Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 25/04/2026For a moment I wondered whether I had an impersonator (or a sleep-posting habit) 010
Reposted by Robin BonBWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 03/02/2026The bureaucracy of science has grown so much, the system is collapsing upon itself: Scientists have become administrators of grants rather than spending time on science. Paid administrators are demanding even more administrative work from scientists. Administrators are eating the science budget. 45215
Reposted by Robin BonNature Chemical Biology @natchembio.nature.com · 16/01/2026Pick a color to control TRP channels - Check out the associated News & Views by Jana Volaric and Wiktor Szymanski on photoswitchable compounds that can agonize or antagonize TRPC4/5 channels depending on the color of light used www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comPick a color to control TRP channels - Nature Chemical BiologyIdeal efficacy photoswitching is introduced as a concept in controlling protein activity with light. Largely independent of the concentration of a light-responsive compound, it enables TRPC4 and TRPC5... 043
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 17/01/2026Very happy that our group has been able to contribute to this fantastic study. @astburycentre.bsky.social @astbury-bsl.bsky.social 193
Reposted by Robin BonPlessLab @plesslab.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Time to sign up! Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open: meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion... Please share and repost. 11211
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 16/12/2025Had a great time at the first @rsc.org Peptide & Protein Science Group symposium. Thanks for organising @mitchellchem.bsky.social @louislukpeptide.bsky.social and Louise Walport. I hope there will be many more. 031
Reposted by Robin BonDerek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 07/12/2025The latest from an honored member of the Royal Society. Every week he attacks the foundations of society in the UK and the EU and @royalsociety.org is apparently too worried about retribution to do anything about it. 715544
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 02/11/2025The MRC DiMeN DTP welcomes applications from well-qualified international candidates, but the number of places for these students is extremely limited. For questions not covered on the MRC DiMeN DTP web site or in the advert, please contact me by email through the link in the FindAPhD advert. 010
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 02/11/2025Applications need to be made to the MRC DiMeN DTP: www.dimen.org.uk. Applications by email cannot be considered. While training in all aspects of the project will be provided, previous experience of synthetic chemistry research is desirable.dimen.org.ukHOME | DiMeN DTPUtilising the combined expertise of five world-leading institutions, the Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN) partnership will train the next generation of researchers to tackle the major health problems ... 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 02/11/2025We are looking for a PhD student in #chembio / #medchem to help progress our drug discovery project targeting incurable brain cancers. lnkd.in/eaGsgWVr You would use multi-parameter optimisation to improve drug leads and develop chemical probes to identify their (off-)targets and binding sites.lnkd.inLinkedInThis link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn 103
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Powerful messages about the opportunity to learn much more about these channels by studying structural dependence on various factors such as temperature and membrane environment. Experimental structural biology is far from finished! 010
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Thanks to the @proteinsociety.bsky.social for organising an excellent virtual seminar on structural biology of #TRPchannels at different temperatures. Inspiring talks by Alexander Sobolevsky, Juan Du and David Julius, chaired by Yifan Cheng. 110
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 16/09/2025Congratulations to former PhD student Dr Aidan Johnson on winning the VC Jordan/PR Radford Prize 2025 for the best @astburycentre.bsky.social PhD thesis. Also congratulations to PhD student Catalina Onel on passing her transfer viva yesterday. 020
Reposted by Robin BonRuss Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 21/08/2025It is very nearly the tenth anniversary of that brief moment when, for 2 or 3 days, British newspapers remembered refugees are desperate human beings who need our help, rather than scum that it's okay to threaten with violence. 11227541026
Reposted by Robin BonStephan Hacker @stephanhacker2.bsky.social · 12/08/2025Great opportunity to perform a #PhD in the field of #OrganicChemistry or #CellBiology / #Biochemistry with a great mentor in the group of Steven Verhelst (@verhelstlab.bsky.social) at KU Leuven! #ChemBio #Academia 011
Reposted by Robin BonDerek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 14/08/2025No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot guess the journal withe the highest “impact factor” in organic chemistry last year. Really. Nor will you guess many of the other “winners”:science.orgJournal Impact Nonsense 147626
Reposted by Robin BonbioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 13/07/2025(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202… 001
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025We thank our BBSRC @ukri.org, @thebhf.bsky.social, @wellcometrust.bsky.social, @royalsociety.org, @universityofleeds.bsky.social, and the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic for funding, and the incredible @astbury-bsl.bsky.social for facilities and support. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...biorxiv.org(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activationTRPC4/5 cation channels are polymodal cellular sensors that play key roles in signal transduction/integration and have been implicated in various human pathologies, including anxiety, pain and cardiom... 000
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025This work was led by #cryoEM wizard Seb Porav, in a fantastic collaboration with Sasha Ptakova, @claudiabauer.bsky.social, @kasiahammond.bsky.social, David Beech, Viki Vlachova and @stemuench.bsky.social. @astburycentre.bsky.social @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @iphys-cas.bsky.social 110
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025In summary, we believe that this work represents a leap forward in understanding the #MolecularPharmacology of TRPC1/4/5 channels that will prove instrumental in TRPC1/4/5 drug discovery programmes. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025In addition, our analyses allow us to rationalise the selectivity of EA with respect to related ion channels, as well as the pharmacological profile of TRPC1/4/5 inhibitors in ongoing clinical trials. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025Structural similarity between TRPC1, TRPC4 and TRPC5, and the conservation of the EA binding site, suggest that our results extrapolate more generally to the TRPC1/4/5 sub-family – an emerging class of therapeutic targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders, cardiometabolic disease and pain. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025We show that EA binds to a conserved lipid binding site between TRPC5 transmembrane domains and alters the aromatic interaction network of Phe520 with surrounding methionine residues. This work underscores the critical function of Met-aromatic motifs in ion channel #StructuralBiology and function. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025We present nine new, high-resolution cryoEM structures of the human #TRPC5 #IonChannel in various states that reveal where and how EA binds to TRPC5 and - in combination with functional studies of TRPC5 variants - allow us to understand key molecular rearrangements related to channel gating. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025#TRPchannels mediate cellular responses to various #NaturalProducts. #EnglerinA (EA), found in a plant used as a traditional medicine and a poison, is a potent and selective TRPC1/4/5 activator. However, how EA interacts with these channels has remained a mystery – until now. 100
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/07/2025We are proud to share our latest preprint: "(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation". www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1216
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 18/06/2025To see all 16 articles, please follow this link: www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...sciencedirect.comCurrent Opinion in Chemical Biology | Ion transport across biological membranes (2025) | ScienceDirect.com by ElsevierScienceDirectRead the latest articles of Current Opinion in Chemical Biology at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature 010
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 18/06/2025It has been great working with Matthew Langton to edit this themed issue of Current Opinion in Chemical Biology on Ion Transport across Biological Membranes. The collection of 16 articles is now complete. Thanks to all authors and reviewers! #ChemicalBiology authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHil4sz6M...authors.elsevier.com 000
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 12/06/2025An absolute pleasure to host @thornsesholdlab.bsky.social in Leeds today for an amazing @astburycentre.bsky.social seminar. 021
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 02/04/2025Couple trying unsuccessfully to use the self-scan passport gates at Schiphol, holding up the queue. Border guard over intercom: "Mr and Mrs Campbell, this is for European passports only - you voted for Brexit". 061
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 13/03/2025They probably cannot believe you would not want to be a most distinguished speaker at the 3rd Global Summit on Greater Hog Badger Genetics 110
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 10/03/2025Interesting paper that we discussed in a recent group meeting. A lot of the things we like: ROS, reactive Cys, S-palmitoylation, nicely designed bioresponsive probes, mitochondrial targeting, cell imaging. 162
Reposted by Robin BonRSC Chemical Biology @rscchembio.rsc.org · 06/03/2025RSC Chem. Biol. and @orgbiomolchem.rsc.org are proud to offer our support to the 2025 RSC Chemical Biology & Bioinorganic Group Postgraduate Symposium. Taking place 13 June in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, this meeting features exciting work from early career researchers: www.rsc.org/events/detai...rsc.org 2025 RSC Chemical Biology and Bio-organic Group Postgraduate Symposium 052
Reposted by Robin BonRSC CBBG Interest Group @rsc-cbbg.bsky.social · 27/02/2025Nominations for the CBBG Lectureship Award are now open! Get your nominations in by 30th April, to recognise individuals who have made excellent contributions to both research and the UK chemical biology community. www.rsc.org/membership-a...rsc.orgChemical Biology and Bioorganic Group AwardsOur community recognising scientific excellence. 023
Reposted by Robin BonChemKritzer @chemkritzer.bsky.social · 19/02/2025🚨 Chemical Biology & Probes study section (formerly SBCB, one of two NIH panels that reviews chemistry #chemsky 🧪) was abruptly POSTPONED w/no specific plans for rescheduling, less than 24h before start. If this affects you call your reps & senators, talk to local news, make your voice heard 📢 👩🔬 43527
Reposted by Robin BonRSC CBBG Interest Group @rsc-cbbg.bsky.social · 12/02/2025Nominations for this year's CBBG Lectureship Award will be opening in March - so get thinking of scientists who have made major scientific and community contributions to our chemical biology community! Self-nominations are permitted, we'll be back with further details when nominations open 012
Reposted by Robin BonBen Schumann @drglycoben.bsky.social · 12/02/2025Amazing speaker lineup (Imperiali, Seeberger, Aye, Gonzalez Bello, Walport, Walport, Vendrell, Kele, Zeymer, Green, Thorn-Seshold, Biber) and beautiful venue - join us at #ESBOC58 in Gregynog/Wales on 28th-30th May for amazing #chembio and #bioorganic. Speaker/poster slots, registration 14th March! 1135
Reposted by Robin BonDerek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 24/01/2025This one is mostly about the title subject (featuring a very interesting compound from academia) but it’s also about attacking the NIH:science.orgAttacking Estrogen-Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer 44718
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 16/01/2025There goes a giant... www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ja...theguardian.comDavid Lynch, Twin Peaks and Muholland Drive director, dies aged 78Film-maker who specialised in surreal, noir style mysteries made a string of influential, critically acclaimed works including Wild at Heart and Eraserhead 050
Reposted by Robin BonAdam Nelson @adam-s-nelson.bsky.social · 09/01/2025Interested in applying a chemical biology approach to ubiquitin signalling? Elton Zeqiraj and I are currently recruiting a postdoctoral researcher in this area! jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...jobs.leeds.ac.ukJob Opportunity at University of Leeds: Research Fellow in Chemical Biology and Drug DiscoveryAre you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in biochemistry or drug discovery? Do you want to further your career in one of the UKs leading r... 051
Reposted by Robin BonUte Hellmich @hellmichgroup.bsky.social · 21/12/2024😱 For every researcher at the ~420 German universities (nr includes applied science unis), there are certainly many respectable publishing options available, with serious peer review, both in the form of society journals or even with "commercial" publishers... 😥🧪 082
Robin Bon @rsbon.bsky.social · 20/12/2024The venue for the last day (the Aula of the University of Perugia) wasn't too shabby either. Excellent meeting: great science, stunning location, beautiful food, and lovely people. 000
Reposted by Robin BonSascha Hoogendoorn @hoogendoornlab.bsky.social · 03/12/2024Job alert: fully funded postdoc position in chemical biology in beautiful Geneva! Do you have a PhD in Chemical Biology or related field with organic synthetic experience? Apply now! Details on how to apply can be found here: www.hoogendoornlab.org/joinus #chemsky #ChemBiohoogendoornlab.orgJoin us! | Hoogendoorn LabOpenings for PhD students and postdocs will be advertized here 02523