Our review on the versatile roles of phage-encoded tRNAs is out. Great work @DaanFvdBerg.

Excited to share our latest paper on new Eukaryotic-like bacteriophage defense systems. What great joint project by @DaanFvdBerg, @AnaRitaMCosta and Jelger Esser combining the power of bioinformatics and experiments.

We are recruiting two PhD students (4y) and one Postdoc (2y) to work on bacteriophage defense systems and their relevance for phage therapy. Come join our teams in Delft and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have accumulated phage defense systems in their genome matching their broad resistance to diverse phage families. Great work by Rita, Daan and Jelger. @AnaRitaMCosta, @DaanFvdBerg.

Phage tRNAs evade tRNA-targeting host defenses through anticodon loop mutations.Really nice work @DaanFvdBerg!.

We just posted a preprint proposing a new role for the 50-year old conundrum of phage-encoded tRNAs: insensitivity to host tRNA depletion by anticodon nucleases (e.g. VapC). Great data analysis and hypothesis building by @DaanFvdBerg.

When microbes have to resort to the more rigorous and diverse RNA targeting CRISPR-Cas strategies to buy time, go into dormancy or commit suicide to survive phage infection. Great work by Sam van Beljouw with graphical art by Alicia Rodríguez Molina.

We just published a review on bacteriophage genome engineering methods, including various CRISPR approaches. Great work by PhD student Marina Mahler now in @PeterFineran’s group. Thanks @AnaRitaMCosta, Sam and Peter for contributing.

CRISPR-Cas keeps on giving. Never thought it could do RNA-activated protease activity. Beautiful mechanistic work with @AilongK group. Thanks Chunyi Hu and Sam van Beljouw, and all co-authors.

Thank you @AilongK and Chunyi Hu for the wonderful collaboration with my team - Cristobal, Rita, Jochem and Anna - resulting in a paper answering how Cas4 achieves PAM selection during CRISPR spacer acquisition.

Congrats Dr. Vink! You are a legend.

Amazing work by Sam van Beljouw showing that an ‘all fused’ type III-E CRISPR-Cas effector complex cleaves target RNA twice and associates with a Caspase-like peptidase. Thanks team @tudelft for this incredible scientific journey. So #proud!.

Just published a preprint reporting lessons from CRISPR spacer mapping efforts in covid times, including a catalog of PAMs, evidence for spacer sharing, and partial PAM prediction from repeats. Great work by Jochem Vink and Jan Baijens. More @CRISPR2021.

Thank you @ERC_Research for funding our research into the exciting world of bacteriophage immune systems. Can't wait to start this big project @tudelft this summer. Job openings will follow soon at

Looking forward to your talk Jan-Willem! Everyone is invited.

Big congratulations to Emmanuelle and Jennifer! Well deserved. This feels much like a CRISPR community achievement too. What a journey it has been and still going strong!.

RT @MarkvLoosdrecht: Nice explanation on how Coronavirus mutations help to follow the spreading of the virus

Please join us @tudelft in donating gloves to hospitals; @ErasmusMC Rotterdam and @LUMC LUMC Leiden. They need them. #COVID19

Thanks Sungchul, Luuk, Chirlmin et al. Great findings and what an end result! @ChirlminJoo_Lab @l_loeff @Sungchul_Kim_.

We are looking for a colleague to start their own research group in the beautiful and inspiring environment of Delft. Please RT.