“from one stage to the next a greater amount of proenzyme is activated, and it may be suggested that the need to link the minute physical stimulus of surface contact with the final enzymatic explosion has resulted in the evolution of a biochemical amplifier” -RG Macfarlane, 1964

In a #TopRead from @bvglab at @KStateResearch, data show that Efb-C binding to C3b exerts additional inhibitory effects on the central complement components beyond blocking formation of the C3 proconvertase alone. Learn more: ow.ly/yzsN50Z19xU.

Excited for the 18th Int'l Conference on Complement Therapeutics in Sissi, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 A big thank you to our sponsors for their support. Your contribution helps bring together the complement community to share the latest advances in therapeutics and research. There are still registration spots available at the early fee. Late-breaking abstract submissions are open, and trainees and young investigators are encouraged to apply for travel awards by April 15. See our sponsors: aegeanconferences.org/confer… #Complement #Therapeutics #Immunology #Conference #Crete #Greece #TravelAwards #CallForAbstracts

New work from our lab published in @J_Immunol! In a study led by @HuiquanDuan, we found that conformation-dependent recruitment of FHR-2 to the complement component C3b leads to synergistic inhibition of the terminal pathway. Link below 👇 doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf3…

Congratulations to Ying Zhang on the recent defense of her dissertation research concerning bacterial evasion of antibody mediated immune responses.

Registration now available online: 18th Int'l Conference on #ComplementTherapeutics aegeanconferences.org/src/Ap…

Many thanks to Jacob, Brewmaster of @aggievillebeer in #MHK for sharing his knowledge of the science behind beer making with @KStateBMB #Biochemistry and Society students this morning!

Congratulations to all the trainee awardees! Great Work! Great Science! 17th Int’l Conference on #Complement Therapeutics.

Program Available: 17th Int'l Conference on #ComplementTherapeutics from May 10-15, #Sissi #Crete #Greece aegeanconferences.org/src/Ap…

Zymogen activation is a ubiquitous strategy for regulating enzyme activity. In our @jbiolchem paper led by @HuiquanDuan, we show that blocking this fundamental process is used to inhibit the first proteolytic event of the classical #complement pathway 👇 doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2025.1…

Congratulations to @HuiquanDuan for a successful defense of his PhD dissertation research on mechanisms of #complement inhibition! @KStateBMB

It's clear that many do not understand what @NIH-funded research does to improve health. It's time to revive a study published 10 years ago that provides incredible information about this. link in the comment Every single new drug approved by the FDA from 2010–2016 was built on NIH-funded research—that’s all 210 drugs. But what the public sees is just the tip of the iceberg. Pharma takes credit for the final product, but beneath each drug developed, there are ~20 years of basic research, and 90% of the cost is from basic research funded by the NIH, which discovers drug targets, understands disease mechanisms, and creates life-saving treatments. Figuring out how cancer evades the immune system, how addiction rewires the brain, and how heart disease develops is the role of the NIH, creating the foundation for the breakthrough drugs that come 20 years later, and the NIH does all that with only 0.8% of the US budget. Without NIH, there would be no cancer immunotherapy, no anti-overdose medication, no anti-heart attack or stroke medication, no cutting-edge treatments. If NIH funding is cut, the iceberg will melt. That means fewer cures, more suffering, and more lives lost. The science beneath the surface keeps us afloat. Invest in NIH. Invest in life

Yesterday a Nobel prize was given for alpha fold. Alpha fold could not exist without the Protein Data Bank (PDB), a public database funded by US taxpayers. Every structural biologist in the world that deposited their structure to the PDB indirectly helped train alpha fold.

New work from our lab published in @jbiolchem! 👇 S. aureus Eap is a polyvalent inhibitor of neutrophil serine proteases - Journal of Biological Chemistry jbc.org/article/S0021-9258%2… Kudos to @Nitin_B_Mishra , @carsongido, and Tim Herdendorf for leading this effort! @KStateBMB

First description of the self-amplifying nature of the #complement alternative pathway. Muller-Eberhard & Gotze, J. Exp. Med. 1972

Congratulations to @Nitin_B_Mishra for a successful defense of his PhD dissertation research on #Staph protease inhibitors. @KStateBMB

We participated in @AtomwiseInc #AIMS study published in @SciReports highlighting #AtomNet as a viable alternative to high-throughput screening! Read about the largest and most comprehensive virtual HTS campaign to date: atomwise.com/2024/04/02/pres… #drugdiscovery #AI #pharma #biotech

Former #JI_Editor @BvgLab @KStateBMB: 6-(4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)pyridine-3-carboximidamide as a new class of small-molecule #complement C1s inhibitor #ReadTheJI #immunology 👉 ow.ly/4GWV50QzEil

The first Legacy award for Complement Research was awarded today to Piet Gros by the @ComplementSoc International Complement Society at an online symposium in his honor. We celebrated his amazing contribution to the Structural Biology of Complement. Congratulations 🎊 Piet!

Our latest paper reporting identification of a small-molecule inhibitor of #complement protease C1s and the classical pathway is out in the newest issue of @J_Immunol. Special thanks to the students and postdocs who contributed to this team-driven effort! doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.230…