Feng Zhang
@zhangf
Engineer and molecular biologist. Curious about the world and optimistic to make it better.
Can we use RNA to insert kilobases of DNA into the human genome, opening up a new way to engineer cells or treat disease? Excited to share our latest work turning a retrotransposon (a “jumping gene” with an RNA intermediate) from songbirds into a genome editing tool. 🧵 (1/7)
RNA-guided systems span kingdoms, from bacterial immunity to eukaryotic gene regulation. How did they evolve? We traced the origins of CRISPR-Cas13 and identified its likely ancestor: an RNA-based toxin-antitoxin (TA) system. Here’s what we uncovered: cell.com/cell/fulltext/… 1/8
#CRISPR revolutionized medicine, but where did its RNA-guided mechanisms come from? Using #AI, we unearthed new Cas13s and found they evolved from toxin-antitoxins, revealing how nature created these amazing reprogrammable molecules. Discover the recipe: doi.org/10.1016/j.cell…
Congratulations to @rumya_r @mircoscopy @DStrebinger @blake_lash @cyrusbiotech and colleagues on an exciting study combining AI and protein engineering to minimize the immunogenicity of Cas9 and Cas12a nucleases. These approaches have the potential to improve the safety and…
1/ Thrilled to share an advancement in gene therapy from my PhD in @NatureComms! We've developed a new approach to reduce immune responses while maintaining efficiency—paving the way for safer, more effective therapies. Big thanks to @zhangf & @mircoscopy! bit.ly/redicas9
Happy 2025=1^3+2^3+3^3+4^3+5^3+6^3+7^3+8^3+9^3 and many new discoveries!
Today we report Evo, a generalist foundation model for biology, on the cover of @ScienceMagazine. Trained on billions of DNA nucleotides, Evo was designed to capture two key aspects of biology: the multi-modality of the central dogma and the multi-scale nature of evolution.
A new Science study presents “Evo”—a machine learning model capable of decoding and designing DNA, RNA, and protein sequences, from molecular to genome scale, with unparalleled accuracy. Evo’s ability to predict, generate, and engineer entire genomic sequences could change the…
Excited to see our team’s work on Fanzor now published in @CellCellPress! Amazing effort by @Peiyu_Xu_ and the entire team in uncovering the structural diversity and DNA cutting mechanisms of Fanzor. Proud of everyone involved! Onward to more discoveries. 🚀…
Excited to share that our latest work on Fanzor is now online in @CellCellPress ! By analyzing structures from different species, we’ve uncovered the structural diversity and how they cut DNA. Huge thanks to Feng @zhangf , Makoto, and all collaborators! cell.com/cell/fulltext/…
Nature is amazing! Congratulations to @maxewilkinson and team on a beautiful study revealing a clever way that bacteria defend against viruses. Check out Max’s posts for more detail! doi.org/10.1126/scienc…
My favourite discovery ever has just come online. Can I please tell you about some seriously wacky molecular biology? The story starts with a reverse transcriptase that SOMEHOW defends bacteria from viruses. (👇 I recommend sound ON for the video 🎹) 1/
Congratulations to all of the graduates during this commencement season! Wishing you all a creative and fulfilling future! "What you follow with your heart will indeed come back to make your life much richer."
Inspiring visit at the @arcinstitute today with @pdhsu & @SKonermann. Thoughtful vision, exciting science, and amazing potential.
Very cool - rejuvenation of the immune system! nature.com/articles/s4158…
Congratulations to the 2024 class of @Regeneron #sciencetalentsearch finalists - inspirations and hopes for the future. Keep persevering, keep shining! @Society4Science
