Mo Khalil
@mokhalil.bsky.social
Prof @ Harvard University, Broad Institute, and Wyss Institute.
Synthetic & systems biology.
Trying to understand the living world by engineering a synthetic one.
Lab website: bu.edu/khalillab
Synthetic & systems biology.
Trying to understand the living world by engineering a synthetic one.
Lab website: bu.edu/khalillab
Reposted by Mo Khalil
🚨 AIMBE calls on the scientific community to urge Congress to ensure timely passage of the FY2026 budget 👇
Strong, sustained funding for our nation's health and science agencies is essential for economic prosperity, U.S. global competitiveness, and public heath.
takeaction.io/aimbe/protec...
Strong, sustained funding for our nation's health and science agencies is essential for economic prosperity, U.S. global competitiveness, and public heath.
takeaction.io/aimbe/protec...
Protect Research: Finalize FY2026 Budget Now
Use AIMBE's letter template below to send an email to your Members of Congress on issues that matter. We encourage you to edit and personalize the note, sharing your individual experience. Please note...
takeaction.io
September 23, 2025 at 3:19 PM
🚨 AIMBE calls on the scientific community to urge Congress to ensure timely passage of the FY2026 budget 👇
Strong, sustained funding for our nation's health and science agencies is essential for economic prosperity, U.S. global competitiveness, and public heath.
takeaction.io/aimbe/protec...
Strong, sustained funding for our nation's health and science agencies is essential for economic prosperity, U.S. global competitiveness, and public heath.
takeaction.io/aimbe/protec...
Years ago, we set out to develop new synbio technology to solve a major drug discovery challenge: generating precision antibodies for challenging membrane proteins.
It's a DREAM COME TRUE to report that we've launched K2 Therapeutics (k2-tx.com) to advance this into transformative medicines!
It's a DREAM COME TRUE to report that we've launched K2 Therapeutics (k2-tx.com) to advance this into transformative medicines!
K2 Therapeutics
k2-tx.com
August 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Years ago, we set out to develop new synbio technology to solve a major drug discovery challenge: generating precision antibodies for challenging membrane proteins.
It's a DREAM COME TRUE to report that we've launched K2 Therapeutics (k2-tx.com) to advance this into transformative medicines!
It's a DREAM COME TRUE to report that we've launched K2 Therapeutics (k2-tx.com) to advance this into transformative medicines!
Reposted by Mo Khalil
In today's issue of Cell-->if you are looking for a good distraction from the news (who isn't), check it out!
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Phenotypic landscape of an invasive fungal pathogen reveals its unique biology
The construction and high-precision fitness profiling of a C. neoformans knockout
library reveals a high-resolution functional map of its genome and allowed for the
identification of fungal analogs of...
www.cell.com
July 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
In today's issue of Cell-->if you are looking for a good distraction from the news (who isn't), check it out!
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We traveled to DC to talk to Congressional Staffers about the impact of NIH and NIBIB funding. It enables us to develop synthetic biology tools to advance cell & genetic medicines for patients in need. REPOST to deliver the message that SCIENCE saves lives & makes America GREAT!
July 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
We traveled to DC to talk to Congressional Staffers about the impact of NIH and NIBIB funding. It enables us to develop synthetic biology tools to advance cell & genetic medicines for patients in need. REPOST to deliver the message that SCIENCE saves lives & makes America GREAT!
7 years old! 🎂🎉🎈Happy birthday to our adventurous twins!
July 8, 2025 at 2:40 PM
7 years old! 🎂🎉🎈Happy birthday to our adventurous twins!
I hailed a Tesla Model 3, according to Uber-equivalent in Cairo, Egypt 😂😂
July 2, 2025 at 10:48 AM
I hailed a Tesla Model 3, according to Uber-equivalent in Cairo, Egypt 😂😂
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Excited to share that our work building in vivo biosensors for receptor tyrosine kinases (pYtags!) is now out www.cell.com/cell-reports...
July 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Excited to share that our work building in vivo biosensors for receptor tyrosine kinases (pYtags!) is now out www.cell.com/cell-reports...
1/n Morocco 🇲🇦 is magical. A few pics from our whirlwind tour through this beautiful country. Enjoy!
June 28, 2025 at 9:52 PM
1/n Morocco 🇲🇦 is magical. A few pics from our whirlwind tour through this beautiful country. Enjoy!
Reposted by Mo Khalil
So cool, a novel archaeon with a super small genome and no metabolic genes!
"An unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on a host, a condition that challenges the functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses."
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
"An unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on a host, a condition that challenges the functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses."
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A cellular entity retaining only its replicative core: Hidden archaeal lineage with an ultra-reduced genome
Defining the minimal genetic requirements for cellular life remains a fundamental question in biology. Genomic exploration continually reveals novel microbial lineages, often exhibiting extreme genome...
www.biorxiv.org
June 27, 2025 at 4:29 AM
So cool, a novel archaeon with a super small genome and no metabolic genes!
"An unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on a host, a condition that challenges the functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses."
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
"An unprecedented level of metabolic dependence on a host, a condition that challenges the functional distinctions between minimal cellular life and viruses."
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Excited to share that our study, on how T cells selectively sense foreign antigens with single-molecule sensitivity, is out! This work was led by the brilliant Will White, and done in collaboration with Jay Groves and David Baker @uwproteindesign.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
June 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Excited to share that our study, on how T cells selectively sense foreign antigens with single-molecule sensitivity, is out! This work was led by the brilliant Will White, and done in collaboration with Jay Groves and David Baker @uwproteindesign.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Furiously logging all the new budget news, laughing grimly that it landed *just after* we hit publish. Of course it did.
Grateful that the entire point of @unbreaking.org is to give us a durable platform where we can keep integrating new developments. We'll digest, contextualize & update next week.
Grateful that the entire point of @unbreaking.org is to give us a durable platform where we can keep integrating new developments. We'll digest, contextualize & update next week.
I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding.
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
Medical Research Funding — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
May 30, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Furiously logging all the new budget news, laughing grimly that it landed *just after* we hit publish. Of course it did.
Grateful that the entire point of @unbreaking.org is to give us a durable platform where we can keep integrating new developments. We'll digest, contextualize & update next week.
Grateful that the entire point of @unbreaking.org is to give us a durable platform where we can keep integrating new developments. We'll digest, contextualize & update next week.
Reposted by Mo Khalil
I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding.
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
Medical Research Funding — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
May 30, 2025 at 9:38 PM
I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding.
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Happy to share the peer-reviewed and updated version of our work on OrthoRep-driven evolution of aaRSs for genetic code expansion with unnatural amino acids. Congrats to Yuichi Furuhata, a true master bioengineer, on leading this excellent work! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Directed evolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases through in vivo hypermutation - Nature Communications
Genetic code expansion (GCE) enables the incorporation of new amino acids into proteins. Here, authors demonstrate the rapid OrthoRep-driven evolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for GCE, increasing...
www.nature.com
May 24, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Happy to share the peer-reviewed and updated version of our work on OrthoRep-driven evolution of aaRSs for genetic code expansion with unnatural amino acids. Congrats to Yuichi Furuhata, a true master bioengineer, on leading this excellent work! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
🧬🧫🦠 @science.org Bacterial reverse transcriptase synthesizes long poly-A–rich cDNA for antiphage defense | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #microbiology #bacteriophage #antiphage #immunity #DNA #RNAsky #RT #Cryo-EM #DRT9
May 2, 2025 at 9:02 PM
🧬🧫🦠 @science.org Bacterial reverse transcriptase synthesizes long poly-A–rich cDNA for antiphage defense | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #microbiology #bacteriophage #antiphage #immunity #DNA #RNAsky #RT #Cryo-EM #DRT9
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Honored to be the 2025 recipient of the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award. Hope to see you in Houston for #SEED2025!
Meet John Ngo, Winner of the 2025 ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award | ACS Publications Chemistry Blog
Read an exclusive interview with Prof. Ngo covering his research, his history with the journal, and advice to early career researchers.
axial.acs.org
April 30, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Honored to be the 2025 recipient of the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award. Hope to see you in Houston for #SEED2025!
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.”
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger | CNN
Dr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...
www.cnn.com
April 9, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.”
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
I am 💔. We said goodbye to a beloved family member, our sweet dog Eloise. For 16+ years(!), she has been a constant source of joy, comfort, friendship, & humor. She was there for gradschool/postdoc, first jobs, wedding, 4 kids, ...
She was my #1 companion. I will miss her dearly 😭. Pics/vids below
She was my #1 companion. I will miss her dearly 😭. Pics/vids below
March 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I am 💔. We said goodbye to a beloved family member, our sweet dog Eloise. For 16+ years(!), she has been a constant source of joy, comfort, friendship, & humor. She was there for gradschool/postdoc, first jobs, wedding, 4 kids, ...
She was my #1 companion. I will miss her dearly 😭. Pics/vids below
She was my #1 companion. I will miss her dearly 😭. Pics/vids below
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Super excited to be launching NimbusImage.com! Cloud-based image analysis to democratize machine learning!
Documentation here!
docs.nimbusimage.com
Documentation here!
docs.nimbusimage.com
NimbusImage
NimbusImage.com
March 17, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Super excited to be launching NimbusImage.com! Cloud-based image analysis to democratize machine learning!
Documentation here!
docs.nimbusimage.com
Documentation here!
docs.nimbusimage.com
In this job, and especially these days, there is little that gives me more joy than watching one of your students crush their PhD defense. Huge congratulations to newly minted Dr. Colin Kunze -- we're all so proud of you!!
March 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
In this job, and especially these days, there is little that gives me more joy than watching one of your students crush their PhD defense. Huge congratulations to newly minted Dr. Colin Kunze -- we're all so proud of you!!
Reposted by Mo Khalil
@science.org Telomeric transposons are pervasive in linear bacterial genomes | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@joepeterslab.bsky.social
@joepeterslab.bsky.social
Telomeric transposons are pervasive in linear bacterial genomes
Eukaryotes have linear DNA and their telomeres are hotspots for transposons, which in some cases took over telomere maintenance. Here we identify several families of independently evolved telomeric tr...
www.science.org
March 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM
@science.org Telomeric transposons are pervasive in linear bacterial genomes | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@joepeterslab.bsky.social
@joepeterslab.bsky.social
HUGE congratulations to @kaitong25.bsky.social, @wcratcliff.bsky.social and team on this incredible discovery enabled by one of my favorite experiments — the multicellularity long-term evolution experiment (MuLTEE). Check out Will’s great tutorial below👇 (and v happy to have played a small role)
1/46 Hey folks, we have a new paper out on the MuLTEE. Strap in and I’ll tell you the story of how this “little paper on polyploidy” turned into the most data rich paper our lab has produced, largely thanks to the leadership and work ethic of @kaitong25.bsky.social.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Genome duplication in a long-term multicellularity evolution experiment - Nature
In the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment, diploid yeast evolve to be tetraploid under selection for larger multicellular size, revealing how whole-genome duplication can arise due to its...
www.nature.com
March 6, 2025 at 12:48 AM
HUGE congratulations to @kaitong25.bsky.social, @wcratcliff.bsky.social and team on this incredible discovery enabled by one of my favorite experiments — the multicellularity long-term evolution experiment (MuLTEE). Check out Will’s great tutorial below👇 (and v happy to have played a small role)
Reposted by Mo Khalil
So we beat on. Gene/cell therapies would benefit many patients, but often use proteins that could be recognized as non-self by our immune system and cause problems. We combine algorithms to build proteins that are therapeutically relevant and can masquerade as our own parts doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Machine-Guided Dual-Objective Protein Engineering for Deimmunization and Therapeutic Functions
Cell and gene therapies often rely on the expression of exogenous proteins derived from nonhuman organisms. An emerging consensus is to reduce the potential immunogenicity of such therapies by instead...
doi.org
March 1, 2025 at 4:09 AM
So we beat on. Gene/cell therapies would benefit many patients, but often use proteins that could be recognized as non-self by our immune system and cause problems. We combine algorithms to build proteins that are therapeutically relevant and can masquerade as our own parts doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
The most achingly beautiful explanation of what science is, from @edyong209.bsky.social: “the idea that much of the world is hidden from us, that we don’t perceive it and don’t understand it, and that it is worth understanding and it is necessary to understand.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
‘The Interview’: Ed Yong Wants to Show You the Hidden Reality of the World
The Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer talks about burnout from covering the pandemic and how bird-watching gave him a new sense of hope.
www.nytimes.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The most achingly beautiful explanation of what science is, from @edyong209.bsky.social: “the idea that much of the world is hidden from us, that we don’t perceive it and don’t understand it, and that it is worth understanding and it is necessary to understand.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
Reposted by Mo Khalil
It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). I’m reaching out to identify clinicians/patients who have encountered pediatric IDCS or other (non-LCH) dendritic or histiocytic sarcomas cases.
February 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). I’m reaching out to identify clinicians/patients who have encountered pediatric IDCS or other (non-LCH) dendritic or histiocytic sarcomas cases.
Reposted by Mo Khalil
Excited to share James Jusuf's preprint:
By integrating Micro-C with SuperRes Live-Imaging we can calibrate genomics&imaging to perform absolute quantification of looping (e.g. this loop is present 3%)
We quantify mESC 36k loops: are generally rare (2.3%)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By integrating Micro-C with SuperRes Live-Imaging we can calibrate genomics&imaging to perform absolute quantification of looping (e.g. this loop is present 3%)
We quantify mESC 36k loops:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Excited to share James Jusuf's preprint:
By integrating Micro-C with SuperRes Live-Imaging we can calibrate genomics&imaging to perform absolute quantification of looping (e.g. this loop is present 3%)
We quantify mESC 36k loops: are generally rare (2.3%)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By integrating Micro-C with SuperRes Live-Imaging we can calibrate genomics&imaging to perform absolute quantification of looping (e.g. this loop is present 3%)
We quantify mESC 36k loops:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...