Fyodor Urnov
@urnov.bsky.social
Clinic-minded genome + epigenome editor. Professor of Molecular Therapeutics, UC Berkeley. Director for Technology and Translation, Innovative Genomics Institute, ibid.
Beatles fan.
Art work credit: Fyodor Vasiliev "A Meadow in the Rain" (1872).
Beatles fan.
Art work credit: Fyodor Vasiliev "A Meadow in the Rain" (1872).
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
Our award-winning, NYTimes Critics’ Pick film, HUMAN NATURE, is now free for K-12 classrooms! It explores the science, ethics, and human impact of #CRISPR.
Deemed “essential viewing” by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna.
▶️ bit.ly/humannatureedu
#ScienceEducation #STEMEd #K12Education
Deemed “essential viewing” by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna.
▶️ bit.ly/humannatureedu
#ScienceEducation #STEMEd #K12Education
December 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Our award-winning, NYTimes Critics’ Pick film, HUMAN NATURE, is now free for K-12 classrooms! It explores the science, ethics, and human impact of #CRISPR.
Deemed “essential viewing” by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna.
▶️ bit.ly/humannatureedu
#ScienceEducation #STEMEd #K12Education
Deemed “essential viewing” by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna.
▶️ bit.ly/humannatureedu
#ScienceEducation #STEMEd #K12Education
After 30 min on "nano banana" in Gemini-3 I would like to know: does BioRender have a future for plain vanilla scientific schematics?
I got LLM instructions for how to write the prompt for the image below and 1.1 sec later ...
I got LLM instructions for how to write the prompt for the image below and 1.1 sec later ...
December 13, 2025 at 7:38 PM
After 30 min on "nano banana" in Gemini-3 I would like to know: does BioRender have a future for plain vanilla scientific schematics?
I got LLM instructions for how to write the prompt for the image below and 1.1 sec later ...
I got LLM instructions for how to write the prompt for the image below and 1.1 sec later ...
PSA:
this prompt in Gemini-3 takes a zoom transcript with 12 participants and 90 min of technical discussion and in 0.5 sec converts it into 28 pages of flawlessly formatted, clearly legible, zero-reduction-of-dataset-dimensionality text.
There are MANY reasons to be concerned about AI - but wow ...
this prompt in Gemini-3 takes a zoom transcript with 12 participants and 90 min of technical discussion and in 0.5 sec converts it into 28 pages of flawlessly formatted, clearly legible, zero-reduction-of-dataset-dimensionality text.
There are MANY reasons to be concerned about AI - but wow ...
December 13, 2025 at 6:24 PM
PSA:
this prompt in Gemini-3 takes a zoom transcript with 12 participants and 90 min of technical discussion and in 0.5 sec converts it into 28 pages of flawlessly formatted, clearly legible, zero-reduction-of-dataset-dimensionality text.
There are MANY reasons to be concerned about AI - but wow ...
this prompt in Gemini-3 takes a zoom transcript with 12 participants and 90 min of technical discussion and in 0.5 sec converts it into 28 pages of flawlessly formatted, clearly legible, zero-reduction-of-dataset-dimensionality text.
There are MANY reasons to be concerned about AI - but wow ...
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
Out now in the The Atlantic — IGI's Jennifer Doudna and Fyodor Urnov on this year's remarkable progress in using #CRISPR to treat rare diseases. Read here: https://ow.ly/5vJ750XFQon
December 8, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Out now in the The Atlantic — IGI's Jennifer Doudna and Fyodor Urnov on this year's remarkable progress in using #CRISPR to treat rare diseases. Read here: https://ow.ly/5vJ750XFQon
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
🎙️ON AIR:
Startups want to make genetically engineered babies. We talk to @innovativegenomics.bsky.social's @urnov.bsky.social, @wsj.com's @klong.bsky.social and Center for Genetics and Society's Katie Hasson about what's at stake.
❓Would you support genetically engineering embryos?
📻 Listen:
Startups want to make genetically engineered babies. We talk to @innovativegenomics.bsky.social's @urnov.bsky.social, @wsj.com's @klong.bsky.social and Center for Genetics and Society's Katie Hasson about what's at stake.
❓Would you support genetically engineering embryos?
📻 Listen:
Bay Area Startups Want to Make Genetically Engineered Babies. What Could Go Wrong? | KQED
We’ll talk to experts about how innovations in genetic engineering are being directed what is at stake.
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
🎙️ON AIR:
Startups want to make genetically engineered babies. We talk to @innovativegenomics.bsky.social's @urnov.bsky.social, @wsj.com's @klong.bsky.social and Center for Genetics and Society's Katie Hasson about what's at stake.
❓Would you support genetically engineering embryos?
📻 Listen:
Startups want to make genetically engineered babies. We talk to @innovativegenomics.bsky.social's @urnov.bsky.social, @wsj.com's @klong.bsky.social and Center for Genetics and Society's Katie Hasson about what's at stake.
❓Would you support genetically engineering embryos?
📻 Listen:
With the important exception of folks from Denmark - to whom this unfortunately does not apply, undskyld - this is 8 min of pure ristretto-grade joy.
(oh and if you like football / soccer, the goals are phenomenal)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8qF...
(oh and if you like football / soccer, the goals are phenomenal)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8qF...
🎙️ ICONIC Radio Commentary | Scotland v Denmark | Scotland National Team
YouTube video by Scotland National Team
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
With the important exception of folks from Denmark - to whom this unfortunately does not apply, undskyld - this is 8 min of pure ristretto-grade joy.
(oh and if you like football / soccer, the goals are phenomenal)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8qF...
(oh and if you like football / soccer, the goals are phenomenal)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8qF...
Every single person working today in every branch of cell and gene therapy - viral, nonviral, editing, transgenesis - owes a deep debt of gratitude to Dr. High.
“I had hemophilia for nearly five decades. I went to Philadelphia and had a 45-minute infusion, and my hemophilia was gone.”
Genes-> Medicine
nature.com/articles/s41...
Genes-> Medicine
nature.com/articles/s41...
November 21, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Every single person working today in every branch of cell and gene therapy - viral, nonviral, editing, transgenesis - owes a deep debt of gratitude to Dr. High.
Holy mother of my personal lord Gregor Mendel.
We now have WHAT?!?
We now have WHAT?!?
And now we have Arabidopsis plants with 8 chromosomes instead of 10 and no obvious phenotypic differences, this week in @science.org
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
CRISPR-Cas–mediated heritable chromosome fusions in Arabidopsis
The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana consists of 10 chromosomes. By inducing CRISPR-Cas–mediated breaks at subcentromeric and subtelomeric sequences, we fused entire chromosome arms, obtaining two eight...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Holy mother of my personal lord Gregor Mendel.
We now have WHAT?!?
We now have WHAT?!?
Re ChatGPT in college ed.
I first GSIed in 1991 at Brown and joined Berkeley faculty in 2000 - 50 semesters of teaching upper-div.
The "conversations" I've had w the LLM about areas I teach in blow me away.
Fellow faculty - specifically for upper-div bio we may be obsolete soon.
Don't at me. Try it.
I first GSIed in 1991 at Brown and joined Berkeley faculty in 2000 - 50 semesters of teaching upper-div.
The "conversations" I've had w the LLM about areas I teach in blow me away.
Fellow faculty - specifically for upper-div bio we may be obsolete soon.
Don't at me. Try it.
November 15, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Re ChatGPT in college ed.
I first GSIed in 1991 at Brown and joined Berkeley faculty in 2000 - 50 semesters of teaching upper-div.
The "conversations" I've had w the LLM about areas I teach in blow me away.
Fellow faculty - specifically for upper-div bio we may be obsolete soon.
Don't at me. Try it.
I first GSIed in 1991 at Brown and joined Berkeley faculty in 2000 - 50 semesters of teaching upper-div.
The "conversations" I've had w the LLM about areas I teach in blow me away.
Fellow faculty - specifically for upper-div bio we may be obsolete soon.
Don't at me. Try it.
I need to understand how Marco managed to get a camera in front of my car.
(those very few of you who do not understand what this is about - enjoy every second of that unique state)
(those very few of you who do not understand what this is about - enjoy every second of that unique state)
Current situation in my household (we have a 6 year old girl)
November 3, 2025 at 1:08 AM
I need to understand how Marco managed to get a camera in front of my car.
(those very few of you who do not understand what this is about - enjoy every second of that unique state)
(those very few of you who do not understand what this is about - enjoy every second of that unique state)
It's Saturday. With that. I am forced to watch a 35 min UC video about cybersecurity and it's a stunning phenocopy of what, IMHO, is the single best TV comedy work from the UK (other than the Python TV series and FT). Give it a shot. Its joys unfold slowly.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaV...
Look Around You: Season 1 Pilot - Calcium
YouTube video by DocShadow660
www.youtube.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:25 PM
It's Saturday. With that. I am forced to watch a 35 min UC video about cybersecurity and it's a stunning phenocopy of what, IMHO, is the single best TV comedy work from the UK (other than the Python TV series and FT). Give it a shot. Its joys unfold slowly.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaV...
How incredibly gracious and sweet they named the vehicle "Doc Ricketts."
"Canary Row" is one of my favorite books of all time and this story warmed my heart.
Plus the fish is totes adorbs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
"Canary Row" is one of my favorite books of all time and this story warmed my heart.
Plus the fish is totes adorbs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
A New, ‘Adorable’ Deep-Sea Fish Swims Into View
www.nytimes.com
September 9, 2025 at 10:23 PM
How incredibly gracious and sweet they named the vehicle "Doc Ricketts."
"Canary Row" is one of my favorite books of all time and this story warmed my heart.
Plus the fish is totes adorbs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
"Canary Row" is one of my favorite books of all time and this story warmed my heart.
Plus the fish is totes adorbs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
Of David's countless accomplishments is the important work that Matt Porteus did in his lab on early-stage genome editing with engineered nucleases (pubmed 12730593).
He and Matt both speak about this in the documentary "Human Nature."
A true titan.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
He and Matt both speak about this in the documentary "Human Nature."
A true titan.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87
www.nytimes.com
September 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Of David's countless accomplishments is the important work that Matt Porteus did in his lab on early-stage genome editing with engineered nucleases (pubmed 12730593).
He and Matt both speak about this in the documentary "Human Nature."
A true titan.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
He and Matt both speak about this in the documentary "Human Nature."
A true titan.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
If only, if ONLY there was some method to change these newly discovered TF binding "motifs" at endogenous gene regulatory regions to see if ANY of this new phenomenology has ANYTHING to do with actual gene regulation...
1. PHE PHE SER.
2. SER MET HIS.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1. PHE PHE SER.
2. SER MET HIS.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multiple overlapping binding sites determine transcription factor occupancy - Nature
A new method enables comprehensive screening and identification of low-affinity DNA binding sites for transcription factors, and reveals that nucleotides flanking high-affinity binding sites create ov...
www.nature.com
September 7, 2025 at 4:59 PM
If only, if ONLY there was some method to change these newly discovered TF binding "motifs" at endogenous gene regulatory regions to see if ANY of this new phenomenology has ANYTHING to do with actual gene regulation...
1. PHE PHE SER.
2. SER MET HIS.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1. PHE PHE SER.
2. SER MET HIS.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Epigenetics: the way genes learn from experience" (Mikula BC, Genetics 140-379; 1985).
Here it is, folks - an atlas of human genes learning from experience.
Holy Waddington.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
Here it is, folks - an atlas of human genes learning from experience.
Holy Waddington.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
DNA Methylation Ageing Atlas Across 17 Human Tissues
Aging involves widespread epigenetic remodeling across tissues, yet the nature and consistency of these changes remain unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of more than 15,000 human methylomes spanni...
www.researchsquare.com
September 1, 2025 at 11:23 PM
"Epigenetics: the way genes learn from experience" (Mikula BC, Genetics 140-379; 1985).
Here it is, folks - an atlas of human genes learning from experience.
Holy Waddington.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
Here it is, folks - an atlas of human genes learning from experience.
Holy Waddington.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
In Brief: A new center in San Francisco will offer tailor-made CRISPR therapies to cure children with rare diseases www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Children with rare genetic diseases get CRISPR Cures center - Nature Biotechnology
Nature Biotechnology - Children with rare genetic diseases get CRISPR Cures center
www.nature.com
August 26, 2025 at 4:04 PM
In Brief: A new center in San Francisco will offer tailor-made CRISPR therapies to cure children with rare diseases www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fellow editors - nota bene 10x!
Sometimes, knocking out a gene isn't a good way to figure out the function of that gene ...
In our new @jcellsci.bsky.social paper, we report potent transcriptional adaptation by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in response to CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of the important polarity protein CDC42 🧵⬇️
In our new @jcellsci.bsky.social paper, we report potent transcriptional adaptation by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in response to CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of the important polarity protein CDC42 🧵⬇️
August 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Fellow editors - nota bene 10x!
PSA:
if you're not a mouse person you may enjoy knowing that mouse Sca1 (the hematopoiesis marker) is not encoded by Sca1 (spinocerebellar ataxia 1) but rather Ly6a.
I mean, OF COURSE it is. What else could it be?
I'm an hg38 person and below is a self-portrait while I was figuring this out.
if you're not a mouse person you may enjoy knowing that mouse Sca1 (the hematopoiesis marker) is not encoded by Sca1 (spinocerebellar ataxia 1) but rather Ly6a.
I mean, OF COURSE it is. What else could it be?
I'm an hg38 person and below is a self-portrait while I was figuring this out.
August 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
PSA:
if you're not a mouse person you may enjoy knowing that mouse Sca1 (the hematopoiesis marker) is not encoded by Sca1 (spinocerebellar ataxia 1) but rather Ly6a.
I mean, OF COURSE it is. What else could it be?
I'm an hg38 person and below is a self-portrait while I was figuring this out.
if you're not a mouse person you may enjoy knowing that mouse Sca1 (the hematopoiesis marker) is not encoded by Sca1 (spinocerebellar ataxia 1) but rather Ly6a.
I mean, OF COURSE it is. What else could it be?
I'm an hg38 person and below is a self-portrait while I was figuring this out.
F1.1 (Taz Urnov) acquired and edited this gem for Soho Press.
www.npr.org/2025/08/13/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/13/n...
A dogged reporter takes on a mysterious cabal in 'The Diary of Lies'
Philip Miller's sinister thriller is set in a Great Britain that's lost its bearings. But even when she's terrified, fictional journalist Shona Sandison will always risk everything to get the story.
www.npr.org
August 13, 2025 at 6:24 PM
F1.1 (Taz Urnov) acquired and edited this gem for Soho Press.
www.npr.org/2025/08/13/n...
www.npr.org/2025/08/13/n...
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
A new CRISPR Cures center, fuded by $20M from @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social and led by @urnov.bsky.social, will create 8 custom therapies for patients in the next 3 years.
“Our goal is to aggressively walk the walk of CRISPR platformization,” Urnov told me. @endpts.com endpoints.news/crispr-cures...
“Our goal is to aggressively walk the walk of CRISPR platformization,” Urnov told me. @endpts.com endpoints.news/crispr-cures...
'CRISPR Cures' center launches with $20M to make customized gene editing therapies
Scientists seeking to make personalized gene editing therapies a reality for more people have launched a new initiative to develop cures for the rarest of diseases left behind by drug companies.
endpoints.news
July 9, 2025 at 1:33 PM
A new CRISPR Cures center, fuded by $20M from @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social and led by @urnov.bsky.social, will create 8 custom therapies for patients in the next 3 years.
“Our goal is to aggressively walk the walk of CRISPR platformization,” Urnov told me. @endpts.com endpoints.news/crispr-cures...
“Our goal is to aggressively walk the walk of CRISPR platformization,” Urnov told me. @endpts.com endpoints.news/crispr-cures...
"Quaternary kissing loops"👌
With our @RTI-UMassChan.bsky.social colleagues Xiaobin Ling and Wenwen Fang, we report cryo-EM structures of enigmatic bacterial RNA nanocages made of ROOL RNAs. Octamers are held by "A-minor staples" and other interactions. Congrats Xiaobin, Dima et al!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
June 17, 2025 at 11:48 AM
"Quaternary kissing loops"👌
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
Thanks to the BBC's The Inquiry program for great conversations with IGI's @jenniferdoudna.bsky.social @doudna-lab.bsky.social and @urnov.bsky.social about Baby KJ, #CRISPR on-demand, and the future of personalized medicine!
Listen here: www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
Photo credit: TODAY
Listen here: www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
Photo credit: TODAY
June 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Thanks to the BBC's The Inquiry program for great conversations with IGI's @jenniferdoudna.bsky.social @doudna-lab.bsky.social and @urnov.bsky.social about Baby KJ, #CRISPR on-demand, and the future of personalized medicine!
Listen here: www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
Photo credit: TODAY
Listen here: www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...
Photo credit: TODAY
Paul Wade was my patient and gracious mentor in Alan Wolffe’s lab (‘97-99). He did gorgeous work back then and continues to do so.
Congrats on the new paper to Krystal who "doesn't do social media" but does do a ton of ATAC and Cut&Run to show how GATA3 pioneers enhancers with BRG1 and sometimes AP-1! #NIEHS #NAR doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
Pioneering new enhancers by GATA3: role of facilitating transcription factors and chromatin remodeling
Abstract. Pioneer transcription factors (PTFs) bind to inaccessible chromatin and recruit collaborating transcription factors to promote chromatin accessib
doi.org
June 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Paul Wade was my patient and gracious mentor in Alan Wolffe’s lab (‘97-99). He did gorgeous work back then and continues to do so.
Reposted by Fyodor Urnov
IGI's @urnov.bsky.social today at the #FDA Roundtable on Cell & Gene Therapy. Grateful for an opportunity to share more about using #CRISPR on demand to treat rare diseases!
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDh...
🧬
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDh...
🧬
FDA Roundtable on Cell and Gene Therapy
YouTube video by U.S. Food and Drug Administration
www.youtube.com
June 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM
IGI's @urnov.bsky.social today at the #FDA Roundtable on Cell & Gene Therapy. Grateful for an opportunity to share more about using #CRISPR on demand to treat rare diseases!
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDh...
🧬
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDh...
🧬
I have written a concerto for it.
phys.org/news/2025-06...
phys.org/news/2025-06...
Physicists create 'the world's smallest violin' using nanotechnology
Physicists at Loughborough University have used cutting-edge nanotechnology to create what they believe may be "the world's smallest violin," which is small enough to fit within the width of a human h...
phys.org
June 4, 2025 at 6:31 PM
I have written a concerto for it.
phys.org/news/2025-06...
phys.org/news/2025-06...