George Preston
@georgepreston.bsky.social
Analytical biochemist w/ public health focus; headless bassist
Interesting job vacancy at @ukhsa.bsky.social:
Senior Analytical Toxicologist on a drugs-of-misuse surveillance project
#massspec
www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Londo...
Senior Analytical Toxicologist on a drugs-of-misuse surveillance project
#massspec
www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Londo...
Job vacancy: Senior Analytical Toxicologist, UK Health Security Agency, Oxford | trac.jobs
www.healthjobsuk.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Interesting job vacancy at @ukhsa.bsky.social:
Senior Analytical Toxicologist on a drugs-of-misuse surveillance project
#massspec
www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Londo...
Senior Analytical Toxicologist on a drugs-of-misuse surveillance project
#massspec
www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Londo...
Reposted by George Preston
gonna infect you with this
October 31, 2025 at 9:29 PM
gonna infect you with this
Idea: scientific PhDs include a chapter on #reproducibility, where the student attempts to reproduce a published work. The student would learn a lot, and science would benefit.
October 31, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Idea: scientific PhDs include a chapter on #reproducibility, where the student attempts to reproduce a published work. The student would learn a lot, and science would benefit.
Reposted by George Preston
How can we study target engagement and selectivity of covalent inhibitors? Which electrophilic probes are best suited to study a certain amino acid?
Our study on "Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles" is published in Nature Chemistry.(1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our study on "Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles" is published in Nature Chemistry.(1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles - Nature Chemistry
Covalent inhibitors are powerful entities in drug discovery. Now the amino acid selectivity and reactivity of a diverse electrophile library have been assessed proteome-wide using an unbiased workflow...
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:27 AM
How can we study target engagement and selectivity of covalent inhibitors? Which electrophilic probes are best suited to study a certain amino acid?
Our study on "Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles" is published in Nature Chemistry.(1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our study on "Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles" is published in Nature Chemistry.(1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Today I learned that a synonym for zwitterion is 'inner salt'. I love the slightly philosophical vibe of this term.
October 28, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Today I learned that a synonym for zwitterion is 'inner salt'. I love the slightly philosophical vibe of this term.
"To simplify things, if you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. In both cases, the culprit is a toxin."
#ChemicalWeapon #Toxin #Poison #Venom
The Right Chemistry: The deadly differences between poisons, toxins and venoms
montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
[...]
A poison is any substance that, when introduced into a living organism, kills or injures it in some way. If the poison is produced by a ...
The Right Chemistry: The deadly differences between poisons, toxins and venoms
montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
[...]
A poison is any substance that, when introduced into a living organism, kills or injures it in some way. If the poison is produced by a ...
The Right Chemistry: The deadly differences between poisons, toxins and venoms
if you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous.
montrealgazette.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:09 AM
"To simplify things, if you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. In both cases, the culprit is a toxin."
Reposted by George Preston
The Edward Boyle Library celebrates its 50th birthday today 🎉
Take 50 seconds to learn 50 years of history: bit.ly/43jmnqx
Take 50 seconds to learn 50 years of history: bit.ly/43jmnqx
October 14, 2025 at 8:55 AM
The Edward Boyle Library celebrates its 50th birthday today 🎉
Take 50 seconds to learn 50 years of history: bit.ly/43jmnqx
Take 50 seconds to learn 50 years of history: bit.ly/43jmnqx
Reposted by George Preston
And the debate goes on! New article on the chemical bond, from the perspective of a working chemist- check it out 👇
www.jargonium.com/post/the-che...
www.jargonium.com/post/the-che...
The chemical bond: The biggest chemical paradigm, or the greatest chemical uncertainty?
How should we define the chemical bond?
www.jargonium.com
September 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM
And the debate goes on! New article on the chemical bond, from the perspective of a working chemist- check it out 👇
www.jargonium.com/post/the-che...
www.jargonium.com/post/the-che...
Reposted by George Preston
Check out this editorial I wrote with @keribackus.bsky.social for the special @commschem.nature.com collection on covalent chemical probes - some super papers. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Covalent chemical probes - Communications Chemistry
Communications Chemistry is pleased to introduce a Collection of research works focused on recent developments within the interdisciplinary field of Covalent chemical probes. Here, the Guest Editors h...
www.nature.com
September 1, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Check out this editorial I wrote with @keribackus.bsky.social for the special @commschem.nature.com collection on covalent chemical probes - some super papers. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by George Preston
🔬 #imageoftheweek: Aspergillus fumigatus is a common mould found in soil, compost & indoors. Most people breathe it in daily & for those with weakened immune systems, it can cause serious illness. Drug-resistant strains are an emerging threat.
📸 Kevin Mackenzie, Mark Stappers, Tina Bedekovic
📸 Kevin Mackenzie, Mark Stappers, Tina Bedekovic
August 29, 2025 at 2:15 PM
🔬 #imageoftheweek: Aspergillus fumigatus is a common mould found in soil, compost & indoors. Most people breathe it in daily & for those with weakened immune systems, it can cause serious illness. Drug-resistant strains are an emerging threat.
📸 Kevin Mackenzie, Mark Stappers, Tina Bedekovic
📸 Kevin Mackenzie, Mark Stappers, Tina Bedekovic
Reposted by George Preston
Interested in the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles?
The proteomics data for our study on this headed by @pzanon.bsky.social are now public on @pride-ebi.bsky.social: www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/archiv...
Full story: chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
#ChemBio #ChemSky #ChemicalProteomics
The proteomics data for our study on this headed by @pzanon.bsky.social are now public on @pride-ebi.bsky.social: www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/archiv...
Full story: chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
#ChemBio #ChemSky #ChemicalProteomics
Profiling the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles
Targeted covalent inhibitors are powerful entities in drug discovery, but their application has so far mainly been limited to addressing cysteine residues. The development of cysteine-directed covalen...
chemrxiv.org
August 12, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Interested in the proteome-wide selectivity of diverse electrophiles?
The proteomics data for our study on this headed by @pzanon.bsky.social are now public on @pride-ebi.bsky.social: www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/archiv...
Full story: chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
#ChemBio #ChemSky #ChemicalProteomics
The proteomics data for our study on this headed by @pzanon.bsky.social are now public on @pride-ebi.bsky.social: www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/archiv...
Full story: chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
#ChemBio #ChemSky #ChemicalProteomics
Reposted by George Preston
Do you know the symptoms of Lyme disease? 🤔
Our blog post describes what to look for, and how to avoid tick-borne infections. 🌿
ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/21/w...
Our blog post describes what to look for, and how to avoid tick-borne infections. 🌿
ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/21/w...
August 5, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Do you know the symptoms of Lyme disease? 🤔
Our blog post describes what to look for, and how to avoid tick-borne infections. 🌿
ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/21/w...
Our blog post describes what to look for, and how to avoid tick-borne infections. 🌿
ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/21/w...
Reposted by George Preston
Why I didn't retract this paper when I was Editor-in-Chief at Science (THREAD 🧵)
Science is retracting the December 2010 Research Article, “A bacterium that can grow by using arsenic instead of phosphorus.” (THREAD 🧵) scim.ag/4lGQ9g7
July 27, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Why I didn't retract this paper when I was Editor-in-Chief at Science (THREAD 🧵)
Reposted by George Preston
Happy to share our latest work @UoBbiosciences where we use native MS to profile blue-green algae in Lake water. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
A Protein-Centric Mass Spectrometry Approach for Species Identification within Harmful Algal Blooms
Harmful algal blooms present severe environmental threats, impacting water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and human health. The frequency and intensity of these blooms are rising, largely driven by glob...
pubs.acs.org
July 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Happy to share our latest work @UoBbiosciences where we use native MS to profile blue-green algae in Lake water. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Decided to read up on virus taxonomy, as couldn't make sense of it.
"[A]s of now [2021]," says the Encyclopedia of Virology, "virus species naming is chaotic."
Appreciate the honesty 😅
"[A]s of now [2021]," says the Encyclopedia of Virology, "virus species naming is chaotic."
Appreciate the honesty 😅
July 21, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Decided to read up on virus taxonomy, as couldn't make sense of it.
"[A]s of now [2021]," says the Encyclopedia of Virology, "virus species naming is chaotic."
Appreciate the honesty 😅
"[A]s of now [2021]," says the Encyclopedia of Virology, "virus species naming is chaotic."
Appreciate the honesty 😅
Reposted by George Preston
Reposted by George Preston
We have recorded 529 laboratory-confirmed #Measles cases in England since January 2025, representing a significant increase driven by declining childhood vaccination rates.
Our data dashboard provides data on the total number of cases by week of onset: ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/vaccine-prev...
Our data dashboard provides data on the total number of cases by week of onset: ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/vaccine-prev...
July 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM
We have recorded 529 laboratory-confirmed #Measles cases in England since January 2025, representing a significant increase driven by declining childhood vaccination rates.
Our data dashboard provides data on the total number of cases by week of onset: ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/vaccine-prev...
Our data dashboard provides data on the total number of cases by week of onset: ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/vaccine-prev...
One thing about measles I did not know until recently is that a possible complication is immune amnesia -- a wiping of immunological memory. According to this article, the evidence for it is strong:
asm.org/articles/201...
asm.org/articles/201...
Measles and Immune Amnesia | ASM.org
Measles is much more serious than a rash and fever: it also causes immune amnesia and leaves patients especially vulnerable to secondary infection.
asm.org
July 13, 2025 at 12:26 PM
One thing about measles I did not know until recently is that a possible complication is immune amnesia -- a wiping of immunological memory. According to this article, the evidence for it is strong:
asm.org/articles/201...
asm.org/articles/201...
Measles in the news again. Not good.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Measles: Child dies at Alder Hey Children's hospital as cases surge
Seventeen children have been treated at the Liverpool hospital for the virus since June.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Measles in the news again. Not good.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by George Preston
Reposted by George Preston
The donuts were intentionally poisoned at the party per health authorities.
Followup to @beaconbio.bsky.social request for information about a mass food poisoning in Madagascar which led to at least 20 deaths, with 17 individuals remaining in critical condition.
beaconbio.org/en/event/?ev...
Followup to @beaconbio.bsky.social request for information about a mass food poisoning in Madagascar which led to at least 20 deaths, with 17 individuals remaining in critical condition.
beaconbio.org/en/event/?ev...
June 20, 2025 at 12:56 PM
The donuts were intentionally poisoned at the party per health authorities.
Followup to @beaconbio.bsky.social request for information about a mass food poisoning in Madagascar which led to at least 20 deaths, with 17 individuals remaining in critical condition.
beaconbio.org/en/event/?ev...
Followup to @beaconbio.bsky.social request for information about a mass food poisoning in Madagascar which led to at least 20 deaths, with 17 individuals remaining in critical condition.
beaconbio.org/en/event/?ev...
Reposted by George Preston
Member States of the World Health Organization (@who.int) today formally adopted the world's first Pandemic Agreement.
#PandemicAccord
#PandemicAccord
May 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Member States of the World Health Organization (@who.int) today formally adopted the world's first Pandemic Agreement.
#PandemicAccord
#PandemicAccord
Reposted by George Preston
April 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by George Preston
🌍 Exciting new out of Geneva! After 3+ years of talks, @who.int
member states have reached a draft pandemic agreement to enhance global cooperation on prevention, preparedness, and response.
The proposal heads to the World Health Assembly this May.
www.who.int/news/item/16...
member states have reached a draft pandemic agreement to enhance global cooperation on prevention, preparedness, and response.
The proposal heads to the World Health Assembly this May.
www.who.int/news/item/16...
WHO Member States conclude negotiations and make significant progress on draft pandemic agreement
After more than three years of intensive negotiations, WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics, by forging a draft agreement for consideration at ...
www.who.int
April 16, 2025 at 6:12 AM
🌍 Exciting new out of Geneva! After 3+ years of talks, @who.int
member states have reached a draft pandemic agreement to enhance global cooperation on prevention, preparedness, and response.
The proposal heads to the World Health Assembly this May.
www.who.int/news/item/16...
member states have reached a draft pandemic agreement to enhance global cooperation on prevention, preparedness, and response.
The proposal heads to the World Health Assembly this May.
www.who.int/news/item/16...