Biomedical researcher & professor studying telomerase RNP, telomeres, lncRNAs, & senescence. Opinions are my own, not necessarily those of my employer. (He/him)
Joined February 2008
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We have now published @MCBJournal our secondary-structure model for the 1212 nt 𝘚. 𝘱𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦 telomerase RNA, derived largely from bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses of genomic data.
Furthermore, our 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰 studies:
(1) map TER1 RNA's functionally important domains vs. dispensable regions
(2) show that the three-way junction can be repositioned in the RNA while still providing its essential function.
These findings regarding the fission-yeast telomerase RNA are reminiscent of what we have found in the *evolutionarily distant* organism 𝘚. 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦.
Overall, studying telomerase RNP in yeasts continues to advance our understanding of the RNA world, while also getting us closer to cancer- and aging-inhibiting interventions.
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.…
@LehighU @Lehigh_CAS @BioLehigh @tandfonline
David Zappulla retweeted
This might be the pinnacle moment of the strongest El Niño in history.
Pacific Super Typhoon Champi is unbelievable by every metric. A buoy just measured a ~909 MBAR pressure at the edge of her 40+ mile-wide eye, which has now reached a blistering dryness of -10.94 C. Her eyewall is a 180+ MPH (290+ kph) buzzsaw of cyclonic violence, and her CDO is a perfect Saturnian ring of icy, -110 F (-80 C) convective thunderstorms.
And she is still. Getting. Stronger.
David Zappulla retweeted
1. CRISPR came from basic research on bacteria.
2. Optogenetics started with a discovery in algae.
3. The GFP protein comes from jellyfish.
The biggest breakthroughs all trace to scientists follow their curiosity. This is one huge reason why we must keep funding basic research!
David Zappulla retweeted
You're looking live at El Niño going "full-tilt" to start meteorological fall. Once in a lifetime event.
Three monster hurricanes in E. Pacific w/Hawaii splitting the uprights.
Moisture from Hurricane Marie is going to inundate U.S. desert Southwest with major monsoon!
David Zappulla retweeted
A recent study shows a personalized vaccine for melanoma cut the risk of cancer returning after five years. @HopkinsMedicine @NBCNews
nbcnews.com/health/cancer/pe…
Any other molecular biologists seen Project Hail Mary in the theater yet? Fun!
youtube.com/watch?v=m08TxIsF…
David Zappulla retweeted
Remarkable and awesome
Congrats @Regeneron and congrats to science for discoveries that unlock step changes in human well being
Today the U.S. FDA approved our medicine – the first and only gene therapy for genetic #hearingloss – signaling a new era where enabling 24/7 natural hearing is now possible. We are proud to make this available for free in the U.S.
Read more: bit.ly/4e6f2Rx
David Zappulla retweeted
📢🎉@hhmi_science competition for the next cohorts of #HannaGray Fellows and #FreemanHrabowski Scholars opening 11/3/2026. Senior postdocs and faculty within 7 years of appointment. Up to $10M over 10 yrs, + salary & benefits. Spread the word and consider applying! bit.ly/4vhC0LA
David Zappulla retweeted
Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back.
Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimed…
ALT A crescent Earth setting behind the Moon\u2019s horizon. Credit: NASA
ALT Earth setting behind the Moon as seen by the Artemis II crew. Over half the left side of the image is filled by the gray lunar surface, pocked with craters. Credit: NASA
ALT A close view of the Moon. Jagged circles of craters dot the gray surface, fading to dark on the left side of the image. Credit: NASA
ALT A crescent Earth setting behind a hemisphere of the Moon. Credit: NASA
David Zappulla retweeted
Strep throat is both a terrible illness particularly when left untreated.
And to get it diagnosed and treated is, for many people, terribly burdensome - costing time to get into a do , money to see a doc, time waiting for a result…
This is why we started Anywhere Dx - to make strep testing and getting treatment simple and accessible
We live in a world where strep testing hasn’t changed in 20 years. But it can, and we’re ready for it.
And then we’re going to do it again. With UTIs, STIs, and more.
Are you with us? Let’s go.
WeFunder.com/anywheredx
David Zappulla retweeted
We live in a world where strep testing hasn’t changed in 20 years. But it can, and we’re ready for it.
And then we’re going to do it again. With UTIs, STIs, and more.
Are you with us? Let’s go.
WeFunder.com/anywheredx
David Zappulla retweeted
Self-replicating molecules such as RNA are considered a plausible foundation for the origin of life on Earth. A remarkably small RNA molecule of only 45 nucleotides (QT45) that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand is now published in Science: science.org/doi/10.1126/scie…
David Zappulla retweeted
ABSOLTELY CRAZY EVENT IN GREENLAND
+7.1C Qanaaq at 76N pulverized its January record
Dozens of records have been smashed in pieces allover Greenland every days for the past several weeks:
Definitely One of the most extreme events the world has ever seen,anywhere,anytime.
David Zappulla retweeted
Remarkable story of high school team who used CRISPR to make a rapid diagnostic test strip for Lyme disease, speeding dx from 2 weeks to days
Lambert High School in Georgia was the only U.S. school to place in the high school top 10 at iGEM, an international synthetic biology competition. The other top teams included one from South Korea, one from Taiwan, and seven from China. cbsn.ws/4rt3a0d
Thank you very much to Peter Baumann for his expert input in this extensive project focused on fission yeast!
baumannlab.org/people#
And thank you also to my lab's co-authors for their years of great research leading to this published product!
Here are some of the prior papers regarding telomerase RNA and its role as a flexible scaffold in the RNP complex: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?ter…
David Zappulla retweeted
“The results from this study demonstrate how powerful mRNA medicines truly are and that they are revolutionising our treatment of cancer,” Dr. Coller told ecancer. blackenterprise.com/mrna-cov…
