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Lucas Farnung

@lucas.farnunglab.com
1.9K followers 133 following 183 posts

Associate Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School | HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar | Nexus of chromatin, transcription, replication, and epigenetics. farnunglab.com

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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 28/09/2026
This is an attack on all of science. www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-...
cbsnews.com
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 7, including woman at Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences
A wave of Russian strikes hit Ukraine Monday, killing at least 7 people, including a woman hit by a daytime strike on the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv.
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 26/09/2026
Some of the AI slop is impressive. Check out the video. My Claude prompt: "Make a dynamic 15-second motion graphics video that highlights my research (farnunglab.com) with incredible motion design. It's the showreel for my lab. Go all out."
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 17/09/2026
Von der Leyen: "We do not need to be the ones who develop the frontier technology to be the ones who draw the greatest value from it." Read this twice! Europe's ambitions in a nutshell. Daunting.
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Joy Jeongyoon Choi @joyjoychoi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Excited to share our new preprint on in situ chromatin structure of the inactive X chromosome in differentiated female mouse embryonic stem cells. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵1/8
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Hauke Hillen @haukehillen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy to share our new preprint on the structure of the human mitochondrial RNA degradosome, a central player in organellar RNA metabolism! Work led by graduate student @paulafprado.bsky.social in our group. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵 1/9
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Seychelle Vos @voslab.org · 08/09/2026
⚡Preprint alert⚡ So proud of @amohamed98.bsky.social! Abdallah determined the cryo-EM structure of BRD4 bound to the kinase P-TEFb, defining the molecular basis of this key transcription interaction — and revealing that BRD4 and AFF4 binding are mutually exclusive to P-TEFb. Lots more inside 👇
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Harvard Med Cell Biology @harvardcellbio.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Congratulations to @harvardcellbio.bsky.social faculty member Corey Allard, who has been named a 2026 Vallee Scholar! Well deserved. @valleefoundation.bsky.social
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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🚀 Next week we will be at the 2026 New England #Cryo-EM Symposium at MIT, showcasing recent #CryoSPARC developments. If you're attending, we'd love to connect! cryoem.mit.edu/2026-ne-cryo...
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Kaushik Ragunathan @kaushikr.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Our new study shows a CHD-family remodeler can nucleate and spread H3K9 methylation de novo, inverting the canonical hierarchy between writers and remodelers. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Nucleosome remodeling by a CHD enzyme promotes H3K9 methylation establishment and spreading via remodeler-writer feedback
In Schizosaccharomyces pombe , the conserved CHD remodeler Mit1 function within the SHREC remodeler-deacetylase complex (a homolog of the metazoan Mi-2/NuRD complex), which is essential for H3K9 methy...
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Harvard Med Cell Biology @harvardcellbio.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Work from Tao Fu in @harperlabhms.bsky.social reports DNAJC13 structure, revealing both a dimeric architecture & binding of InsP6 to dual PH domains. Both features promote recycling endosome functions such as melanin production @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Structural Mechanisms of DNAJC13 Dimeric Assembly and InsP6 binding in Recycling Endosome Regulation
The balance of plasma membrane protein degradation and recycling during endocytosis is regulated, in part, by the large J-domain-containing protein DNAJC13/RME-8 and WASH complexes, which function tog...
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Seychelle Vos @voslab.org · 01/07/2026
Your cryo-EM work deserves to be seen 🔬 Submit your poster or talk abstract for the annual New England cryo-EM symposium by July 15th. The meeting will be held September 8th at MIT. This is the place to be if you are doing structural biology in the Northeast! Register: cryoem.mit.edu/2026-ne-cryo...
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 16/06/2026
How has #evolution shaped Transcription Elongation Factors, important for #GeneExpression? This study by Alex Francette, Karen Arndt &co traces ten core factors to the last eukaryotic common ancestor, and shows they display both conserved and lineage-specific domains. 🧪#AcademicSky plos.io/4eaCUTJ
The authors' proposed model reflecting the acquisition and putative loss of transcription elongation factor domains across clades in the Tree of Life
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 25/06/2026
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Anders Sejr Hansen @andersshansen.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
(1/n) Very excited to share tri-lab collab (Mirny & Zechner) led by Harvey, Henrik & Jack: Q: How do enhancers & promoters interact in space (contact vs. action-at-a-distance) and time (stable vs. transient)? A: Transient E-P contact (~25-42 nm lasting ~10-20 sec): www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 22/06/2026
Very important paper from @andersshansen.bsky.social lab!
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Kaushik Ragunathan @kaushikr.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
“…….integrating imaging, 3D genomics, and gene expression data across cell lines, we estimate that transcriptional activation is mediated by approximately 25-42 nanometer contacts on the seconds timescale. Our results support a transient contact mechanism for E-P-mediated gene activation.”
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 14/06/2026
Herzliche Grüße aus Houston! #GERCUW
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Roberto Vázquez Núñez @robertovn.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🚨 New preprint: GATO-seq did it again! ELOF1 is the missing promoter-proximal factor that confers RNA Pol II resistance to TFIIF. Including ELOF1, DSIF, and NELF in GATO-seq reactions recapitulates promoter-proximal pausing in vitro at physiological conditions for the 1st time. tinyurl.com/ELOF1
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Seychelle Vos @voslab.org · 29/05/2026
⚡New preprint from the lab⚡: A key early checkpoint in gene expression is promoter proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II. For over 20 years, we as field have not been able to recreate pausing under realistic cellular conditions. @robertovn.bsky.social shows that ELOF1 is the missing piece.
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Marieke Oudelaar @mariekeoudelaar.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
📣 Preprint alert! We developed a method to analyze concurrent interactions between multiple chromatin regions at single alleles at sub-nucleosome resolution (multi-way Micro-Capture-C, mwMCC) & used this to study structural synergy within super-enhancers. 1/14 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Alan Brown @alanbrownhms.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
One, perhaps two, of our postdocs are moving on to faculty positions this year (more news soon!). While they're truly irreplaceable, it does mean that we have openings for new members to join our team studying #cilia. If interested, please apply: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/15526
Advert for postdoctoral positions at Harvard Medical School studying cilia
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Karolin Luger @nucleosomepolice.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Out today - structure of the human HIRA histone chaperone complex bound to nucleosomes. Ever wondered how nucleosomes are assembled in the wake of transcription? It takes a 'hulk of a protein complex'. Work by the amazing Wei Tian weetian558.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵
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Nucleic Acids Research @narjournal.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Congratulations to Della Syau and the Farnung Lab @lucas.farnunglab.com on this outstanding work!
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Nucleic Acids Research @narjournal.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
⭐ #NARBreakthrough! ⭐ New #cryo-EM study reveals how #transcription factor IWS1 promotes #RNApolII #elongation. Its C-terminus contains #modularmotifs that bind elongation components, stabilizing the complex. IWS1 also competes with #RECQL5 for Pol II binding. 📖 Read here: doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
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Oli Clarke @olibclarke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Open q to the #cryoem crowd - what’s your fav NN/ML picker for hard SPA targets? We use topaz with good results, but there have been a bazillion new pickers over the last years… It is often hard to tell from the paper on each picker, as the training data matters a lot for topaz at least..
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 15/05/2026
Excited that Della Syau's PhD work is now available as a NAR Breakthrough article: academic.oup.com/nar/article/.... Della's work clarifies how IWS1 engages the transcription elongation complex, stimulates transcription, and controls association of other factors such as RECQL5.
academic.oup.com
Structure and function of IWS1 in transcription elongation
Abstract. Transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II is a tightly regulated process that requires coordinated interactions between transcription elongat
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 08/05/2026
The Farnung Lab is looking for postdoctoral researchers interested in understanding mechanisms at the intersection of chromatin, transcription, and replication. Find out more here: www.farnunglab.com
farnunglab.com
Contact — Farnung Lab
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 08/05/2026
BenchOS.ai just received an update. Check out the feature section to see what you ca do with BenchOS.
benchos.ai
BenchOS - An Operating System for Molecular and Structural Biology
A lab operating system and AI agent for structured molecular and structural biology workflows.
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Alexis Verger 🧬🧫🧪 @alexis-verger.cpesr.fr · 07/05/2026
#RIP Pierre Chambon (1931-2026) via @alainberetz.bsky.social one of the last giants in biology: PARP, nuclear receptors, RNA Pol II, nucleosome, promoters, split genes
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 07/05/2026
🚀 Soft-launching BenchOS today. An agentic OS for molecular & structural biology labs, combining ELN, biologics databases, equipment booking, cryo-EM tracking, cloning tools, and more. Powered by state-of-the-art LLMs to help you plan and run experiments faster. Learn more: BenchOS.ai
benchos.ai
BenchOS - An Operating System for Molecular and Structural Biology
A lab operating system and AI agent for structured molecular and structural biology workflows.
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Anders Sejr Hansen @andersshansen.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
(1/n) Super excited to share that our preprint is out today in @natsmb.nature.com with a new name "Integrated MINFLUX tracking reveals two distinct chromatin dynamics classes across cell types" and more than 2x more data: www.nature.com/articles/s41... See also MIT News news.mit.edu/2026/how-chr...
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Harvard Med Cell Biology @harvardcellbio.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
CONGRATULATIONS!! to our own Steve Liberles for his election to the National Academy of Sciences for his work on vagus nerve sensory perception and gut-brain communication. @hhmi-science.bsky.social www.nasonline.org/news/2026-na...
nasonline.org
National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS
WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 25 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
www.nasonline.org/news/2026-na...
nasonline.org
National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS
WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 25 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...
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HHMI @hhmi-science.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Hibernation is a biological superpower that can extend lifespan. What if we could harness its benefits? #FreemanHrabowski Scholar Siniša Hrvatin has ID'd the neural trigger that induces key features of the state, which could transform how we treat disease, injury, & aging: bit.ly/41Uzw8F.
Freeman Hrabowski Scholar Siniša Hrvatin examining a specimen in the lab
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
@hhmi-science.bsky.social's #FreemanHrabowski Scholars Program offers early career faculty up to $10M over 10 yrs, plus salary & benefits Stable, sustained support can transform your career: Senior Postdoc? This year's competition has a program for you too. Applications open 11/3! bit.ly/4vhC0LA
bit.ly
Early Career Faculty Program | Freeman Hrabowski Scholars | HHMI
The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program offers comprehensive support to outstanding early career faculty committed to scientific excellence in their own research, and to fostering labs that expand the ...
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Karolin Luger @nucleosomepolice.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Finally published at long last (at least in the pre-view version). Explore the wild and woolly world of archaeal histones! Interactive archaeal histone graph incluced rdcu.be/fdFjv. Congratulations to first author Shawn Laursen
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 15/04/2026
Next BenchOS update: BenchOS contains an equipment booking system. E Ink displays automatically update and show the current equipment booking status of our instruments. Check out how this looks like for our AKTA Atlanta.
BenchOS Equipment BookingBenchOS drives E Ink paper displays to show equipment bookings.Rendered E Ink paper display of AKTA ATLANTA equipment booking status.
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Susan Shao @sshaolab.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Abstract deadline extended to April 20 for the FASEB #UbiqSRC, colocated with the #ProtFoldSRC, June 1-4 in Louisville! Register for one of the ~20 talk slots throughout the main meeting and pre-meeting career forum! events.faseb.org/event/Ubiqui...
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 31/03/2026
BenchOS is taking shape. Today, our cryo-EM storage tracker.
BenchOS' cryo-EM storage tracker.
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Quentin Smith @qmsmith.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
1/11 In our story out today in @nature.com , we showcase the molecular mechanisms that enable Cas9 to bind and cleave negatively supercoiled ((-)SC) off-targets! 🧬🧵 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #CRISPR #Cas9 #DNATopology #AFM #CryoEM #SingleMolecule #Biophysics
nature.com
Structural basis of supercoiling-induced CRISPR–Cas9 off-target activity - Nature
Cas9 structures explain topology sensing and off-target activation.
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 18/03/2026
Glückwunsch, Bruderherz! Really outstanding work by @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman Lab. This is how transatlantic research is done 🇺🇸🇩🇪.
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Jakob Farnung @jakobfarnung.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The E3 ubiquitin ligase mechanism specifying target-directed microRNA degradation (TDMD) is now published! 🎉🍾 We, @bartellab.bsky.social and Schulman lab, describe how 2-RNA factors control protein degradation by recruiting an E3 ligase. @mpibiochem.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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FASEB @faseborg.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The longest-running UB/UBL conference, join @labjoazeiro.bsky.social and @sshaolab.bsky.social, for #UbiqSRC. Featuring keynotes by @idikic.bsky.social of @goetheuni.bsky.social with Jeff Kelly from @scripps.edu.bsky.social. Submit your abstract and register to join us in Louisville: buff.ly/uAY0w0M
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Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
NYT feature on their website's front page about our local C. elegans colleague Will Mair and NIH funding www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/u...
nytimes.com
His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.
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Elisa Zhang, Ph.D. @elisazhang.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Our lab is hiring a research technician! We are interested in reproduction, stem cells, and development. If you are seeking a robust 2-year career experience before the next chapter of your educational journey, this is the position for you! hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Research Technician - Zhang Lab
Primary Work Address: One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) advances the discovery and s...
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Jamie Cate @jhdcate.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
@triggerloop.bsky.social not to sidetrack you here but…
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Seychelle Vos @voslab.org · 19/02/2026
🚨New preprint! We built a cell-free genomics platform (GATO-seq) to probe transcriptional regulation and discovered a “super pause” sequence that triggers a new Pol II active-site conformation. Huge shout-out to @robertovn.bsky.social for pulling off this monster of a project. tinyurl.com/superpause
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 16/02/2026
Calculate DNA absorption coefficients for single-stranded and double-stranded DNA: absorptiondna.farnunglab.com
absorptiondna.farnunglab.com
DNA Absorption Coefficient Calculator
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Seychelle Vos @voslab.org · 12/02/2026
Please join Andreas Ladurner and me for the GRC Chromatin Structure and Function conference to be held near Barcelona Spain from May 31-June 5! We accepting abstracts for posters and talks. The meeting is preceded by an awesome GRS. Learn more in our video below and apply www.grc.org/chromatin-st...
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Lucas Farnung @lucas.farnunglab.com · 09/02/2026
🧪✨ Introducing BenchAid🧪! Our new molecular biology AI agent is live at benchaid.farnunglab.com. Over the last months, we built BenchAid🧪 to streamline many of our bench workflows to help move our lab faster. Try it out!
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