Benjamin Velez
@bvelez708
Graduate student in the Biology department at MIT, working towards understanding the mechanisms of homeostasis in the cell.
The 20S proteasome plays a key protease role in many regulatory processes. Yet, how its ordered biogenesis and temporally timed catalytic site activation works has remained elusive. In our latest work, we provide evidence for how that occurs! @NatureSMB rdcu.be/dElr4
New preprint! Eric Smith + Jimmy Ly reveal a beautiful example of repurposing of a molecular machine. RNase P + RNase MRP share 9 subunits and yet are functionally very different. We find key new subunits that act as specificity factors to distinguish MRP. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Are you an undergrad #STEM major looking for a life changing summer research experience? Check out #MSRPBio at: biology.mit.edu/program-detail… @MITBiology @SACNAS @ABRCMS @WhiteheadInst @mitbrainandcog @NIGMSTraining
For night 29 of #31NightsofHalloween #MicrosCreepy, here is a clump of cells getting obliterated in an experiment gone wrong!
Through our @cientificolatin GSMI program, we are privileged to have supported 61 scientists coming from eight universities of Puerto Rico. There is nothing but academic excellence from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, full of culture, diversity and scientific greatness.
Free scientific illustrations for biologists! 😍 @NIH has released a library of 500+ free scientific illustrations to create figures, presentations, and illustrations! all freely available in the public domain. Retweet and spread the message! bioart.niaid.nih.gov
12 Alums spanning 2004 -2024 attended the #MSRPBio reunion in NYC. They are now @pfizer @nyulangone @RockefellerUniv @MSKCancerCenter @Columbia @CUNY @HunterAlumni @BrooklynCollege @WeillCornell
Cells make variants of thousands of proteins. These variants are not produced indiscriminately, but rather through precise regulatory mechanisms that can meet rapidly changing needs of the cell. New work from @iaincheeseman's lab in @Nature: wi.mit.edu/news/elegant-s… @MITBiology
Incredible work from Jimmy in our lab! This work has inspired a lot of us in the Cheeseman Lab and I’m so happy that now everyone can go and read it!
Our latest work from lab member jimmy Ly! This fundamentally changed the way we see mitosis. Massive rewiring of translational control. There is something for everyone and an amazing mechanism. Check it out.
Join us TODAY 10/21 at 2pm PST/5pm EST for our #CLGSEC Workshop: "Grad School 101: Choosing a Lab" featuring panelists Jocelyn Dicent, Jessica Tingle, and Ulises Trujillo Garcia as they discuss what to look for in a lab. Register here: eventbrite.com/e/gradschool-1…
It’s heartening to see NIH leaders recognize the importance of basic science! Because how could someone predict that yogurt researchers trying to protect their bacteria would lead to CRISPR and the gene editing revolution.
Reassuring stance from @NIH leaders including @NIHDirector. Point of View: Applied research won’t flourish without basic science doi.org/10.7554/eLife.…
Repeat after me: LAB WEBSITES MATTER! While it may seem like a nice-to-have... in today's world, it's a need-to-have. For you, your trainees, and your prospective team members. I couldn't have written this better myself: nature.com/articles/s4225…
Grad school apps are EXPENSIVE....💸 So, which #STEM PhD programs have WAIVED their application fee this year?! We have compiled a list of programs that you can apply to for FREE. Please let us know if you’ve heard of others! Thank you!!💜 docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
The tardigrade is an "extremophile," able to withstand freezing, radiation, outer space, desiccation and chemical treatment. Its remarkable physiology has captivated scientists, including researchers in @hrvatin_sinisa's lab: wi.mit.edu/unusual-labmat… #UnusualLabmates
"What always impresses me about cells is how robust their processes are — they're quite resilient in the face of dramatic insults and change," @iaincheeseman says. #WhiteheadStoryArc youtu.be/F9trRbRF0Mk?si…
I am very excited to share our story on genetic mechanisms of cellular cold tolerance. Congratulations to Breanna Lam, Kat Kajderowicz @katclone, and collaborators @HeatherKPhD @genfren @MohamedBrolosy @JswLab biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
Getting excited? Less than 2 months until the Centromere Biology Gordon Research Conference. We have an awesome program. In addition, there will be 20 (!) talks selected from abstracts. Apply today to share your work with this amazing community. grc.org/centromere-bio…
New preprint now live! We find that translation start site selection is dramatically rewired during mitosis through an elegant mechanism involving the nuclear release of eIF1. Want a play-by-play of major findings? - check out last week's teaser posts. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…