PATHOgenex RNA atlas - one of the best 50 articles in the area of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Text written by Nóra Lehotai

Illustration of the PATHOgenex, a freely available online RNA atlas of 32 human bacterial pathogens exposed to 11 infection relevant stress. Illutsration by Kemal Avican.

The recently published scientific article of MIMS researcher Kemal Avican and MIMS group leader Maria Fällman and their co-authors, is now among the Nature Communication's Editor Highlight articles as one of the best 50 publications in the area of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. It is a great achievement to conquer in such a short time as the article got published just in the beginning of June 2021. 
Both Maria and Kemal, the corresponding authors of the study, predicted that their work on stress responses in cross-microbial species, resulting in the PATHOgenex RNA atlas (www.pathogenex.org), could give a new, interactive tool into the hands of scientists to better understand adaptation strategies of different bacterial pathogens and give rise to the development of AI-powered approaches to solve complex research questions. Receiving this editorial highlight, also shows that this work is of particular interest and potential. 

Read more: PATHOgenex RNA atlas - one of the best 50 articles in the area of Microbiology and Infectious...

PostDoc or PhD Position in the Henriksson Lab

Understanding CAR T cells through machine learning and advanced bioinformatics

Johan Henriksson, a MIMS group leader, is currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher or PhD student to dissect T cell regulation using single-cell methods and CRISPR screening. While the overall goal is to develop CAR T-cell technology, this position is geared towards sharpening our analysis methods. Of particular interest include better statistics for CRISPR-UMI pooled screens, gene regulation (ATAC-seq, HiC) and gene isoforms (RNA-seq).

Candidates who are strong in any of computer science, mathematics, statistics or machine learning are encouraged to apply. An interest in learning biology is essential and some basic insight will already help plenty. An overview of what we do, and contact information, can be found at http://henlab.org/

Read more: PostDoc or PhD Position in the Henriksson Lab

Anna Överby Wernstedt awarded the 2021 Eric K Fernströms Prize

Text written by Nóra Lehotai. Picture: Anna Överby Wernstedt (on the right) with one of her group members in the lab. Credit: Mattias Petterson.

Anna Överby Wernstedt, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, and senior MIMS group leader, got awarded the prestigious Eric K Fernströms Prize for her research efforts on tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and other mosquito- and tick-borne flaviviruses.

"This prize means a lot to me both at the personal and at the professional level. It is always nice to be recognized by others because they see potential in what you do, and this gives you a confirmation that you are on the right track”-says Anna.

The Eric K Fernströms Prize is awarded each year to young, exceptionally promising, and successful researchers working at the six Swedish universities’ medical faculties. The prizes are managed by the medical faculty at Lund University, and the prize money is donated by the Eric K Fernströms Stiftelse.

Read more: Anna Överby Wernstedt awarded the 2021 Eric K Fernströms Prize

Andrea Puhar elected as board member of Svenska Föreningen för Mikrobiologi

Text written by Nóra Lehotai. Picture: Andrea Puhar, MIMS group leader, Umeå University. Credit: Mattias Petterson.

MIMS group leader Andrea Puhar became a board member of Svenska Föreningen för Mikrobiologi.

The Svenska Föreningen för Mikrobiologi (SFM; Swedish Society for Microbiology) is an organization which collects and provides membership for individuals interested in microbiological sciences. SFM aims to support the progress and development of fundamental and applied microbiology both at the national and international level since the society is the Swedish node of FEMS (Federation of European Microbiological Societies). SFM organises scientific symposia, workshops and other networking activities, and they also collaborate with NDPIA to organize courses for young scientists.

Read more: Andrea Puhar elected as board member of Svenska Föreningen för Mikrobiologi

MIMS Spotlight Series: Meet Milica Milivojevic

Text written by Nóra Lehotai and Milica Milivojevic. Picture: Milica Milivojevic, owned by Milica Milivojevic.

I had a chat with Milica, who is a postdoctoral fellow in the Sixt group. She is another true cosmopolitan scientist with Serbian-British dual nationality, who then studied in France and did a postdoc fellowship in New York, before arriving at Umeå in March 2021.

Can you tell us about your role at MIMS, what are you working on now? 

As a postdoc in Barbara’s lab, I will be working on Chlamydia trachomatis infection. C. trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that resides and replicates in a bacteria-containing vacuole called the inclusion. My project will be focused on studying the host-pathogen interaction at the inclusion membrane using proteomics and lipidomic approaches, in order to better understand this intriguing niche.

Read more: MIMS Spotlight Series: Meet Milica Milivojevic