Biology in the air and under the light

What if a simple flash of light could control molecules inside living cells—and even make them “speak” to us? These molecules, called photoswitching proteins, act like tiny light switches, turning on and off when illuminated. Scientists use them as reporters to understand what is happening inside cells in real-time. By making them switch, their signals become easier to detect, revealing how cells function, respond to stress, or signal disease. These light-controlled tools are opening exciting new ways to observe, understand, and even listen to life at its smallest scale. Who knew that with just a flash of light, life could tell its own story?

This year 2026 is exactly 25 years since the publication of the human genome, but we are still far from understanding it. Decades of research in biochemistry showed that genes are transcribed to RNA, RNA is translated to proteins, and proteins make cells work. And while this simple model is often true, the regulation of genomes is much more complex in real life. Cells don’t translate every message equally; they need to decide what proteins to make, where, and when. This regulation is essential to understand the cause of diseases and to develop better therapies and vaccines. In this talk, I will explain how cells tune protein synthesis under different conditions, and explain the methods and tools that allow us to measure the protein factories of cells: ribosomes. In the current AI era, I will also explain how we are using AI models to study the process of protein synthesis.