Igor Ulitsky
@igorulitsky.bsky.social
Associate Professor, Weizmann Institute of Science. RNA biologist, interested in what (long) RNA molecules do and how. Father of 4.
Save the date! May 4th this year will be both Star Wars Day, and the 3rd installment of our Nucleaic Acid Therapeutics meeting at the Weizmann Institute. As in 2023 and 2025, we aim for an audience of ~300 researchers interested in RNA and DNA therapies, ~50/50% academy and industry.
January 28, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Save the date! May 4th this year will be both Star Wars Day, and the 3rd installment of our Nucleaic Acid Therapeutics meeting at the Weizmann Institute. As in 2023 and 2025, we aim for an audience of ~300 researchers interested in RNA and DNA therapies, ~50/50% academy and industry.
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
pretty sure he meant the other thing, grok, but very cool that those are your two things
January 16, 2026 at 4:55 PM
pretty sure he meant the other thing, grok, but very cool that those are your two things
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Nature research paper: A nowhere-to-hide mechanism ensures complete piRNA-directed DNA methylation
go.nature.com/4pDVgPq
go.nature.com/4pDVgPq
A nowhere-to-hide mechanism ensures complete piRNA-directed DNA methylation - Nature
In mice, a SPOCD1–TPR-dependent ‘nowhere-to-hide’ mechanism is required for complete non-stochastic piRNA-directed LINE1 DNA methylation by preventing transposons from escaping surveillance within heterochromatin.
go.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Nature research paper: A nowhere-to-hide mechanism ensures complete piRNA-directed DNA methylation
go.nature.com/4pDVgPq
go.nature.com/4pDVgPq
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
🧪 An EMBO Meeting on Axon Biology in Okinawa, Japan
Iconic science at an amazing venue. Please join us!
EMBO | COB Workshop on Axonal degeneration and regeneration
meetings.embo.org/event/26-axo...
Iconic science at an amazing venue. Please join us!
EMBO | COB Workshop on Axonal degeneration and regeneration
meetings.embo.org/event/26-axo...
Axonal degeneration and regeneration
Neurons are the largest and most long-lived class of cells, necessitating specialized mechanisms for their survival, growth and maintenance. Axons are the longest extensions of a neuron, reaching len…
meetings.embo.org
January 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
🧪 An EMBO Meeting on Axon Biology in Okinawa, Japan
Iconic science at an amazing venue. Please join us!
EMBO | COB Workshop on Axonal degeneration and regeneration
meetings.embo.org/event/26-axo...
Iconic science at an amazing venue. Please join us!
EMBO | COB Workshop on Axonal degeneration and regeneration
meetings.embo.org/event/26-axo...
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Our new paper is out in Nature 🎉. We show that m1Ψ in mRNA vaccines doesn’t just quiet immunity, it also directly enhance translation by reshaping ribosome dynamics in a sequence-dependent way 🧬
Full paper : rdcu.be/eY5gx
Full paper : rdcu.be/eY5gx
N1-Methylpseudouridine directly modulates translation dynamics
Nature - N1-Methylpseudouridine enhances the translation of synthetic mRNAs, independently of innate immunity.
rdcu.be
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Our new paper is out in Nature 🎉. We show that m1Ψ in mRNA vaccines doesn’t just quiet immunity, it also directly enhance translation by reshaping ribosome dynamics in a sequence-dependent way 🧬
Full paper : rdcu.be/eY5gx
Full paper : rdcu.be/eY5gx
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
As usual this time of year, started drafting the list of gene regulation conferences for 2026, enjoy! generegulation.org/conferences-...
Know of a relevant event that’s missing? Please reply below
Know of a relevant event that’s missing? Please reply below
Conferences & Schools – 2026 – Gene Regulation – Teif Lab
generegulation.org
December 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
As usual this time of year, started drafting the list of gene regulation conferences for 2026, enjoy! generegulation.org/conferences-...
Know of a relevant event that’s missing? Please reply below
Know of a relevant event that’s missing? Please reply below
I gues the coffee doesn't taste like sfDORA
Only in Shenzhen: Science Nature coffee bar. If you’ve published in @science.org or @nature.com, they give you coffee for free. 100% real!
January 11, 2026 at 7:38 AM
I gues the coffee doesn't taste like sfDORA
Junction-targeting designs limit the application of CRISPR-Cas13d in circular RNA perturbation studies url: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Junction-targeting designs limit the application of CRISPR-Cas13d in circular RNA perturbation studies
Abstract. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are RNA molecules formed through the backsplicing of linear exons. Several thousand have been identified, yet relatively
academic.oup.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Junction-targeting designs limit the application of CRISPR-Cas13d in circular RNA perturbation studies url: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
When RNA Degradation 🤝 meets 🤝 Protein Degradation! tinyurl.com/E3TDMD In a collaboration of @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, we show that, in target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD), 2-RNA-factors recruit an E3 ligase and induce the degradation of not only a protein but also RNA (1/5).
January 6, 2026 at 8:05 AM
When RNA Degradation 🤝 meets 🤝 Protein Degradation! tinyurl.com/E3TDMD In a collaboration of @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, we show that, in target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD), 2-RNA-factors recruit an E3 ligase and induce the degradation of not only a protein but also RNA (1/5).
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Do transcriptional activators work on any promoter? Our data says no. 🙅♂️
Despite driving ~2/3 of mammalian genes, CpG island (CGI) promoters have remained a puzzle. We identified >50 activators that are exclusively compatible with this promoter class. 🧬
Despite driving ~2/3 of mammalian genes, CpG island (CGI) promoters have remained a puzzle. We identified >50 activators that are exclusively compatible with this promoter class. 🧬
December 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Do transcriptional activators work on any promoter? Our data says no. 🙅♂️
Despite driving ~2/3 of mammalian genes, CpG island (CGI) promoters have remained a puzzle. We identified >50 activators that are exclusively compatible with this promoter class. 🧬
Despite driving ~2/3 of mammalian genes, CpG island (CGI) promoters have remained a puzzle. We identified >50 activators that are exclusively compatible with this promoter class. 🧬
"Peer review is broken" is trending, and I indeed have been doing a bit less of it this year. Partially because of new responsibilities, but partially because it hasn't been a particularly strong year in my specific field(s)?
December 29, 2025 at 3:28 PM
"Peer review is broken" is trending, and I indeed have been doing a bit less of it this year. Partially because of new responsibilities, but partially because it hasn't been a particularly strong year in my specific field(s)?
Any great tips out there for getting rid of transfected plasmids before doing qRT-PCR?
December 28, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Any great tips out there for getting rid of transfected plasmids before doing qRT-PCR?
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
RAFTER: a releasing factor tethered RNA editing system for quantifying mRNA translation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.693956v1
December 16, 2025 at 3:32 AM
RAFTER: a releasing factor tethered RNA editing system for quantifying mRNA translation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.693956v1
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork
December 12, 2025 at 4:00 AM
I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork
Skimmed through the first part and considered the biochemistry, and quite sure the answer to the question in title is a "no"
3' to 5' Translation of Circular RNAs? https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.08.692888v1
December 11, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Skimmed through the first part and considered the biochemistry, and quite sure the answer to the question in title is a "no"
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!
December 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Announcing the 2026 edition of the EMBO workshop on RNA localization and local translation! This meeting will be held June 30 - July 4 near Porto, Portugal. Come for exciting updates in the field from both established investigators and trainees. See the link below for details!
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Deadline Extended⏲️
Final places remain for our upcoming #GenReg26 conference taking place in Mexico!
If you're interested in joining discussions surrounding genome regulation and RNA-based mechanisms in biology, register before 16 Dec 2025 to secure your place➡️http://bit.ly/4mrQ5Bx
Final places remain for our upcoming #GenReg26 conference taking place in Mexico!
If you're interested in joining discussions surrounding genome regulation and RNA-based mechanisms in biology, register before 16 Dec 2025 to secure your place➡️http://bit.ly/4mrQ5Bx
December 3, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Deadline Extended⏲️
Final places remain for our upcoming #GenReg26 conference taking place in Mexico!
If you're interested in joining discussions surrounding genome regulation and RNA-based mechanisms in biology, register before 16 Dec 2025 to secure your place➡️http://bit.ly/4mrQ5Bx
Final places remain for our upcoming #GenReg26 conference taking place in Mexico!
If you're interested in joining discussions surrounding genome regulation and RNA-based mechanisms in biology, register before 16 Dec 2025 to secure your place➡️http://bit.ly/4mrQ5Bx
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Finally out in @nature.com! We uncovered a mechanistic framework for a general and conserved mRNA nuclear export pathway. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... 1/
November 19, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Finally out in @nature.com! We uncovered a mechanistic framework for a general and conserved mRNA nuclear export pathway. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... 1/
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
Our new preprint is online! Viruses, bacteria and parasites use effector proteins to evade immunity and rewire host cell pathways. Together with @AlexanderStark8, we wondered if we could systematically map what these effectors, regardless of their origin, do in human cells. 1/8
www.biorxiv.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Our new preprint is online! Viruses, bacteria and parasites use effector proteins to evade immunity and rewire host cell pathways. Together with @AlexanderStark8, we wondered if we could systematically map what these effectors, regardless of their origin, do in human cells. 1/8
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
With sequencing of Hitler's DNA making headlines, time for a reminder: analysing a polygenic score from a dead historically-significant figure won't give new insights into that person's behaviour. In a brief paper last year, we used Beethoven's genome to directly illustrate the fallacies involved.🧪👇
Notes from Beethoven’s genome
Wesseldijk et al. compare the genomic information collected from Ludwig van Beethoven
with population-based datasets used to quantify musical achievement.
www.cell.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:26 AM
With sequencing of Hitler's DNA making headlines, time for a reminder: analysing a polygenic score from a dead historically-significant figure won't give new insights into that person's behaviour. In a brief paper last year, we used Beethoven's genome to directly illustrate the fallacies involved.🧪👇
A preprint‼️that's bound to ruffle some 🪶 "Widespread DNA off-targeting confounds studies of RNA chromatin occupancy" led by our Micah Goldrich and Louis Delhaye from
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 13, 2025 at 9:26 AM
A preprint‼️that's bound to ruffle some 🪶 "Widespread DNA off-targeting confounds studies of RNA chromatin occupancy" led by our Micah Goldrich and Louis Delhaye from
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pieter Mestdagh in Ghent. TL;DR we show that many of lncRNA chromatin occupancy obtained are flawed www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
That's it, no more promotions
November 7, 2025 at 2:53 PM
That's it, no more promotions
Reposted by Igor Ulitsky
mRNA 3′ UTRs direct microRNA degradation to participate in imprinted gene networks and regulate growth. #miRNA #miRNAdegratdation #3UTR @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 2:49 PM
mRNA 3′ UTRs direct microRNA degradation to participate in imprinted gene networks and regulate growth. #miRNA #miRNAdegratdation #3UTR @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...