviors remind us of the highly refined stimulus discrimination mechanisms achieved in biological cells, for example, in vision processes.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
1 enzyme + 1 membrane + 1 photoswitch = 2 different feedback mechanisms. Importantly, combining these wavelengths allows the internal reaction to progress to levels that one wavelength cannot reach alone.
100
Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
In this work we show that a confined enzymatic reaction can present an accelerated profile (positive feedback loop) or a decelerated one (negative feedback loop) all governed by the transport mechanisms of the membrane when alternating yellow and blue light:
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The molecules that are transported are enzymatic substrates that are converted ON and OFF by alternating light and darkness cycles.
100
Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
One of our innovations comes from functionalizing their membranes with light-responsive motifs (Donor Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts, DASAs) that facilitate molecular transport across their membranes in presence of light.
100
Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Polymers can generate self-assembled structures (polymersomes) that imitate bilayer membranes of living cells and can be potentially synthesized in one or low number of steps. We can encapsulate (bio)catalysts that enable a minimal metabolism.
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
Claudia Contini @continiclau.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
I am looking for a motivated #Postdoctoral #Researcher to join my group at Imperial @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @imperiallifesci.bsky.social. The project focuses on #Antimicrobial #Materials & #Biomimetic #Interfaces Please repost! @imperialsci.bsky.social www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
imperial.ac.uk
Description
Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
European Synthetic Cell Initiative @syncelleu.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
📢The Contini Lab is hiring! Based at Imperial College, you will join a vibrant, multidisciplinary team developing next-generation nanomaterials and synthetic biology platforms to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Apply before 19 October! #syncell #syntheticcell
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Enhorabuena! esto es una noticia excelente! Lo curioso es que me estuve entrevistando a la vez que tu, pero con menos suerte. Estoy seguro de que saldran resultados excelentes de tu trabajo. Un saludo!
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Really happy for you Steve! This is excellent news. Really looking forward to see all your successes!
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
Jochen Brandt @jochenbrandt.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Are you a chemist with 3-8 years of post-PhD research experience and want to join the amazing Chemistry Dept @qmul.ac.uk ? If yes, please have a look at our call for expressions of interest in the Royal Society University Research Fellowship scheme. #ChemSky www.seresearch.qmul.ac.uk/ccr/news/498...
seresearch.qmul.ac.uk
Expression of Interest for Royal Society University Research Fellowships
The Department of Chemistry at Queen Mary University of London is looking to support applicants for the Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF). The URF is a prestigious fellowship program...
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Congratulations Monica 🥳
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
Charlie McTernan @charliemcternan.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Delighted to see our first collaboration with @kilbinger-group.bsky.social on foldamer water channels with high salt exclusion online at @angewandtechemie.bsky.social tinyurl.com/ez352x99
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Some of our representative work: 🔬 Nature Chem – Synthetic cells for polymerization (nature.com/articles/s41...) 🧪 Nat Comms – Polymer-based artificial systems (nature.com/articles/s41...)
nature.com
Photoswitchable gating of non-equilibrium enzymatic feedback in chemically communicating polymersome nanoreactors - Nature Chemistry
The circadian rhythm generates out-of-equilibrium metabolite oscillations controlled by feedback loops under light/dark cycles. Now, it has been shown that these life-like properties can emerge from a...
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
David Peeler @djpeeler.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Our article "Nanoscale Biodegradable Printing for Designed Tuneability of Vaccine Delivery Kinetics" is open-access at Advanced Materials! advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Major shout to my co-first author Rujie Sun and all our wonderful collaborators who helped realize this dream!
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Nanoscale Biodegradable Printing for Designed Tuneability of Vaccine Delivery Kinetics
Spatiotemporal Controlled Release Inks of Biocompatible polyEsters (SCRIBE) is a novel 2PP resin family with sub-micron resolution and tuneable hydrolysis. SCRIBE enables direct printing of hollow mi...
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Reposted by Omar Rifaie Graham
Stephen Fielden @stephenfielden.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Happy to have been awarded a 2025 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award. Looking forward to doing more (weird) organic chemistry research with my group! @uobchemistry.bsky.social www.thieme.de/en/thieme-ch...
thieme.de
2025 Awardees - Thieme Chemistry - Georg Thieme Verlag
The Thieme Chemistry Journals Award is presented every year to up-and-coming researchers worldwide who are in the early stages of their independent academic career as assistant or junior professors.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
royalsociety.org/grants/newton-international/ nature.com/articles/s41... nature.com/articles/s41... Sharing the post would be appreciated, thank you!
royalsociety.org
Newton International Fellowships | Royal Society
This fellowship is for non-UK scientists who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK.
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Please get in touch if you would like to conduct a Royal Society Newton Fellowship in my group at Queen Mary University of London. The topic would be either on polymer-based Synthetic Cells or polymerization reactions for disease diagnostics. Details of the scheme and relevant papers below:
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Upscaling helicene synthesys. Excellent work coming from @jochenbrandt.bsky.social and co-workers in our department @qmul.ac.uk
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Omar Rifaie Graham @rifaiegrahamlab.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
Hey Monica, I hope you’re well! Would you mind adding me?
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Claudia Contini @continiclau.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Are you looking for a #PhD and you are interested in synthetic cells? Have a look at the 17 #PhDpositions below! 👇👇👇
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