Ben Hall
@hallben.bsky.social
Professor in computational cancer biology at UCL interested in disease, mutations, and aging. Funded by CRUK, MRC and Royal Society.
Personal account for science, code, music, photography! “Tired is the new awake”
Personal account for science, code, music, photography! “Tired is the new awake”
Pinned
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
Very excited to share an advert for a new lecturer position in Computational Cancer at UCL! Permanent position at assistant professor level- join a growing community at UCL in a cutting edge discipline.
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Reposted by Ben Hall
A new study by @tetsuichi.bsky.social et al published in @natgenet.nature.com shows that human blood #stemcells have stable, intrinsic lineage biases. Some replenish all blood cell types, others only a subset. These patterns persist over decades and after transplantation 🧪 #bloodcancer rdcu.be/ePlJW
Stable clonal contribution of lineage-restricted stem cells to human hematopoiesis
Nature Genetics - This study uses somatic mutations as a natural barcoding system to retrospectively and prospectively trace the fate of hematopoietic stem cells across all major blood cell...
rdcu.be
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 AM
A new study by @tetsuichi.bsky.social et al published in @natgenet.nature.com shows that human blood #stemcells have stable, intrinsic lineage biases. Some replenish all blood cell types, others only a subset. These patterns persist over decades and after transplantation 🧪 #bloodcancer rdcu.be/ePlJW
Reposted by Ben Hall
Validating folding energy estimates as a method for variant interpretation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.09.687451v1
November 11, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Validating folding energy estimates as a method for variant interpretation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.09.687451v1
Reposted by Ben Hall
Suppose cost of software does fall 20x because of LLMs. (jury is out, but let’s explore).
What does that do?
It might make bespoke software for each org competitive with platform solutions.
The value of better org-sol fit might be bigger than cost of build.
Makes IT orgs builders not buyers.
What does that do?
It might make bespoke software for each org competitive with platform solutions.
The value of better org-sol fit might be bigger than cost of build.
Makes IT orgs builders not buyers.
November 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Suppose cost of software does fall 20x because of LLMs. (jury is out, but let’s explore).
What does that do?
It might make bespoke software for each org competitive with platform solutions.
The value of better org-sol fit might be bigger than cost of build.
Makes IT orgs builders not buyers.
What does that do?
It might make bespoke software for each org competitive with platform solutions.
The value of better org-sol fit might be bigger than cost of build.
Makes IT orgs builders not buyers.
Reposted by Ben Hall
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
The Rise in Early-Onset Cancer in the US Population - More Apparent Than Real
Epidemiology 101
All screening does harm, some screening does good etc
Here is a telling example of harm
And we wonder why there is a crisis in workload and workforce in cancer care
The Rise in Early-Onset Cancer in the US Population - More Apparent Than Real
Epidemiology 101
All screening does harm, some screening does good etc
Here is a telling example of harm
And we wonder why there is a crisis in workload and workforce in cancer care
November 8, 2025 at 9:36 AM
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
The Rise in Early-Onset Cancer in the US Population - More Apparent Than Real
Epidemiology 101
All screening does harm, some screening does good etc
Here is a telling example of harm
And we wonder why there is a crisis in workload and workforce in cancer care
The Rise in Early-Onset Cancer in the US Population - More Apparent Than Real
Epidemiology 101
All screening does harm, some screening does good etc
Here is a telling example of harm
And we wonder why there is a crisis in workload and workforce in cancer care
Reposted by Ben Hall
Reposted by Ben Hall
Very excited to share an advert for a new lecturer position in Computational Cancer at UCL! Permanent position at assistant professor level- join a growing community at UCL in a cutting edge discipline.
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Very excited to share an advert for a new lecturer position in Computational Cancer at UCL! Permanent position at assistant professor level- join a growing community at UCL in a cutting edge discipline.
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Reposted by Ben Hall
Basics of Visual Rhetoric in Science
Basics of Visual Rhetoric in Science Dr. Kerry Spencer Pray
docs.google.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Very excited to share an advert for a new lecturer position in Computational Cancer at UCL! Permanent position at assistant professor level- join a growing community at UCL in a cutting edge discipline.
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Very excited to share an advert for a new lecturer position in Computational Cancer at UCL! Permanent position at assistant professor level- join a growing community at UCL in a cutting edge discipline.
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Please share widely!
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Reposted by Ben Hall
📢 Applications for the Black Leaders in Cancer PhD programme in Scotland are now open!
The programme offers a unique opportunity for students from Black heritage backgrounds to pursue a fully funded 4-year PhD.
👉Apply by 24 November 2025: www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/training/phd-studentships
The programme offers a unique opportunity for students from Black heritage backgrounds to pursue a fully funded 4-year PhD.
👉Apply by 24 November 2025: www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/training/phd-studentships
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 PM
📢 Applications for the Black Leaders in Cancer PhD programme in Scotland are now open!
The programme offers a unique opportunity for students from Black heritage backgrounds to pursue a fully funded 4-year PhD.
👉Apply by 24 November 2025: www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/training/phd-studentships
The programme offers a unique opportunity for students from Black heritage backgrounds to pursue a fully funded 4-year PhD.
👉Apply by 24 November 2025: www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/training/phd-studentships
Reposted by Ben Hall
Last keynote at #MathOnco25 by Sarah Bruningk talking about #AI in #Medicine. While generally optimistic about AI in medicine she is aware of the challenge that AI works best when there is a lot of data and that is almost never the case in clinical oncology
October 31, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Last keynote at #MathOnco25 by Sarah Bruningk talking about #AI in #Medicine. While generally optimistic about AI in medicine she is aware of the challenge that AI works best when there is a lot of data and that is almost never the case in clinical oncology
Reposted by Ben Hall
Now online in Cancer Discovery @aacrjournals.bsky.social: A Prognostic Signature for Lung Adenocarcinoma in Patients Who Have Never Smoked - by Wei Zhao, Maria Teresa Landi, and colleagues doi.org/10.1158/2159...
October 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Now online in Cancer Discovery @aacrjournals.bsky.social: A Prognostic Signature for Lung Adenocarcinoma in Patients Who Have Never Smoked - by Wei Zhao, Maria Teresa Landi, and colleagues doi.org/10.1158/2159...
Reposted by Ben Hall
New Scientist is looking for a new features editor, ideally with a specialism in evolution, ecology, human sciences and biology - if there's you, take a look! www.dmgmedia.co.uk/careers/jobs...
Features Editor (beat specialist) - dmg media
Features Editor (beat specialist) Location: New Scientist Headquarters – London Position: Full-time, permanent Salary: £40,000 to £43,000, depending on experience Workplace Type: Hybrid – 3 days ...
www.dmgmedia.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
New Scientist is looking for a new features editor, ideally with a specialism in evolution, ecology, human sciences and biology - if there's you, take a look! www.dmgmedia.co.uk/careers/jobs...
Reposted by Ben Hall
Are you a clinician who wants to do a PhD? Come to @crick.ac.uk (you can even come to my lab).
October 30, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Are you a clinician who wants to do a PhD? Come to @crick.ac.uk (you can even come to my lab).
Reposted by Ben Hall
Univ. of Utah & Huntsman Cancer Institute are seeking tenure-track faculty in cancer biology (broadly defined), especially in combining experimental & computational structural approaches (incl. AlphaFold & other AI/LLM tools) to study cancer-relevant signaling.
utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/189...
utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/189...
Assistant, Associate to Professor DOQ
utah.peopleadmin.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Univ. of Utah & Huntsman Cancer Institute are seeking tenure-track faculty in cancer biology (broadly defined), especially in combining experimental & computational structural approaches (incl. AlphaFold & other AI/LLM tools) to study cancer-relevant signaling.
utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/189...
utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/189...
Reposted by Ben Hall
Thread on the intellectual landscape around LLMs 👇
I love progress and am happy to see investment in it—but wonder if the amounts currently going into genAI are a missed opportunity to invest in more mundane "data plumbing" and digitalisation. Which could eventually have higher societal benefits.
I love progress and am happy to see investment in it—but wonder if the amounts currently going into genAI are a missed opportunity to invest in more mundane "data plumbing" and digitalisation. Which could eventually have higher societal benefits.
I am genuinely impressed by large language models - they can absorb disparate components of text into some consolidated view, they can produce extremely good language and - with the right model - translate pretty well between languages and they are an excellent text based UI for humans to use. But..
October 26, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Thread on the intellectual landscape around LLMs 👇
I love progress and am happy to see investment in it—but wonder if the amounts currently going into genAI are a missed opportunity to invest in more mundane "data plumbing" and digitalisation. Which could eventually have higher societal benefits.
I love progress and am happy to see investment in it—but wonder if the amounts currently going into genAI are a missed opportunity to invest in more mundane "data plumbing" and digitalisation. Which could eventually have higher societal benefits.
Reposted by Ben Hall
Biochemical Society's Membrane Protein Conference
7–9 April 2026
Birmingham, UK | Leonardo Royal Hotel
- Abstracts welcome for talks & posters
- Bursaries available!
- Register & submit here:
www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...
#MembraneProteins #CallForAbstracts @biochemsoc.bsky.social
7–9 April 2026
Birmingham, UK | Leonardo Royal Hotel
- Abstracts welcome for talks & posters
- Bursaries available!
- Register & submit here:
www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...
#MembraneProteins #CallForAbstracts @biochemsoc.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Biochemical Society's Membrane Protein Conference
7–9 April 2026
Birmingham, UK | Leonardo Royal Hotel
- Abstracts welcome for talks & posters
- Bursaries available!
- Register & submit here:
www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...
#MembraneProteins #CallForAbstracts @biochemsoc.bsky.social
7–9 April 2026
Birmingham, UK | Leonardo Royal Hotel
- Abstracts welcome for talks & posters
- Bursaries available!
- Register & submit here:
www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...
#MembraneProteins #CallForAbstracts @biochemsoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Hall
Reposted by Ben Hall
OMG
Some US doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Some US doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold
Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.
www.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:57 PM
OMG
Some US doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Some US doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Fascinating thread on using AI to create different modalities from learning materials to support students
For my Year 1 lecture course this year, I used AI to produce an audio podcast to support student learning. I was amazed how listenable it was, and how broadly accurate it turned out to be. In this thread, I talk through the process I used to make the podcast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
From Cookbook to Logic Mastering Organic Chemistry Mechanisms
YouTube video by David Smith
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Fascinating thread on using AI to create different modalities from learning materials to support students
Reposted by Ben Hall
For my Year 1 lecture course this year, I used AI to produce an audio podcast to support student learning. I was amazed how listenable it was, and how broadly accurate it turned out to be. In this thread, I talk through the process I used to make the podcast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
From Cookbook to Logic Mastering Organic Chemistry Mechanisms
YouTube video by David Smith
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:43 AM
For my Year 1 lecture course this year, I used AI to produce an audio podcast to support student learning. I was amazed how listenable it was, and how broadly accurate it turned out to be. In this thread, I talk through the process I used to make the podcast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK36...
Reposted by Ben Hall
New blogpost on my concerns about Wellcome LEAP new $50m program on autism/microbiome links. deevybee.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-le...
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
A LEAP into the future, or off a cliff: Wellcome LEAP's new $50M program
A few days ago, I saw this post on LinkedIn: How does the gut microbiome shape early brain development? That’s what FORM, a new $50 million...
deevybee.blogspot.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:53 PM
New blogpost on my concerns about Wellcome LEAP new $50m program on autism/microbiome links. deevybee.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-le...
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
#autism #microbiome #biomarkers #diagnostic
Reposted by Ben Hall
Dogs as naturally evolved models for human cancers!
Similar human driver architecture, hotspot usage, and mutational processes across histologies, not just within breed-associated cancer types. 🐶👨#Dogs #Cancer #Breed #Genomics
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Similar human driver architecture, hotspot usage, and mutational processes across histologies, not just within breed-associated cancer types. 🐶👨#Dogs #Cancer #Breed #Genomics
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The shared selection landscape of dog and human cancers
Cancers in pet dogs are prevalent, progress rapidly, and closely resemble human cancers, positioning them as powerful models for precision oncology. While genetic drivers of human cancer often transce...
www.biorxiv.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Dogs as naturally evolved models for human cancers!
Similar human driver architecture, hotspot usage, and mutational processes across histologies, not just within breed-associated cancer types. 🐶👨#Dogs #Cancer #Breed #Genomics
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Similar human driver architecture, hotspot usage, and mutational processes across histologies, not just within breed-associated cancer types. 🐶👨#Dogs #Cancer #Breed #Genomics
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Ben Hall
More than two would be a se-quince
This gives me an excuse to post the pun I came up with after I too came into possession of some quinces
October 19, 2025 at 6:20 PM
More than two would be a se-quince
Reposted by Ben Hall
New post just out:
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
On the edge
My week in the NHS
open.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 8:14 AM
New post just out:
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
"On the edge"
On my unexpected week in hospital and five things I learnt about the state of the NHS.
(Free to read)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/o...
Reposted by Ben Hall
This is so good to see - a young baby has had a life changing treatable disease diagnosed early due to broad based (healthy baby) genome sequencing. He has a rare eye cancer gene, and has immediately been put into the effective treatment pathway.
4 weeks after being born, Freddie was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer. He is one of numerous babies born with rare conditions who are receiving earlier diagnoses and treatment as a result of the Generation Study.
Read the full story: ow.ly/YJ7850XcTNk
Read the full story: ow.ly/YJ7850XcTNk
October 18, 2025 at 8:05 AM
This is so good to see - a young baby has had a life changing treatable disease diagnosed early due to broad based (healthy baby) genome sequencing. He has a rare eye cancer gene, and has immediately been put into the effective treatment pathway.