Scientists have harnessed AI models to create synthetic CRISPR proteins that edit the genome more efficiently than those seen in nature go.nature.com/4f8AN3n

CRISPR gets a power boost from AI-designed ‘molecular scissors’

Researchers used artificial intelligence to design functional CRISPR enzymes not seen in nature.

go.nature.com

In a new Science study, researchers report the design of synthetic RNA-guided nucleases that match or exceed the activity of natural enzymes, revealing how structure-guided design can generate functional genome-editing proteins with substantially different sequences. https://scim.ag/45fbSFf

Structure and evolution-guided design of minimal RNA-guided nucleases

The design of RNA-guided nucleases with properties not limited by evolution can expand programmable genome-editing capabilities. However, generating diverse multidomain proteins with robust enzymatic ...

scim.ag

First preprint from the lab of postdoc alumni @jnoms.bsky.social. Check it out!

Jason Nomburg@jnoms.bsky.social · 2w ago

Happy to share the first preprint out of the Nomburg lab! Many aspects of cellular immunity are shared across the tree of life. Here, we show that some of these conserved aspects of cellular immunity are mirrored by conserved effectors of immune antagonism. Thread below! 1/15

Happy to share the first preprint out of the Nomburg lab! Many aspects of cellular immunity are shared across the tree of life. Here, we show that some of these conserved aspects of cellular immunity are mirrored by conserved effectors of immune antagonism. Thread below! 1/15

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 2w ago

Conserved folds enable immune antagonism across the tree of life https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739742v1

So excited to see our paper out in Science! Beyond grateful to my co-leads @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social, all co-authors & collaborators, everyone in Doudna lab, and @innovativegenomics.bsky.social Being EsAIn in the DouDNA lab, it couldn't have been any other way ✨

Doudna Lab@doudna-lab.bsky.social · 3w ago

Our AI-guided design of RNA-guided nucleases is now out in @science.org 💻🧬 We used structure and evolutionary data to generate minimal, active and divergent gene editors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Congrats to @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social & team!

Proud to present our work, published today in @science.org! My deepest gratitude to @isabelesain.bsky.social, @evandeturk.bsky.social, Jennifer and our collaborators in the Doudna, Cate, Banfield, and Jacobsen labs, and the @innovativegenomics.bsky.social! I hope you enjoy reading it! ✨

Doudna Lab@doudna-lab.bsky.social · 3w ago

Our AI-guided design of RNA-guided nucleases is now out in @science.org 💻🧬 We used structure and evolutionary data to generate minimal, active and divergent gene editors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Congrats to @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social & team!

Out today in @science.org, Doudna lab researchers describe an #AI-assisted method for designing enhanced genome editors, testing close to 2000 in lab. Read more: innovativegenomics.org/news/ai-desi...

AI-Assisted Technique Allows Scientists to Design New, Functional Genome Editors Beyond What Can Be Found in Nature

AI-Assisted Technique Allows Scientists to Design New, Functional Genome Editors Beyond What Can Be Found in Nature - Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI)

innovativegenomics.org

Doudna Lab@doudna-lab.bsky.social · 3w ago

Our AI-guided design of RNA-guided nucleases is now out in @science.org 💻🧬 We used structure and evolutionary data to generate minimal, active and divergent gene editors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Congrats to @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social & team!

Our AI-guided design of RNA-guided nucleases is now out in @science.org 💻🧬 We used structure and evolutionary data to generate minimal, active and divergent gene editors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Congrats to @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social & team!

Structure and evolution-guided design of minimal RNA-guided nucleases

The design of RNA-guided nucleases with properties not limited by evolution can expand programmable genome-editing capabilities. However, generating diverse multidomain proteins with robust enzymatic ...

science.org

Targeting Cancer-Specific Mutations with RNA-Triggered Chromatin Shredding @nature.com @doudna-lab.bsky.social @gladstoneinst.bsky.social @jingkunzeng.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A team led by Jennifer Doudna developed an innovative chromatin-shredding technique shown to destroy cancer cells carrying a prevalent mutation while keeping healthy cells intact. @doudna-lab.bsky.social @innovativegenomics.bsky.social @ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social

New CRISPR Technique Selectively Shreds Cancer Cells, Including Those of ‘Undruggable’ Cancers

An innovative chromatin-shredding technique shown to destroy cancer cells carrying a prevalent mutation while keeping healthy cells intact.

gladstone.org

Huge congratulations to Doudna Lab postdoc, Santiago!

Innovative Genomics Institute@innovativegenomics.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Congratulations to Santiago López in the @doudna-lab.bsky.social at the IGI for being selected for the 2026 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences! Learn about Santiago's work and the other scholars here: www.pew.org/en/about/new...

We now present our latest work, now out in @nature.com! A creative new CRISPR-based approach can selectively destroy cells carrying undruggable mutations in cancer. Work led by @jingkunzeng.bsky.social In collaboration with Alan Ashworth, Yang Liu and Ryan Jackson. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New pre-print 📣 “Undruggable” cancer mutations remain very hard to target with current modalities. What if we could instead sense mutant transcripts and convert that recognition into selective cell killing? Check out this work led by postdoc Jingkun Zeng: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Our lab is proud to present our latest work harnessing Bridge Recombinase for genome-scale editing in diverse bacteria, microbiome editing, and programmable horizontal gene transfer.

bioRxiv Synthetic Biology@biorxiv-synthbio.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Bridge recombinase enables versatile rewriting of bacterial genomes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.29.721476v1

We present VIPR, a phage-encoded RNA-guided system that recognizes DNA with a noncontiguous code unlike CRISPR. Tiny, programmable, possibly ancestral to CRISPR immunity; VIPR is built around a striking RNA-DNA-DNA triplex.

Kenneth Loi@kenjmloi.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Excited to share our discovery of a new programmable RNA-guided DNA-targeting system hiding inside bacteriophages that predates CRISPR. We call it VIPR (Viral Interference Programmable Repeat), and it uses an entirely new logic to find its targets. Thread + link below.

In our new work published in @natbiomedeng.nature.com in collaboration with @theottlab.bsky.social and @doudna-lab.bsky.social, we introduce "interfering" guide RNAs (igRNA) for CRISPR-Cas13a that regulate enzyme activity after activation. Congrats to all the authors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Programmable kinetic barcoding for multiplexed RNA detection with Cas13a - Nature Biomedical Engineering

A multiplexed RNA detection method exploits crRNA-dependent variability in Cas13a activity on RNA targets for kinetic barcoding and can be used to distinguish among SARS-CoV-2 variants in clinical sam...

nature.com

A big challenge for CRISPR gene editing 🧬 is altering a high enough proportion of target cells in the body 🧪 So @doudna-lab.bsky.social have developed editors that can amplify themselves by spreading from cell to cell Comment from @gaetanburgio.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

Gene editing that spreads within the body could cure more diseases

The idea of self-amplifying gene editing is to get cells to pass on packages of CRISPR machinery to their neighbours, boosting the effect

newscientist.com

Congratulations to Jennifer Doudna, 2018 #KavliPrize Nanoscience Laureate and CRISPR pioneer, for her recent election to the National Academy of Engineering! She's now one of a few people elected to all three academies @nationalacademies.org. Learn more: bit.ly/4s4k98m @doudna-lab.bsky.social

Five UC Berkeley faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering - Berkeley News

A chemical engineer, an electrical engineer, a biochemist, a roboticist and a laser dynamicist are among the new members.

bit.ly

Today’s the day to make a BIG impact for the MCB community! 🌟 MCB faculty share—in their own words—why our initiatives matter. @doudna-lab.bsky.social @hariharanlab.bsky.social ✅ Read about our goals bit.ly/BigGiveMCB26goals ✅ Click 🔗 bit.ly/BigGiveMCB26 to donate

🚀 New preprint! @jacobsenucla.bsky.social x @doudna-lab.bsky.social collaboration: High-activity TnpB (Ymu1-WFR) + a multi-gRNA system in TRV enables heritable, tissue-culture-free multiplex editing in plants. Big potential for plant biotech 🧬🌾🌱 doi.org/10.64898/202...

How do the ancestors of CRISPR-Cas unwind DNA and how can this lead to better genome editing? With our collaboration between @doudna-lab.bsky.social x @jacobsenucla.bsky.social x Zev Bryant's lab x @savagecatsonly.bsky.social we've uncovered the secrets behind TnpB's dynamics!

Check out the latest episode of Rewriting the Code, featuring Jennifer Doudna and #SickleCell patient pioneer Victoria Gray who was cured with a #CRISPR-based treatment in a groundbreaking clinical trial: https://ow.ly/t6FY50XVNO7

Targeted delivery of genome editors in vivo - @doudna-lab.bsky.social @innovativegenomics.bsky.social go.nature.com/4qKp6Tb

New preprint 👉Doudna x Bryant x Jacobsen x Savage collaboration! Work led by @zehanzhou.bsky.social, I. Saffarian-Deemyad, @honglue.bsky.social, T. Weiss We dissect how stepwise DNA unwinding gates TnpB genome editing, revealing how unwound DNA states enhance cleavage www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Stepwise DNA unwinding gates TnpB genome-editing activity

TnpB is a compact RNA-guided endonuclease and evolutionary ancestor of CRISPR-Cas12 that offers a promising platform for genome engineering. However, the genome-editing activity of TnpBs remains limit...

biorxiv.org

New in Science Magazine Science Advances from the Doudna Lab, Rubin Lab and Cress Lab —Identification of proteins influencing #CRISPR-associated #transposases for enhanced #GenomeEditing. Read here: https://ow.ly/U0s450XS82n

During my postdoc in @therubinlab.bsky.social, @leosong.bsky.social and I aimed to make CRISPR-associated transposons more efficient for editing bacteria. Couldn’t have done it w/o a CAST of characters at IGI and beyond @innovativegenomics.bsky.social, @cresslab.bsky.social, @doudna-lab.bsky.social

Rubin Lab@therubinlab.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Happy New Year from the Rubin Lab! 🎇  We're excited to start 2026 off with a fresh publication at @science.org Advances. Here, we identified a cast (😉) of host factors affecting VchCAST using genome-wide screens and validated their improvement or inhibition of CAST activity. (1/2)

🎺New paper alert🎺 Out now in Nature Chemical Biology from IGI's Jennifer Doudna (Doudna Lab) and collaborators: Temporal photoproximity labeling of ligand-activated EGFR neighborhoods using MultiMap Read here: https://ow.ly/izGo50XAkog

Temporal photoproximity labeling of ligand-activated EGFR neighborhoods using MultiMap - Nature Chemical Biology

A multiscale photoproximity labeling proteomics workflow captures dynamic neighborhoods of extracellular and intracellular epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor interactomes during early, middle and late signaling upon activation by EGF.

ow.ly

Excited to share our work designing genome editors with machine learning! 🧬💻 Huge thanks to @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @doudna-lab.bsky.social and all co-authors. Check out the thread for a summary of what we found 👇

Doudna Lab@doudna-lab.bsky.social · 8mo ago

✨New preprint! 🧵1/4 Excited to share our work on AI-guided design of minimal RNA-guided nucleases. Amazing work by @petrskopintsev.bsky.social @isabelesain.bsky.social @evandeturk.bsky.social et al! Multi-lab collaboration @banfieldlab.bsky.social @jhdcate.bsky.social @jacobsenucla.bsky.social🧬 🔗👇

A very nice Preview of our work in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social this morning from Chrishan Fernando & Nicole D. Marino! www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Viral enzymes degrade to evade

Across all domains of life, immune systems rely on nucleotide-based signaling molecules to activate defense responses. In a recent Cell Host & Microbe study, Doherty, Nomburg, and colleagues identify ...

cell.com

Congrats to IGI's Jill Banfield, Jennifer Doudna, Mary Firestone, Patrick Hsu, Alex Marson, Kris Niyogi, Eva Nogales, Dan Nomura, and Jennifer Puck — each is on Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list for ranking in the top 1% in their field by citations!