Hiten Madhani
@hitenmadhani.bsky.social
Gene regulation in health and disease | Professor/Vice-Chair @UCSF Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysic | via Stanford, UCSF and MIT | https://madhanilab.ucsf.edu
Nice day for a ride!
November 9, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Nice day for a ride!
Nice day for a stroll! 70 and clear. Not bad for November.
November 8, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Nice day for a stroll! 70 and clear. Not bad for November.
Nucleosome socks from the 5th biannual @epicypher.bsky.social meeting!
I have had the (perhaps dubious) honor of giving the final talk at last four. Great meeting as usual. Thanks to Michael and the gang for putting it together.
I have had the (perhaps dubious) honor of giving the final talk at last four. Great meeting as usual. Thanks to Michael and the gang for putting it together.
November 8, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Nucleosome socks from the 5th biannual @epicypher.bsky.social meeting!
I have had the (perhaps dubious) honor of giving the final talk at last four. Great meeting as usual. Thanks to Michael and the gang for putting it together.
I have had the (perhaps dubious) honor of giving the final talk at last four. Great meeting as usual. Thanks to Michael and the gang for putting it together.
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Raise a glass for Rosalind Franklin tonight and honor her memory and scientific contributions
NYT obituary of Jim Watson.
A long and fairly balanced view of a complicated man who participated in one of the greatest discoveries in biology.
[Gift Link]
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
A long and fairly balanced view of a complicated man who participated in one of the greatest discoveries in biology.
[Gift Link]
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Raise a glass for Rosalind Franklin tonight and honor her memory and scientific contributions
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
8 high level positions at NIH posted including 6 institute director positions (NIMH, NIGMS, NICHD, NIDCR, NHGRI, NLM).
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
hr.nih.gov
November 7, 2025 at 10:20 PM
8 high level positions at NIH posted including 6 institute director positions (NIMH, NIGMS, NICHD, NIDCR, NHGRI, NLM).
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Vivid reminder that HHS sec is not an MD.
RFK Jr's response to someone collapsing nearby him was to haul ass out of the room as quickly as possible
November 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Vivid reminder that HHS sec is not an MD.
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Absolutely, this.
I did not intend to bury the lede in my data nerdiness.
I did not intend to bury the lede in my data nerdiness.
and there it is. the absolutely massive change in R01s funded multi-year. our perceptions that the new mandate, sorry strong suggestion, has had a dramatic effect on forward funding and therefore success rates is validated.
2025
Here the largest fraction is for R01 awards, followed by RF1s, and R21s.
In most cases, these were R01s that had not particularly reason to be forward funded except that NIH had put itself in a situation when large amounts of funding needed to be committed by the end of the fiscal year
21/25
Here the largest fraction is for R01 awards, followed by RF1s, and R21s.
In most cases, these were R01s that had not particularly reason to be forward funded except that NIH had put itself in a situation when large amounts of funding needed to be committed by the end of the fiscal year
21/25
November 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Absolutely, this.
I did not intend to bury the lede in my data nerdiness.
I did not intend to bury the lede in my data nerdiness.
Sad news indeed. I only knew Zara at ‘smile, wave and say hi’ level, but she always smiled, waved and said hi and always I did the same.
Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
November 1, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Sad news indeed. I only knew Zara at ‘smile, wave and say hi’ level, but she always smiled, waved and said hi and always I did the same.
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Pitt faculty taking a stand against the higher education "compact"
www.wesa.fm/identity-com...
I know of a few other news stories about similar faculty action.
Please share them here.
www.wesa.fm/identity-com...
I know of a few other news stories about similar faculty action.
Please share them here.
University of Pittsburgh professors push back against Trump 'compact' for higher education
University of Pittsburgh professors have asked their school to reject a Trump "compact" that promises more access to federal resources to schools that sign on to his agenda
www.wesa.fm
October 31, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Pitt faculty taking a stand against the higher education "compact"
www.wesa.fm/identity-com...
I know of a few other news stories about similar faculty action.
Please share them here.
www.wesa.fm/identity-com...
I know of a few other news stories about similar faculty action.
Please share them here.
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
The value of public R&D
www.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Good to see Nature recognize fundamental research. Honestly, it’s the only kind that has ever floated my boat. Everything else just seems boring to me and I would rather live an interesting life. And, of course, as argued in the piece, it has an outsized impact.
In praise of fundamental research
Our editorial this week argues that I n these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different
🧪
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Our editorial this week argues that I n these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different
🧪
@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
From MRI to Ozempic: breakthroughs that show why fundamental research must be protected
In these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different.
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Good to see Nature recognize fundamental research. Honestly, it’s the only kind that has ever floated my boat. Everything else just seems boring to me and I would rather live an interesting life. And, of course, as argued in the piece, it has an outsized impact.
Interesting to see new papers connecting Pol II stalling to heterochromatin formation.
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reminiscent of our work in S. pombe:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reminiscent of our work in S. pombe:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
The Piwi-piRNA complex initiates transposon silencing via transcription termination factors PNUTS and Senataxin
Wu et al. reveal that the SFiNX complex triggers transposon silencing through the
association of Sov with two transcription termination factors, PNUTS and Senataxin,
leading to RNA Pol II stalling. Th...
www.cell.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Interesting to see new papers connecting Pol II stalling to heterochromatin formation.
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reminiscent of our work in S. pombe:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
www.cell.com/molecular-ce...
Reminiscent of our work in S. pombe:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Trouble in paradise...
NEW: Steven Hatfill, the biosecurity expert and opponent of mNRA research, tells me he was fired by RFK Jr.'s chief of staff as part of "a coup to overthrow Mr. Kennedy." HHS says he misrepresented himself & didn't play well in the sandbox.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
Steven Hatfill, Covid Vaccine Critic, Is Ousted From HHS
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Trouble in paradise...
Nice day for a stroll—saw some local coyotes.
October 27, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Nice day for a stroll—saw some local coyotes.
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
R.I.P Hamilton Smith, 1978 Nobel Laureate for the discovery of type II restriction-modification systems (HindII).
October 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
R.I.P Hamilton Smith, 1978 Nobel Laureate for the discovery of type II restriction-modification systems (HindII).
Another former UCSF Tetrad program student does good!
After a long break from social media, I’m finally on Bluesky and have a preprint alert from my lab!
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A microexon in Arp2 alters tissue-specific Arp2/3-generated actin structures
The Arp2/3 complex nucleates essential branched actin networks in most eukaryotes. Interestingly, the subunit Arp2 encodes two splice variants that differ merely by five amino acids in the D-loop, whi...
doi.org
October 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Another former UCSF Tetrad program student does good!
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
After a long break from social media, I’m finally on Bluesky and have a preprint alert from my lab!
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
A microexon in Arp2 alters tissue-specific Arp2/3-generated actin structures
The Arp2/3 complex nucleates essential branched actin networks in most eukaryotes. Interestingly, the subunit Arp2 encodes two splice variants that differ merely by five amino acids in the D-loop, whi...
doi.org
October 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
After a long break from social media, I’m finally on Bluesky and have a preprint alert from my lab!
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
For a second, I thought this was about the complement system.
October 23, 2025 at 12:27 AM
For a second, I thought this was about the complement system.
In my dealings with administrative types I am sometimes reminded that some do not understand how hard it is to be a scientist, especially the level of uncertainty we cope with and responsibility we shoulder in the service of discovery. (Yes, today was one of those day).
October 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
In my dealings with administrative types I am sometimes reminded that some do not understand how hard it is to be a scientist, especially the level of uncertainty we cope with and responsibility we shoulder in the service of discovery. (Yes, today was one of those day).
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Check out our new publication, a collaboration with Giovanni Luchetti and Vishva Dixit @ Genentech.
We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Explainer 1/8
We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Explainer 1/8
Enteropathogenic bacteria evade ROCK-driven epithelial cell extrusion - Nature
The bacterial ubiquitin ligase NleL evades host defence mechanisms both by inhibiting pyroptosis and by preventing infected intestinal epithelial cells from being extruded into the lumen and expelled ...
www.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Check out our new publication, a collaboration with Giovanni Luchetti and Vishva Dixit @ Genentech.
We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Explainer 1/8
We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Explainer 1/8
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
Amazing!!
Congrats to the team for uncovering this link
We are all phages …
Regular reminder to the “The frustrated gene” article from @hitenmadhani.bsky.social
Congrats to the team for uncovering this link
We are all phages …
Regular reminder to the “The frustrated gene” article from @hitenmadhani.bsky.social
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Amazing!!
Congrats to the team for uncovering this link
We are all phages …
Regular reminder to the “The frustrated gene” article from @hitenmadhani.bsky.social
Congrats to the team for uncovering this link
We are all phages …
Regular reminder to the “The frustrated gene” article from @hitenmadhani.bsky.social
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
October 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Hiten Madhani
A university that signs the “compact” is one that acknowledges its own inability to compete and succeed based talent and merit. It would signal insecurity and mediocrity to current and future students and faculty. Say no. Recruit the best people, protect their freedom and support their hard work.
October 18, 2025 at 12:05 AM
A university that signs the “compact” is one that acknowledges its own inability to compete and succeed based talent and merit. It would signal insecurity and mediocrity to current and future students and faculty. Say no. Recruit the best people, protect their freedom and support their hard work.