Josy ter Beek
@josyterbeek.bsky.social
Biochemist, molecular & structural biologist @UmeaUniversity 🧬 Studying #AntibioticResistance spread via #T4SS in Gram+ bacteria🦠 Chair of Info committee medical faculty📢 #SciComm🧪She/her👩🏻🔬
CPR bacteria form a superphylum that may account for 15–50% of all bacterial diversity (!!), yet we know remarkably little about them. Recently, we showed that the dwarf CPR bacterium JR1 entangles its host with specialized filaments and kills using a lance-like structure. 🦠⚔️
Good to see that my home country, the Netherlands, is still doing quite well! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Nearly half of the world’s Nature Index chemistry research is now done in China
A breakdown of leading countries and institutions highlights China’s dominance in the field.
nature.com
Is there a good #contaminant checklist? Just had to tell a researcher that the sample they have been working on and I ran over the SEC-MALS for them, probably is the infamous ArnA his-tag purification contaminant from E. coli (100% Mw and ext. coeff. match). journals.iucr.org/d/issues/202...
Cryo-EM reveals ArnA contamination during purification of a ciliary protein complex
ArnA contamination was independently observed during the purification of a soluble, low-yield protein complex, leading to an unintended 3.23 Å resolution cryo-EM structure. This work broadens recent f...
journals.iucr.org
Fika efter en Forskare has been bringing research closer to society for 10 years! 🎉We have worked hard to create a space where scientists can meet the public for an open dialogue, to strengthen trust in science and make research more relevant.🤝 www.umu.se/reportage/fi...
Fika efter en forskare firade 10 år
Trots det vackra vädret sökte sig många till Väven till Umeå universitets uppskattade evenemang.
umu.se
This is great! Conjugation without pili was always an annoying paradox, and this finding shows that things finally make sense.
Josy ter Beek@josyterbeek.bsky.social · 10mo ago📣New preprint with @rberntsson.bsky.social👇We overturn the long-standing view that Gram-positive bacteria lack conjugative pili! We identify pili-forming proteins in a wide range of bacteria and show they're essential for the spread of #antibioticresistance #AMR 🧵1/6 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
📣New preprint with @rberntsson.bsky.social👇We overturn the long-standing view that Gram-positive bacteria lack conjugative pili! We identify pili-forming proteins in a wide range of bacteria and show they're essential for the spread of #antibioticresistance #AMR 🧵1/6 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Pili are essential for conjugation also in many Gram-positive bacteria
Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) enable the spread of antibiotic resistance and other virulence factors. In Gram-positive bacteria, T4SSs have long been thought to lack VirB2-like proteins that form c...
biorxiv.org
”Så istället för att flytta kommunikationsavdelningarna längre bort från forskarna, genom att till exempel centralisera kommunikationen, borde motsatsen ske. Ge kommunikatörerna möjlighet att fördjupa sig i områden de är intresserade av” www.tidningencurie.se/kronikor/jag...
Jag är varken forskare eller kommunikatör - det passar mig jättebra | Tidningen Curie
När Julia Ravanis började forska insåg hon att forskning och forskningskommunikation ansågs vara två helt olika saker. Själv vill hon varken forska eller kommunicera utan förstå nya saker.
tidningencurie.se
It's beginning to look a lot like... Microbial Christmas! 🦠🧫🔬🎄🎅🏻🛷🦌☃️ 👉🏻 www.superbugs.online/superblog/microbial-christmas
@sbgrid.bsky.social is looking for a Research Associate to provide support to our community of users. This position is for a computationally-minded PhD structural biologist, see their website for more info: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/15185.
HMS - Research Associate in SBGrid, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
We invite applications for a Research Associate position in SBGrid at Harvard Medical School. This annually appointed academic role advances discovery in structural biology by curating, validating, an...
academicpositions.harvard.edu
✨Last chance to submit to our #BiofilmCreate #competition, which closes tomorrow (17 October 2025)! 🎨 📷 Showcase your talent in photography/art whilst highlighting the impact of #biofilms 🏆Gift cards will be awarded in both categories 🗳️biofilms.ac.uk/create #scicomm #AMR #MicroSky #biofilm
‘Alternative medicine’ is not harmless The rise of anti-science has been happening for more than a decade but was turbocharged by conspiracy theorists and alternative medicine ‘practitioners’ during the pandemic www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Our sister died because of our mum's cancer conspiracy theories, say brothers
Paloma Shemirani’s brothers say she refused chemotherapy because of their mother’s beliefs.
bbc.co.uk
👏lärosätena borde upphöra att vara statliga myndigheter och omvandlas till självständiga lärosäten. Utredningen föreslog också att ägandet av Akademiska hus skulle överföras till lärosätena, med motivet att en egen kapitalbas är viktig för reell självständighet.👏👍 www.tidningencurie.se/7655.html
After some more awesome science from amongst others @greening.bsky.social, Simon Newstead & @martinsteinegger.bsky.social and unfortunately a long drive back home, we made it back to Umeå! Thank you #Sweprot and all participants for the great company and hopefully see you next year!
Josy ter Beek@josyterbeek.bsky.social · last yr.Enjoying #Sweprot conference with good food and company & great science! #Sweprot2025 sweprot.se #Tällberg
Enjoying #Sweprot conference with good food and company & great science! #Sweprot2025 sweprot.se #Tällberg
Don't go the U.S. if you can at all avoid it, and hold your international conferences elsewhere. I feel bad for orgs with venues booked for this year, but for 2026- conferences, holding it in the US is a decision that says something to your global membership.
Paul Cohen@paulecohen.bsky.social · 2y agoLe Monde reporting that a French scientist traveling to Houston to attend a conference was denied entry to US after a search of his phone & computer revealed messages critical of Trump's science cuts, "which [says CPB] conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism". Computer confiscated
Please spread the word! We have an opening in the Atkinson lab for a post-doc with a focus on the molecular mechanisms of microbial immune systems. Can be a fully computational or experimental or hybrid project. Read more and apply here: lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/... #phage #bioinformatics
Postdoctoral research fellow with a focus on the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage-host interactions
Description of the Workplace In the Atkinson lab we are interested in making discoveries about protein function and structure, with a focus on bacterial immune system components that protect against b
lu.varbi.com
The Dutch Research Council is funding 5 projects with €4.53 million to develop new antibiotics and tackle #AMR. These initiatives use AI-driven discovery, safer drug formulations, and alternative therapies, uniting universities, hospitals, and industry. www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/nwo-funds-5-...
NWO funds 5 Dutch projects €4.5m to tackle antibiotic resistance
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has allocated €4.53m to five cutting-edge research projects to combat antibiotic resistance.
innovationnewsnetwork.com
Something to take into account next time I submit an article 🤔: "‘tripartite phrases’ enhance clarity by breaking down complex ideas into interconnected parts, create rhythmic patterns that are memorable and aim to communicate multiple aspects of research concisely." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Catchy, clear, concise: three-part phrases boost research paper citations
Memorable ‘tripartite’ phrases in titles make studies more likely to be read and cited.
nature.com
Vi är tillbaka i Väven (och online) nu på lördag med gofika och följande inspirerande forskare; Daniel Öhlund: Kan vi få cancer att läka ut? Anna Lövgren: Ansiktssmärta, en orättvis börda. Sophia Harlid: Miljö och bröstcancerrisk - spelar tidpunkten roll? Se www.umu.se/fika för all info! #forskom
Postdoc opportunity, please share! We are looking for a #postdoc to join our international team* in our quest to understand how Type 4 Secretion Systems facilitate the transfer of #antibioticresistance genes and other virulence factors in Gram-positive #bacteria.🧫👇 *5 people & 5 nationalities 🇸🇪🇳🇱🇳🇿🇺🇸🇪🇬
Ronnie Berntsson@rberntsson.bsky.social · 2y agoWe are looking for a postdoc! Join us to work in an exciting integrated structural biology project, focusing on understanding how Type 4 Secretion System facilitate horizontal gene transfer in bacteria! Please share! www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Please repost: Postdoc position in antibiotic discovery in a large multidisciplinary project combining high-throughput approaches, microscopy, AI, and hit-to-lead optimization at @umontreal.ca and @mila-quebec.bsky.social. Apply to ML.Antibiotics@gmail.com. See lnkd.in/dVVk4N3s. #microsky
In UK, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in humans have INCREASED by 13% since 2018… Despite a target to reduce them by 10%. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
UK ‘falling short’ in fight against rise of superbugs resistant to antibiotics
Antimicrobial resistance contributing to estimated 35,000 deaths a year in UK, and government ‘a long way’ from containing the problem, says NAO
theguardian.com
🌟 Imorgon är vi tillbaka i Väven med Fika efter en forskare! 🔬Kom och ta del av spännande forskning och njut av gofika! ☕️🍰 Den här gången får vi möta följande forskare: 👨🔬 Gustav Andersson 👩🔬 Anna-Clara Rullander 👨🔬 Andreas Josefsson Se nedan för mer info eller gå till www.umu.se/fika👇
So proud of our postdoc who got a Marie Curie grant 👏👌👇 I’m so happy to have you as my colleague Kieran! 🤗
Kieran Deane-Alder@endymiomatic.bsky.social · 2y agoExcited to say I've been offered a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoc fellowship! #MSCA I'll be staying at #umeauniversity, continuing work on the structural biology of Gram-positive type 4 secretion systems.
⚠️THREAD OF ALL SCIENCE-RELATED STARTER PACKS! ⚠️ 🔄Share to help people finding its topic/field - STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY Structural Biology 1: bsky.app/starter-pack... Structural Biology 2: bsky.app/starter-pack... Crystallography: bsky.app/starter-pack... Synchrotron&CryoEM: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Here is a starter pack for CryoEM/ET enthousiasts To be completed go.bsky.app/JmQksC
Ok, trying to bring my community back together... I created a starter pack for lipids and membrane protein aficionados! Feel free to share, add and distribute, so we can come together again! 😍 go.bsky.app/AEeXh86
Välkommen till årets första Fika efter en forskare, nu på lördag den 25 januari. Läs mer på www.umu.se/fika #forskom #Scicomm
