James Olzmann
@olzmannlab.bsky.social
Professor of Molecular Therapeutics and Metabolic Biology at UC Berkeley; Departments of Molecular & Cell Biology and Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology. Lipid droplets, ferroptosis, ubiquitin, drug development.
First day of class @UCBerkeley! Kicked off the day peeking in on the Therapeutic Discovery and Development class taught by @dannomura.bsky.social @robzonculab.bsky.social @urnov.bsky.social!! 🤩🔥!!
August 27, 2025 at 9:46 PM
First day of class @UCBerkeley! Kicked off the day peeking in on the Therapeutic Discovery and Development class taught by @dannomura.bsky.social @robzonculab.bsky.social @urnov.bsky.social!! 🤩🔥!!
First day of class @UCBerkeley! Kicked off the day peeking in on the Therapeutic Discovery and Development class taught by @dannomura.bsky.social @robzonculab.bsky.social @urnov.bsky.social!! 🤩🔥!!
August 27, 2025 at 9:40 PM
First day of class @UCBerkeley! Kicked off the day peeking in on the Therapeutic Discovery and Development class taught by @dannomura.bsky.social @robzonculab.bsky.social @urnov.bsky.social!! 🤩🔥!!
Tenure track position alert! Assistant Professor of Molecular Therapeutics in MCB @UCBerkeley. Apply and come be our colleague! 🎉
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05098
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05098
August 21, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Tenure track position alert! Assistant Professor of Molecular Therapeutics in MCB @UCBerkeley. Apply and come be our colleague! 🎉
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05098
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05098
The first FASEB Ferroptosis conference! ✔️ Thank you to my co-organizer Scott Dixon, our sponsors, and the whole #Ferroptosis community for showing up and making this such a wonderful meeting! 🤩 ❤️
August 1, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The first FASEB Ferroptosis conference! ✔️ Thank you to my co-organizer Scott Dixon, our sponsors, and the whole #Ferroptosis community for showing up and making this such a wonderful meeting! 🤩 ❤️
Off to a great start at our FASEB Ferroptosis conference with our first keynote talk from Brent Stockwell! 👏 #Ferroptosis25
July 28, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Off to a great start at our FASEB Ferroptosis conference with our first keynote talk from Brent Stockwell! 👏 #Ferroptosis25
General Sherman in Sequoia National Park in California, the world’s largest tree! Wow! Those specks at the base are people! 🤩
Height = 274.9 feet (83.8 meters)
Diameter at the base = 36.5 feet (11.1 meters)
Estimated Age: 2,200 years
Height = 274.9 feet (83.8 meters)
Diameter at the base = 36.5 feet (11.1 meters)
Estimated Age: 2,200 years
July 25, 2025 at 3:28 AM
General Sherman in Sequoia National Park in California, the world’s largest tree! Wow! Those specks at the base are people! 🤩
Height = 274.9 feet (83.8 meters)
Diameter at the base = 36.5 feet (11.1 meters)
Estimated Age: 2,200 years
Height = 274.9 feet (83.8 meters)
Diameter at the base = 36.5 feet (11.1 meters)
Estimated Age: 2,200 years
The count down has begun! 1-week until the 1st FASEB Ferroptosis conference! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. Get excited!! 🤩
events.faseb.org/event/11797f...
events.faseb.org/event/11797f...
July 20, 2025 at 8:06 AM
The count down has begun! 1-week until the 1st FASEB Ferroptosis conference! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. Get excited!! 🤩
events.faseb.org/event/11797f...
events.faseb.org/event/11797f...
So much fun catching up with my former postdoc Zhipeng Li, now an Asst Professor at U Florida. Beautiful campus and lots of cool science! 👏 🤩
June 13, 2025 at 10:45 PM
So much fun catching up with my former postdoc Zhipeng Li, now an Asst Professor at U Florida. Beautiful campus and lots of cool science! 👏 🤩
What a terrific FASEB ER meeting! Exceptional science and community! ❤️ Plus we got to see sea turtles nesting on the beach and a spaceX rocket launch! Cool!
June 12, 2025 at 10:01 PM
What a terrific FASEB ER meeting! Exceptional science and community! ❤️ Plus we got to see sea turtles nesting on the beach and a spaceX rocket launch! Cool!
Excited to be at the FASEB ER meeting! Looking forward to a wonderful week of exciting science and to catching up with colleagues in the field. 🤩 #ERSRC
June 9, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Excited to be at the FASEB ER meeting! Looking forward to a wonderful week of exciting science and to catching up with colleagues in the field. 🤩 #ERSRC
The key role of F360 in FSEN1 binding explains the human specificity of FSEN1, since F360 is a leucine in mouse FSP1. Importantly, mutation of mouse L360 to a phenylalanine enables FSEN1 inhibition.
8/9
8/9
May 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The key role of F360 in FSEN1 binding explains the human specificity of FSEN1, since F360 is a leucine in mouse FSP1. Importantly, mutation of mouse L360 to a phenylalanine enables FSEN1 inhibition.
8/9
8/9
FSEN1 (and CoQ) make important pi-pi stacking interactions with F360 of FSP1 and mutations of this residue block FSEN1 inhibition. This mode of interaction is similar to what was observed in docking studies for iFSP1 with FSP1 (Conrad group).
7/9
7/9
May 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM
FSEN1 (and CoQ) make important pi-pi stacking interactions with F360 of FSP1 and mutations of this residue block FSEN1 inhibition. This mode of interaction is similar to what was observed in docking studies for iFSP1 with FSP1 (Conrad group).
7/9
7/9
FSEN1 occupies a similar position as previously observed for CoQ1 in the crystal structure of chicken FSP1 (PDB: 7XPI), indicating FSEN1 is a competitive inhibitor.
6/9
6/9
May 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM
FSEN1 occupies a similar position as previously observed for CoQ1 in the crystal structure of chicken FSP1 (PDB: 7XPI), indicating FSEN1 is a competitive inhibitor.
6/9
6/9
The triazolo-thiazole core along with the attached phenyl group of FSEN1 are buried into the substrate binding pocket of FSP1. This portion of the molecule is conserved in other related FSP1 inhibitors (FSEN1-9).
5/9
5/9
May 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The triazolo-thiazole core along with the attached phenyl group of FSEN1 are buried into the substrate binding pocket of FSP1. This portion of the molecule is conserved in other related FSP1 inhibitors (FSEN1-9).
5/9
5/9
Here, we solved the cocrystal structure of human FSP1 in complex with FSEN1 at 2.01 Å. Electron densities for NADP+, 6-OH-FAD, and FSEN1 are well resolved.
4/9
4/9
May 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Here, we solved the cocrystal structure of human FSP1 in complex with FSEN1 at 2.01 Å. Electron densities for NADP+, 6-OH-FAD, and FSEN1 are well resolved.
4/9
4/9
I always love commencement time. So much to celebrate and we get to wear our wizard robes! Congratulations to all the graduates! 👏 🤩
May 24, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I always love commencement time. So much to celebrate and we get to wear our wizard robes! Congratulations to all the graduates! 👏 🤩
Wonderful visit to the University of Oxford! What a beautiful campus. So nice to catch up with many friends there. Thanks for hosting, Pedro! 🤩
May 10, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Wonderful visit to the University of Oxford! What a beautiful campus. So nice to catch up with many friends there. Thanks for hosting, Pedro! 🤩
Reminder: The 1st FASEB #Ferroptosis Meeting is this summer! Spectacular speaker lineup + short talks selected from submitted abstracts. It is going to be awesome! Trainees, newcomers & all interested are welcome!
📅 Abstract deadline: June 1, 2025.
shorturl.at/QA6T1
📅 Abstract deadline: June 1, 2025.
shorturl.at/QA6T1
May 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reminder: The 1st FASEB #Ferroptosis Meeting is this summer! Spectacular speaker lineup + short talks selected from submitted abstracts. It is going to be awesome! Trainees, newcomers & all interested are welcome!
📅 Abstract deadline: June 1, 2025.
shorturl.at/QA6T1
📅 Abstract deadline: June 1, 2025.
shorturl.at/QA6T1
Excited to host @brentstockwell.bsky.social for a seminar tomorrow in the UC Berkeley Molecular Therapeutics Series! If you are on campus come by for an exceptional seminar on recent advances in our understanding and targeting of #ferroptosis! 😀
April 30, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Excited to host @brentstockwell.bsky.social for a seminar tomorrow in the UC Berkeley Molecular Therapeutics Series! If you are on campus come by for an exceptional seminar on recent advances in our understanding and targeting of #ferroptosis! 😀
Beautiful spring day on UC Berkeley campus ☺️
April 30, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Beautiful spring day on UC Berkeley campus ☺️
I could not ask for a better group of colleagues and friends! Thank you for organizing this lovely dinner @micharapelab.bsky.social!! ☺️
April 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I could not ask for a better group of colleagues and friends! Thank you for organizing this lovely dinner @micharapelab.bsky.social!! ☺️
Enjoyed a wonderful Keystone “Lipids in cellular functions and disease” conference in beautiful Breckenridge Colorado. 🤩
April 10, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Enjoyed a wonderful Keystone “Lipids in cellular functions and disease” conference in beautiful Breckenridge Colorado. 🤩
Keystone “Lipids in Cellular Function and Disease” is off to a terrific start with an awesome Keynote lecture from Marcus Conrad on #Ferroptosis! #KSLipids25 👏
April 7, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Keystone “Lipids in Cellular Function and Disease” is off to a terrific start with an awesome Keynote lecture from Marcus Conrad on #Ferroptosis! #KSLipids25 👏
What a wonderful visit to the University of Alberta. Thank you so much to the grad student organizers, Alex and Malak, for the invitation to be the keynote for their Cell Biology Research day! 🤩 👏
March 15, 2025 at 5:59 PM
What a wonderful visit to the University of Alberta. Thank you so much to the grad student organizers, Alex and Malak, for the invitation to be the keynote for their Cell Biology Research day! 🤩 👏
Fun boba outing with some of the UC Berkeley Filipino graduate students. Thank you to @cajulaojan.bsky.social for organizing! ☺️ #ChichaSanChen
March 11, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Fun boba outing with some of the UC Berkeley Filipino graduate students. Thank you to @cajulaojan.bsky.social for organizing! ☺️ #ChichaSanChen