Marija Backovic's Avatar

Marija Backovic

@marijabackovic

Group Leader at @pasteur.fr‬ in Paris | Member of the @virusfusion007 Unit | Biochemist PhD, Structural biologist | #herpes #ERVs #retroviruses

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20.11.2023
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Latest posts by Marija Backovic @marijabackovic

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🔬✊ One year later, we #StandUpForScience again.

Attacks multiply. Funding shrinks. But our determination doesn't.

Science isn't opinion, it's the foundation of democracy.

Institut Pasteur researchers are mobilizing. Join us.

#StandUpForScience2026 #ScienceMatters #ResearchMatters

06.03.2026 16:01 👍 42 🔁 24 💬 0 📌 0

This is why we need to study persistent infections beyond the primary diseases they cause.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

06.03.2026 11:11 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I aspire to exude as much confidence as this little Kinesin protein strutting along a microtubule while hauling intracellular cargo.

Look at that little guy go! 🔬🧪

03.03.2026 19:02 👍 3346 🔁 657 💬 125 📌 54
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L'autisme L’autisme est-il une maladie ? Une condition génétique ? Naît-on autiste ou le devient-on ? Pour mieux comprendre ce que la science sait de cette condition, qui touche environ 1 % de la population, Ch...

🎙️R2D2-MH coordinator @thomasbourgeron.bsky.social and #cocreation member Stéf Bonnot-Briey participated in a radio broadcast on #Autism, discussing #cocreation, science, lived experience and #inclusion.

🎧 Recommended for French speakers: www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/...

#HorizonEU #Resilience

03.03.2026 08:57 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

[Resources]

#AlphaFold protein and PPI prediction databases

1️⃣ Predictomes (genome maintenance & H2A/H2b) predictomes.org

2️⃣ Flypredictome www.flyrnai.org/tools/fly_pr...

3️⃣ Human interactome prodata.swmed.edu/humanPPI

4️⃣ BFVD (viral proteins) bfvd.steineggerlab.workers.dev

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30.07.2025 11:28 👍 42 🔁 14 💬 1 📌 1

Science is not truth.
Science is finding the truth.

When science changes its opinion, it didn't lie to you. It learned more.

18.02.2026 17:00 👍 4368 🔁 1392 💬 56 📌 18
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Could targeting viruses be a new hope against neurodegenerative diseases? Current therapies for neurodegenerative diseases largely manage symptoms and only modestly slow progression. This Perspective highlights emerging evidence that vaccines and antivirals may lower…

Despite decades of intensive research, current approaches to treating #NeurodegenerativeDiseases only slow down the seemingly inevitable. Could recent data associating #vaccines with reduced risk of #dementia offer an unexpected beacon of hope?🧪 @sparrerlab.bsky.social

16.02.2026 17:35 👍 25 🔁 10 💬 0 📌 0
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A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...

How could a simple self-replicating system emerge at the origins of life? RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but existing ones are so large that their self-replication seems impossible. Could they be smaller?

Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase.
1/n

13.02.2026 11:42 👍 497 🔁 209 💬 10 📌 28

No, DeepMind has not solved the protein folding problem.

#Alphafold predictions are valuable hypotheses and accelerate but do not replace experimental structure determination.

05.02.2026 08:49 👍 92 🔁 24 💬 2 📌 0

Integrated structural biology at its best with fantastic talks in cryo-EM, NMR, and X-ray techniques
Also integration with other Instruct Centres, in this case Kay Grünewald Instruct-DE @cssbhamburg.bsky.social 'Conformational flexibility and molecular plasticity in herpesvirus entry and egress'

29.01.2026 16:48 👍 7 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
Vibrant color portrait of Jane S. Richardson, the visionary biophysicist and artist who revolutionized structural biology with her invention of ribbon diagrams. She gazes warmly at the camera with a bright, knowing smile that radiates quiet brilliance and decades of curiosity. Her silver-blonde hair woven with gentle waves. Large, elegant dangling earrings catch the light, and she wears a richly patterned brown blouse embroidered with intricate turquoise paisley motifs and delicate beadwork that echoes the molecular elegance she has spent her life depicting. Behind her floats a luminous, dreamlike backdrop of glowing molecular structures--interlocking hexagonal and ribbon-like forms in electric blues, teals, and greens--blending science and art in a single, living canvas.

Vibrant color portrait of Jane S. Richardson, the visionary biophysicist and artist who revolutionized structural biology with her invention of ribbon diagrams. She gazes warmly at the camera with a bright, knowing smile that radiates quiet brilliance and decades of curiosity. Her silver-blonde hair woven with gentle waves. Large, elegant dangling earrings catch the light, and she wears a richly patterned brown blouse embroidered with intricate turquoise paisley motifs and delicate beadwork that echoes the molecular elegance she has spent her life depicting. Behind her floats a luminous, dreamlike backdrop of glowing molecular structures--interlocking hexagonal and ribbon-like forms in electric blues, teals, and greens--blending science and art in a single, living canvas.

Hand-drawn and hand-colored (by Jane Richardson) scientific artwork known as a Richardson ribbon diagram (or “ribbon model”), one of the iconic visual inventions of Jane Richardson that transformed the way we see and understand protein structures. A graceful, three-dimensional tangle of protein backbone ribbons twists and spirals through space, rendered in soft pencil lines and luminous watercolor hues. Smooth golden-brown coils represent α-helices that curl like elegant ribbons, while broad teal-green arrows trace the flat, pleated strands of β-sheets slicing through the molecule with directional purpose. Thin, looping golden threads connect the secondary structures, creating a delicate, almost dance-like choreography of biology’s hidden architecture. The entire form is framed by a simple olive-green mat and dark border, giving the drawing the quiet dignity of both fine art and precise scientific illustration—a timeless bridge between molecular reality and human imagination.

Hand-drawn and hand-colored (by Jane Richardson) scientific artwork known as a Richardson ribbon diagram (or “ribbon model”), one of the iconic visual inventions of Jane Richardson that transformed the way we see and understand protein structures. A graceful, three-dimensional tangle of protein backbone ribbons twists and spirals through space, rendered in soft pencil lines and luminous watercolor hues. Smooth golden-brown coils represent α-helices that curl like elegant ribbons, while broad teal-green arrows trace the flat, pleated strands of β-sheets slicing through the molecule with directional purpose. Thin, looping golden threads connect the secondary structures, creating a delicate, almost dance-like choreography of biology’s hidden architecture. The entire form is framed by a simple olive-green mat and dark border, giving the drawing the quiet dignity of both fine art and precise scientific illustration—a timeless bridge between molecular reality and human imagination.

Jane Richardson was born #OTD in 1941

+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012

#WomenInSTEM

26.01.2026 00:06 👍 266 🔁 93 💬 3 📌 7
Color photograph of Joan Steitz (Joan Argetsinger Steitz), the distinguished American molecular biologist and biochemist renowned for her groundbreaking discoveries in RNA biology, including the identification of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) essential to RNA splicing. She is pictured in a close-up portrait within a laboratory or research setting, smiling warmly and directly at the camera with an engaging, approachable expression that conveys enthusiasm and expertise. Steitz has gray hair pulled back, striking blue eyes, and is wearing large, elaborate dangling earrings adorned with purple gemstones and metallic accents. She is dressed in a rich purple blouse. The softly blurred background includes scientific elements such as lab benches, equipment, monitors, charts, and partial signage, evoking the environment of her long career at Yale University where she served as Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. #JoanSteitz #MolecularBiology #WomenInScience #Biochemistry #RNA

Color photograph of Joan Steitz (Joan Argetsinger Steitz), the distinguished American molecular biologist and biochemist renowned for her groundbreaking discoveries in RNA biology, including the identification of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) essential to RNA splicing. She is pictured in a close-up portrait within a laboratory or research setting, smiling warmly and directly at the camera with an engaging, approachable expression that conveys enthusiasm and expertise. Steitz has gray hair pulled back, striking blue eyes, and is wearing large, elaborate dangling earrings adorned with purple gemstones and metallic accents. She is dressed in a rich purple blouse. The softly blurred background includes scientific elements such as lab benches, equipment, monitors, charts, and partial signage, evoking the environment of her long career at Yale University where she served as Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. #JoanSteitz #MolecularBiology #WomenInScience #Biochemistry #RNA

Biochemist/molecular biologist Joan Steitz was born #OTD in 1941.

She (& team) figured out how our cells read/use genetic instructions to make proteins. A key person who helped crack the code on RNA—the molecule that acts like a messenger between DNA & and the proteins our bodies need. #WomenInSTEM

26.01.2026 19:08 👍 742 🔁 172 💬 6 📌 8
BindCraft: one-shot design of functional protein binders
BindCraft: one-shot design of functional protein binders YouTube video by Boston Protein Design and Modeling Club

Have no fear if you weren't in the packed audience this week for @martinpacesa.bsky.social's awesome seminar, because you can check out the recording 👇
youtu.be/qQihl6If9vU

15.08.2025 20:56 👍 27 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 0

Huge congratulations @nboyd.bsky.social with Mosaic that absolutely killed in the competition! 𝑩𝒊𝒏𝒅𝑪𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕2 did also pretty well with the second highest hit rate in the competition!

proteinbase.com/collections/...

22.01.2026 08:29 👍 29 🔁 9 💬 3 📌 1
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Spotlight on the Shingles Vaccine—Again! Two new studies add to a remarkable body of evidence for benefit

Excellent overview of the (mind-blowing) effects of the Shingles vaccine against dementia by @erictopol.bsky.social Ground Truth 🧪 "Two new studies add to a remarkable body of evidence for benefit" ⬇️

open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...

22.01.2026 07:39 👍 13 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0

"Not sure if _name_ (my husband) would be ok with this?" - answer from a PI to my suggestion to go to a month-long training outside of country.

19.01.2026 15:37 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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What lingers in ‘The Pitt’ is heartache. What’s missing is outrage “I am hungry, so hungry, for some depiction of Covid that tells the truth. That what was done to us was not just unbearable, but wrong,” an emergency physician writes of “The Pitt.”

"If Covid was a fire alarm, our response, incredibly, has been to rip out the wiring. Instead of correcting the underbuilt public health systems that allowed thousands to die in the dark, we are choosing to institutionalize blindness." 👇

www.statnews.com/2026/01/18/t... via @statnews.com

19.01.2026 15:08 👍 85 🔁 33 💬 1 📌 2
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Anoctamin-2-specific T cells link Epstein-Barr virus to multiple sclerosis Researchers identified anoctamin-2 (ANO2) as a frequent autoimmune target in multiple sclerosis, with T cell responses against ANO2 occurring in over half of patients. These ANO2-specific T cells shar...

Published in Cell, a new study shows that the immune system’s reaction to the common Epstein-Barr virus can ultimately damage the brain and contribute to multiple sclerosis, from a team @ki.se

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

14.01.2026 20:54 👍 20 🔁 8 💬 0 📌 1
Anoctamin-2-specific T cells link Epstein-Barr virus to multiple sclerosis Researchers identified anoctamin-2 (ANO2) as a frequent autoimmune target in multiple sclerosis, with T cell responses against ANO2 occurring in over half of patients. These ANO2-specific T cells share cross-reactivity and pathogenic features with T cell responses to EBNA1 from Epstein-Barr virus, and their activation worsens MS-like disease in mice.

3 papers on EBV and MS

Anoctamin-2-specific T cells link Epstein-Barr virus to multiple sclerosis

Anoctamin-2 (ANO2) is targeted by T cells in approximately 57% of persons with MS

www.cell.com/cell/fu...
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13.01.2026 21:12 👍 14 🔁 10 💬 1 📌 0
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A new path to spillover: MHC-II entry of influenza A viruses Spillover of influenza A viruses from animals to humans represents a threat to our health. This Perspective discusses emerging research that suggests some influenza A viruses can enter host cells via ...

'But what if IAVs could use a different receptor? Our previous work revealed that the IAV subtypes H17N10 and H18N11, which have so far been detected exclusively in bats, use MHC-II molecules as entry receptors instead of the conventional sialic acid receptors'

10.01.2026 01:33 👍 24 🔁 12 💬 1 📌 0
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Open #postdoc fellowship in my group. Virus replication and cryo-ET. Projects can be tailored to ambitious candidates with diverse backgrounds, so don't hold back from applying! DM for more info.

Deadline 8 Feb. Apply here:
umustipendie.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
#virus #virology #teamtomo #cryoEM

09.01.2026 13:58 👍 34 🔁 28 💬 2 📌 3
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HI-FEVER: a Nextflow pipeline for the high-throughput discovery and annotation of endogenous viral elements AbstractSummary. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer valuable insights into virus and host evolution, but their detection remains computationally and bi

Wanting to do some paleovirology of your own? We recently published HI-FEVER, enabling users to run their own fast searches for endogenous viral elements.

Huge thanks to @humanceae.bsky.social, @emma-harding.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac.

@biology.ox.ac.uk

academic.oup.com/bioinformati...

08.01.2026 13:02 👍 24 🔁 11 💬 0 📌 0
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Here's a summary of all the data that supports adding more red meat to your diet

08.01.2026 18:03 👍 1118 🔁 257 💬 38 📌 13

Given everything happening right now, I updated this article with options for weather apps, web forms, and translation services — along with some tweaks to existing categories.

I hope it helps your transition off US tech!

04.01.2026 17:20 👍 1404 🔁 693 💬 26 📌 26
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Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation Somatic mutations that increase the fitness of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) drive their expansion in clonal hematopoiesis (CH) and predispose individuals to blood cancers. Population variation in t...

New @science.org today
Discovery of a genomic variant that protects against blood cancer by reducing risk of CHIP (blood stem cell mutation clones, common with aging)
@bloodgenes.bsky.social
@kharaslab.bsky.social
science.org/doi/10.1126/...

01.01.2026 19:03 👍 211 🔁 57 💬 2 📌 3
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The EMDB wishes you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and we are delighted to share our jointly designed EMDB/PDBe Christmas card with you. It has been a busy year, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year here! Card: A mixture of #cryoEM and X-ray diffraction structures.

18.12.2025 14:01 👍 20 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0
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Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025.

Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

17.12.2025 19:39 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Want to analyze the role of endogenous retroviruses in early human development or investigate their regulation in pluripotency and early development for your PhD?

Join the lab of @fueyoraquel.bsky.social via the IMPRS-BAC #gradschool!

👉 www.molgen.mpg.de/5094682/Fuey...

27.11.2025 14:06 👍 22 🔁 18 💬 0 📌 2
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The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.

Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT

05.12.2025 16:15 👍 1187 🔁 649 💬 35 📌 38
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Please RT. Post-doc opportunity alert! 💥 closing soon 10th December.. Come join our team (www.thelowlab.org) at Imperial, London, working on the structure and mechanism of bacterial secretion systems.

For more details and to apply please see

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

05.12.2025 17:06 👍 22 🔁 29 💬 1 📌 0