Neutralizing antibody biochemistry – what they are, why they’re awesome, and how they’re tested for
Antibodies are little proteins that specifically bind viral parts, such as viral proteins, like the spike protein. When someone’s infected, […]
Coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry part 2: cleavage sites, glycolysation, and binding (receptor & antibody)
As promised, here’s part 2 of my talk on the coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry. I go into cleavage sites, […]
Coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry part 1: intro, domains, etc.
I found I had more to say about Spike biochemistry, so here it is… Well, here the first part is. […]
Cryo-EM – a bumbly intro
The Olympic pictogram chart reminded me of a 2-D class averages figure (more on what this is in a minute) […]
Proline performs big-time! Proline-based stabilization of coronavirus Spike proteins
I’ve been watching Olympic gymnastics which has me thinking about flexibility which has me thinking about the most inflexible amino […]
Kinases and phosphorylation
Would you like a phosphate cherry on top or on the side of your protein? Kinases are like “presentation chefs” that […]
Vitrification – all the supercool kids are doing it: cryoprotectants and flash freezing
At the end of a protein purification, you often are really exhausted and want to take a nap – but […]
Ultrasonication
Sonicate good times, come on! One benefit of being an early bird is there’s no competition for the ultrasonicator when […]
Grad School Behind the Scenes: Journal club group meetings (& more “random” stuff about papers & Twitter)
I spent this morning preparing to give “Journal Club,” which is a group meeting where the person who’s “on” chooses […]
Dr. Alexandra Newton, the Newtonator, is now leading the IUBMB’s league of biochemical superheroes! (is officially president of the IUBMB) – & the bumbling biochemist gets the inside scoop
Today I’m super duper duper excited to tell you that Dr. Alexandra Newton is now officially PRESIDENT of the International […]
