John Doench
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johndoench.bsky.social
John Doench
@johndoench.bsky.social
Functional genomics @ Broad Institute. Screen all the things!
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Doomscrolling pause to chat CRISPR libraries! Preprint describes our new, data-driven approach to combine on-target and off-target predictions much more intelligently for *selecting* guides, which we use to develop our newest Cas9 knockout library, Jacquere. Thread: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Balancing off-target and on-target considerations for optimized Cas9 CRISPR knockout library design
The continued development of high-dimensional CRISPR screen readouts, such as single-cell RNA sequencing and high-content imaging, necessitates compact libraries to enable functional interrogation at ...
www.biorxiv.org
Reposted by John Doench
This style of post is literally every second thing I see on here and it’s utterly absurd. Van Hollen in particular could not be a worse target.
January 27, 2026 at 8:06 PM
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He really is doing all of it.
January 15, 2026 at 4:36 AM
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Nothing prepares you for how rapidly you accelerate between these three states #chemchat
December 30, 2025 at 9:55 AM
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Mary and Joseph praying over Jesus in the manger, or
TWO T. REXES FIGHTING OVER A TABLE SAW?

Once seen, cannot be unseen.
December 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by John Doench
Drs. Matthew Meyerson and Heidi Greulich from the @broadinstitute.org sit down and discuss how they and Bayer scientists developed the first FDA-approved #CancerDrug to come from a Broad scientific discovery.

🤝 Learn more about their academic-industry alliance: https://bit.ly/4ruQNRl
December 3, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by John Doench
Magnolia's Cafe on Rochester's deep blue Park Ave might seem like a strange place to meet Trump supporters. But over the clank of metal spoons against bowls of tomato soup, you can hear whispers that the president's friendly meeting with Mamdani may be the beginning of a pivot to the center.
November 22, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by John Doench
Thank the @johndoench.bsky.social and Root labs for depositing these deliciously named libraries, and check out our blog post for more:
blog.addgene.org
A Tour of Addgene's Most Popular Pooled Libraries
twp.ai
November 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by John Doench
The FPbase spectra viewer just had it's biggest software refactor in 6 years. It *should* be largely invisible to the end user (hopefully just faster and less buggy). Please let me know if you find any issues as you use it!

www.fpbase.org/spectra/
FPbase Fluorescence Spectra Viewer
An interactive fluorescence spectra viewer to evaluate the spectral properties of fluorescent proteins, organic dyes, filters, and detectors.
www.fpbase.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by John Doench
First 🟦 post - my main postdoc work is out in the world! We designed a Cas12a-based genetic screen to identify host factors that contribute to infection by the tickborne pathogen Rickettsia parkeri, and stumbled across a really exciting direct interaction between host and bacterium🦠. Check it out!
Host cyclophilin-mediated maturation of an obligate intracellular bacterial surface virulence factor https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.28.684717v1
November 3, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting

I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
November 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
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ICE Agent, 7-Year-Old Both Wearing Same ‘Military Commando’ Halloween Costume
October 31, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by John Doench
When I explain that boycotting an election over an issue has never once forced a politician to embrace that issue, I'm not "scolding people to vote." I'm explaining reality.

Feel free to sit on your ass! Just don't pretend that your lazy apathy is somehow going to advance your agenda.
October 29, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by John Doench
Enjoy car-free small business shopping, music, games, bicycling, community tabling, and more in Jamaica Plain this weekend!

📍 : Centre Street from Lamartine St. to South St. in JP
⏰: This Sunday, November 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

More info: boston.gov/open-streets
October 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by John Doench
This is quite a hed/subhed.
1) Start with Vance. Use strong action verb. Accept the autocratic premise that the “Marines’ Might” are Vance’s to flex.
2) Mention the protest second and absurdly describe them as in the thousands
3) Treat Trump’s strong man use of the military as a partisan scuffle.
October 19, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by John Doench
Remember, brown 13-year-olds are hardened menaces to society, but 30-something Republican Hitler afficionados in positions of power are just li’l guys.
October 15, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by John Doench
New CRISPR libraries from the @johndoench.bsky.social and Root labs — Jacquere (human) and Julianna (mouse).
A perfect pairing for your next screen. 🍷🧀
https://twp.ai/9PX2kT
https://twp.ai/4irnYP
October 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by John Doench
I have lived and worked in and around Chicago for 27 years and I have been assaulted less often than Sen Paul has been in his own back yard.
Rand Paul: "Chicago is a nightmare. It is literally a war zone."
September 28, 2025 at 8:26 PM
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79. American citizen.
September 28, 2025 at 5:07 PM
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I'm sorry, what?
Breaking news from Des Moines: ICE has detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district.
The Des Moines Public Schools said "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/09/26/i...
ICE detains Des Moines Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts
Iowa's largest school district had "no confirmed information" on why ICE detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent since 2023.
www.bleedingheartland.com
September 26, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by John Doench
Now with comments... Lots of comments

(A long thread)

1/n
September 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by John Doench
The New York Times piece today about US science is terrible and wrong—in many ways.

I could write a whole article about this, but as one example:

“To close observers, the original crisis began well before any of this…”
No. I’m a close observer of science, and this is incorrect.
September 22, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by John Doench
After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.
Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel
Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.
www.yahoo.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:10 PM
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September 16, 2025 at 3:54 PM
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After a co-host suggested that mentally ill homeless people who don't accept services offered to them should be jailed, Brian Kilmeade replied, "Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill 'em." on.nbcboston.com/JlG99ke
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executed
Brian Kilmeade suggested to "just kill" mentally ill homeless people who don't accept services offered to them.
on.nbcboston.com
September 15, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by John Doench
A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr
nyti.ms
September 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM