Kamoun Lab @ TSL

The group of Sophien Kamoun at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), Norwich, UK, studies plant-pathogen coevolution and how it impacts mechanisms of virulence and immunity. Visit periodically for updates on lab news and publications. You can also follow us on Twitter and keep up with the latest research and news on plant-microbe interactions via the scoop.it pages.

[kamounlab]

News coverage over the years... #memorylane

[kamounlab]

We're pleased and honoured to host Striga wizard Steven Runo @Striga_Steve on sabbatical from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. Steven is supported by a @royalsociety Wolfson Visiting Fellowship. He was awarded the 2020 Royal Society Africa Prize.

Welcome Steven!

[link to Steven's wikipedia]

[kamounlab]

We welcome to the team JP--Juan Pablo Guzman Alvarez 🇨🇴-- our Innovation Design Engineer holding an MA/MSc @RoyalCollegeof @imperialcollege

JP is working with Nick Desnoyer to do crazy, creative stuff. Check his website https://2025.rca.ac.uk/school-of-design/innovation-design-engineering-ma-msc/profile/juan-pablo-guzman-alvarez/

[kamounlab]

It's time for the new @TheSainsburyLab brochure

[kamounlab]

We’re celebrating the Persian new year, based on the calendar developed in the 11th c by the renowned Persian mathematician and astronomer Omar Khayyam 🪐

Happy new year and best wishes of peace and prosperity!

[kamounlab]

A new chapter for IS-MPMI

For many of us, this society has been more than a professional organization—it’s been our scientific home and identity. Over the years, the MPMI community has shepherded discoveries that reached far beyond plant-microbe interactions: Agrobacterium DNA transfer, immune receptors, RNAi, TAL effectors, and much more.

Many of you know that the last few years haven’t been entirely smooth. That’s why the decision by Jean and the Board to transition the society to self-management is both bold and necessary. Kudos to them for not sitting idle and taking action.

Now it’s our turn.

Our field is thriving—both through fundamental discoveries and through impactful applications. To carry IS-MPMI into its next chapter, the society will need the energy and participation of its members.

So please consider getting involved. Volunteer. Share ideas. Help shape what comes next—whether you’re an early-career scientist or a long-time member of the community.

As a past President of IS-MPMI, I want to thank Jean and the Board for their leadership and courage.

The next chapter starts now. See you in Jeju!

Sophien Kamoun

The Sainsbury Laboratory

Past-President, IS-MPMI

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-greenberg-4469a118/

[kamounlab]

As part of our partnership with Khalifa Center in Al Ain, UAE, we animated this workshop on February 10th, 2026

Open Science, Global Impact: Elevating Your Institute and Career

Speakers: Sophien Kamoun & Nick Talbot

Summary

How can open science amplify both institutional reputation and individual careers? This talk explores the scientist’s core mission—producing and communicating knowledge—and argues that modern publishing practices are transforming how research achieves visibility and impact. From preprints and community peer review to datasets and mini-papers, open science accelerates dissemination while preserving rigor, credit, and collaboration. Participants will gain practical insights into building a publishing strategy that enhances international profile, strengthens reproducibility, and contributes to a more transparent and effective research culture.

Key themes:

Science as a moral duty to distinguish sense from nonsense

Publishing as the primary vehicle for communicating research

Preprints and new publication formats as engines of rapid, citable discovery

Open science as accessibility, transparency, and collaboration—compatible with peer review

Links

Blog: https://kamounlab.medium.com/list/sciencea-user-guide-1137d4254505

Slides: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18590735

[kamounlab]

Just published: The Sainsbury Laboratory receives support from Google.org for AI science research

“...opportunity to scale our AlphaFold screening capabilities and predict millions of protein-protein interactions between pathogens and plants."

The Sainsbury Laboratory receives support from Google.org for AI science research

PUBLISHED: 26.01.26: LAURA TURCHI & MIA CERFONTEYN

[kamounlab]

New Year Lunch 2026

@KamounLab Burma New Zealand Germany Italy Iran Tunisia USA United Kingdom Argentina France Japan Thailand Netherlands Australia China

[kamounlab]

I just published: 2025 the year in review

It’s that time of year when we recap our team’s publications and other highlights.

Check the article here.

[kamounlab]

A belated welcome to Matteo Gravino to our team. Matteo joins us as a postdoctoral researcher, having previously worked at the John Innes Centre in the group of Saskia Hogenhout. We are excited to having you on board Matteo!

[kamounlab]

Amal @AmalBk11 is absolutely rocking it in Cotonou, Benin 🇧🇯 💪

[kamounlab]

We are excited to welcome Maryam Sargolzaei to our team. Maryam is a plant pathologist who completed her Ph.D. at the University of Milan and previously obtained her Master of Science from University Putra Malaysia (UPM). We look forward to having her on board.

[kamounlab]

Google DeepMind visits TSL

We were honoured to host Lila Ibrahim and the team from Google DeepMind at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), Norwich. As long-time admirers of DeepMind’s tools and systems, Sophien Kamoun and his team were excited to show how AlphaFold is being harnessed in our plant health research. “AlphaFold has completely transformed our ability to study plant immunity.” says Sophien, “It’s been particularly powerful in enabling the functional annotation of immune receptors and the bioengineering of improved disease-resistance genes.” At TSL, we’re committed to embracing cutting-edge technologies, championing interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating science into global impact. It was so rewarding to have our teams connect, and understand how closely our organisations’ missions resonate with one another: from applying AI to tackle sustainability and food security challenges, to investing in training and human development. On behalf of everyone at TSL, thank you to the Google DeepMind team for your genuine curiosity and appreciation of our work, and for inspiring us with your vision. We’re excited to explore new ways to accelerate progress on some of the world’s most pressing scientific challenges. 🌍🔬

[kamounlab]

This summer's lab day out is in Chelsea under the theme of… FLOWERS 🌺

[kamounlab]

It’s essentialy a week of festivities to bid San Mau aka Mauricio Contreras @mpcontreras4 farewell after 7+ incredible amazing years! Work hard, play hard…

[kamounlab]

Why you should sequence your plasmids (and how to do it for free)

Through our non-profit @GetGenome, scientists in 100 countries can access free whole-plasmid sequencing — removing barriers, improving quality control, and giving researchers the confidence to move their experiments forward.

Check the blog to find out more.