Jan Michiels lab
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michielslab.bsky.social
Jan Michiels lab
@michielslab.bsky.social
Part of the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and the KU Leuven Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, we study bacterial survival under stress conditions.
At #Microbes25, @jorg-vogel-lab.bsky.social‬ showed how to silence phage genes with ASO tech — antisense RNA guided by a cell-penetrating protein.
A clever new way to study (essential) phage genes. 🧬✨
November 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
At #Microbes25, Abram Aertsen showed how to program bacteria with a sense of timing — they can grow, produce, then self-lyse. ⏱️🧫
By breaking symmetry, he can even control which cells keep growing. Microbes with coordination — and attitude. ⚙️💡
November 7, 2025 at 11:21 AM
@mpi-ce.bsky.social at #Microbes25: discovering plant biosynthetic genes (like those for strictosidine) and expressing them in new hosts 🌿🧬
Bringing plant chemistry to synthetic biology!
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 AM
At #Microbes25, Huimin Zhao showed how AI + robotics + biology can supercharge biomanufacturing.
From photobiocatalysis and directed evolution to AI-driven design loops, his team is evolving enzymes with new-to-nature reactivity — and getting top results after just 3 cycles! 💥
November 7, 2025 at 9:40 AM
At #Microbes25, @tilmweber.bsky.social‬ showcased an impressive integrated approach to discovering and producing novel antibiotics.
From sequencing new microorganisms to developing powerful tools like antiSMASH, his team mines genomic data for BGCs — then brings these hidden molecules to life!
November 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
At #Microbes25, @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social presented a high-throughput screening platform that packages and stabilizes bacteriophage biobanks and integrates detection biochemistry.
The result? Rapid, one-pot susceptibility profiling for bacterial isolates — delivering results in 30 minutes. ⚡
November 6, 2025 at 11:11 AM
@colinhillucc.bsky.social kicked off #microbes25
His talk shed light on the overlooked faecal virome — the vast community of viruses that co-exist with our gut bacteria. Rather than constant conflict, Colin described a more elegant relationship: bacteria and phages don’t just fight… they dance. 💃🦠
November 6, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Professor Tilmann Weber joins #Microbes25!
He’ll share how cutting-edge molecular approaches are uncovering new natural products with big potential in medicine and biotechnology.
📅 Final registration deadline: 23 Oct 2025
🔗 vibbio.tech/Microbes25
October 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
At #Microbes25, we’re honored to host Professor Jörg Vogel, a leading voice in RNA biology and infection research.

📅 Early Bird Deadline: 25 September 2025
🔗 Full program & registration: vibbio.tech/Microbes25

Who are you most looking forward to hearing from at #Microbes25?
September 17, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Do you know what microbes can do for you? At #Microbes25, Sarah O'Connor will dive into the potential of microbes as a factory of natural products derived from plants and insects. Abstract submissions are due September 4, 2025: lnkd.in/e4EGJcVR
#MicrobialBiotech #microbes #VIBConf
August 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM
🩸 From RNA-limited samples like blood & tissues to the identification relative abundance of RNA modifications in a short time - The EpiPlex assay, presented at #RNGS25 by Gudrun Stengel of Alida biosciences, makes use of proximity barcoding and engineered binders to specifically detect RNA mods. 🧬
March 21, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Our conference stress melted away after an evening filled with a choco-lot of fun at the #RNGS25 social activity at the Chocolate Nation. 🍫
March 20, 2025 at 7:28 PM
"Plants don't have specialized immune cells, but individual plant cells can flexibly turn into immune hotspots" - 🌱

@tatsuyanobori.bsky.social presented at #RNGS25 on combining single cell multiome data & spatial transcriptomics to study the genetic regulation of plant-microbe interactions.🧬🦠
March 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Nanopore sequencing enables detection of DNA methylation profiles! 🧬

Mathilde Geysens showcased a powerful approach to identify episignatures of developmental disorders, offering deeper insights into methylation patterns and paving the way for future diagnostics. #RNGS25
March 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Interesting poster by Genewiz showing all the complex multiomics info that can be gathered from a single patient sample. 🧬 Additionally, they explored the single cell transcriptome on FFPE tumor tissues and show that better insights in human health can even be obtained from minimal samples. #RNGS25
March 20, 2025 at 2:11 PM
At #RNGS25, Kirsten Bos took us on a time travel journey by looking into the ancient DNA of infectious diseases. 🦠 Her talk highlights the importance of genomics to trace the evolution and spread of syphilis, revealing crucial insights to improve our understanding of contemporary diseases.
March 20, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Nice overview of the Illumina technology roadmap by Jason Betley at #RNGS25. In his talk, he provided a great perspective on the different Illumina platforms and more specifically on their various innovative and easy-to-use sequencing assays. 🧬
March 20, 2025 at 10:22 AM
"Biology is dynamic like a river, you cannot step into the same water twice."

Great talk on unlocking high dimensional biology using evolved next-generation sequencing by Molly He of @elembio.bsky.social this morning at #RNGS25.
March 20, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Fun & adventurous talk on microbial dark matter at #RNGS25. 🌋 @jimmysaw.bsky.social presented on harnessing long-read sequencing to enable reconstruction of geothermal bacterial genomes. 🧬 His groundbreaking work brings us one step closer to uncovering biological functions in early life on Earth.
March 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I am very excited to be reporting on the groundbreaking talks at #RNGS25, together with
@vanshikabidhan.bsky.social
& @saraalidadiani.bsky.social.

Follow me on X (@LabMichiels), LinkedIn (Lieze Agten) and here on bluesky to keep track of this revolutionizing conference! @vibtrainconf.bsky.social
March 19, 2025 at 1:47 PM
🚨The final deadline to register for #RNGS25 is this Wednesday, March 5th!🚨

Make sure to register - You don’t want to miss Prof. Bernard Thienpont (@bernthie.bsky.social)'s fascinating talk on improving patient care by using cell-free DNA methylome analysis.🧬

www.vibconferences.be/events/revol...
March 3, 2025 at 10:33 AM
🚨Don’t miss #RNGS25!🚨

🧬Prof. Jimmy Saw, who contributed to the discovery of the fascinating Asgard archaea, will explore how long-read sequencing unlocks microbial dark matter in geothermal habitats.🦠

📆Early bird registration deadline is February 5!
www.vibconferences.be/events/revol...
February 3, 2025 at 7:43 AM
🧬Join the #RNGS25 conference from 19-21 March to hear more about the exciting work of Dr. Tatsuya Nobori (@tatsuyanobori.bsky.social) on the single-cell and spatial dissection of plant-microbe interactions. 🌱🦠

📆Abstract deadline approaching: 15 January📆
www.vibconferences.be/events/revol...
January 7, 2025 at 2:58 PM