August 2026

AI Longevity Lab - Open to Public

Hacking Healthspan, Healing and Human Futures

Enrollment Open - Begins in September.
Attend In Person or Virtually via Zoom.    Learn more >

July 2026

Maria Barna, PhD, an associate professor of genetics, and Yuxiang Chen, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Barna lab co-developed Ribo-Tweezer. 

The development of Ribo-Tweezer and the new findings were described online in May in Molecular Cell.  DNA is transcribed in the nucleus to make mRNA; the mRNA travels out to a cell’s cytoplasm and encounters a ribosome; and the ribosome translates the mRNA into a chain of proteins, which fold up and do the work of the cell.

This 'jumping genes' study published in Nature (2026), was led by MD-PhD candidate Matthew Grieshop and PhD candidate Aaron A. Behr, with supervision from Ami Bhatt, MD, PhD. The researchers found that E. faecium carries an unusually large number of mobile genetic elements called insertion sequences. These DNA snippets can copy and paste themselves into new locations in the genome, sometimes disrupting genes and sometimes switching them on.

Stanford Genetics researchers, including Andreas Gschwind PhD, Kristy Mualim, Maya Sheth, William Greenleaf PhD, Lars Steinmetz PhD,  Anshul Kundaje PhD, and Jesse Engreitz PhD, have published a groundbreaking 'encyclopedia of human enhancer–gene regulatory interactions' in collaboration with ENCODE and featured in Nature.

This resource of more than 92 million enhancer–gene regulatory interactions across 1,458 biosamples covering 369 cell types and tissues, integrate predictive models, chromatin states, three-dimensional contacts and large-scale genetic perturbations generated by the ENCODE Consortium.

These genome-wide maps of enhancer–gene regulatory interactions, benchmarking software, predictive models and insights about enhancer function provide a valuable resource for future studies of gene regulation and human genetics.

Careers in Science: Igniting Passion and Purpose

By Stanford University Genetics Department

Jan 23, 2027 from 10am to 4pm PST

High school students gain insight from Stanford University faculty & trainees about going to college for careers in biomedical fields.

Join us IN PERSON or VIRTUALLY for a workshop where high school students can learn how current Stanford faculty, grad students and scientists pursued the career that they are passionate about! PURCHASE TICKETS IN THE NAME OF THE EVENT ATTENDEE.

June 2026

Abu-Remaileh, PhD, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and of genetics, and Michael Bassik, PhD, an associate professor of genetics, are working with a small team of professors joining the Collaborative Research Network, powered by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative and in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Together, this network is mapping the biological blueprint of Parkinson’s disease and accelerating the path to new treatments. Over the next three years, the team, which also includes researchers from the University of Dundee, will receive grant funding of up to $9 million in support of their research, which is focused on studying pathway similarities between forms of inherited Parkinson’s.

Abu-Remaileh will also serve as co-principal investigator on another Collaborative Research Network team, which includes Bassik, an associate professor of genetics, and Wernig, a professor of pathology. The team, which includes a researcher from Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, will receive grant funding up to $9 million in support of their research, which is focused on investigating alpha-synuclein pathology formation and clearance in a novel triculture model. Learn more >

May 2026

The MSPA Teaching Awards Selection Committee, has selected MaryAnn Campion, EdD as a recipient of the award for Excellence in Pre-Clinical Teaching.

MaryAnn Campion, EdD is a licensed and board certified genetic counselor, co-director of the MS Program in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling, and professor in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University. 

The Stanford MS Program in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). This exciting translational two-year program is located in the Stanford Genetics department alongside Stanford medical school and hospitals, allowing students to learn from a range of academic and clinical experts and thought leaders.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in up to three years of programming that complements their graduate studies and prepares them to take on leadership roles in academia, industry, government, nonprofits, and the community at large

Sammie Harker, Maggie Chen and Jonathan Perera have received this prestigious award. Samantha (Sammie) Harker, from Anaheim, California, is pursuing a master’s degree in human genetics and genetic counseling at Stanford School of Medicine. Maggie Chen, from San Diego, California, is pursuing an MD degree and a PhD in genetics at Stanford School of Medicine. Jonathan Perera, from Jacksonville, Florida, and Colombo, Sri Lanka, is pursuing an MD and PhD in genetics at Stanford School of Medicine.

We invite you to support our Genetic Department’s ongoing research during a period of uncertain funding for scientific research during the upcoming Stanford Day of Giving.

This event offers a unique opportunity to amplify your support for our shared mission. Every contribution helps catalyze groundbreaking solutions for precision medicine. Gifts made between 5am PT on May 13 and 5pm PT on May 14 will be matched up to $5,000 per donor, per designation, until funds run out!

How to Give
You can give by visiting dayofgiving.stanford.edu and selecting  “Other Stanford Designation” on the gift form and writing in Genetics Department- General Gift Fund. Alternatively, donors are welcome to give over the phone by calling the gift processing team at (650) 725-4360. 

We encourage you to donate early in the day before matching funds run out. 

Professor Michael Snyder's team is awarded $34 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to support research in aging.

One of only four Stanford Medicine researchers to receive this award, Professor Michael Snyder & Snyder Lab are leading a group to develop a measurement of age-related decline.
ARPA-H, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was established by U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden in 2022 to increase investments in breakthrough solutions with the potential to transform critical aspects of medicine and health that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. Learn more >

Assistant Professor Livnat Jerby receives the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize.
Her lab recently discovered that metabolite sensing can be used to engineer spatially targeted immune cells and identified RNA-based interventions to counter immune evasion.

With support of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA), Jerby's lab will build systems to read and write the code of bioactive molecule sensing, designing new proteins and circuits for programmable spatially targeted cell therapies and cell-based RNA/protein delivery.  Learn More > 

April 2026

Professor Laura Attardi  is elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Learn More >

Dr. Attardi is the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor of the School of Medicine, professor of genetics, and professor of radiation oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Department of Genetics.

Professor Brunet works with Dr. Laham to explore the role neurons play in coordinating pregnancy

Pregnancy risks such as miscarriage spike after age 35. Wu Tsai Neuro postdoc Blake Laham suspects neural signaling in the uterus is partly to blame. Pregnancy risks suddenly spike after age 35, something doctors generally attribute to problems with the fertilized egg.  Blake Laham connected with Dr. Brunet, the Michele and Timothy Barakett Endowed Professor of Genetics at Stanford Medicine.  “She was in,” Laham said. His proposal, Brunet told Laham, was exactly the kind of daring project she strove to pursue in her lab. Learn more >

Professor Anna Gloyn's research explores the possibility that about one in 10 people may have resistance to GLP-1 diabetes drugs.

Her research suggests that certain genetic variants can decrease the ability of GLP-1 diabetes drugs to regulate blood sugar — a mysterious phenomenon known as GLP-1 resistance. Learn More >

Genetics students earn Community Impact Awards:
Jane Cook, Jodie Lunger, Meenakshi (Meena) Chakraborty, Paloma Ruiz, Rahul Nagvekar, Sonia B. Barocio, Tami Gjorgjieva, and Usman Enam.
These outstanding students were nominated by Stanford staff, faculty, coaches, advisors, and senior administrators for their meaningful impact in building an inclusive and vibrant campus community. 

Student recipients were notified of their award on March 18 by Vice President for Alumni Affairs and SAA President Howard Wolf, ’80. Undergraduate and graduate student award recipients were recognized by SAA at the Student and Alumni Awards Reception on April 18, 2026. With more than 300 student award recipients attending. Learn More >

March 2026

Professor Xiaojie Qiu and team receives The Virtual Embryo Moonshot: Predictive Modeling of Human Development and Congenital Defects award One in 33 newborns is affected by a congenital defect. Despite decades of research, our ability to predict, prevent, or intervene remains limited, largely because the biological processes that drive early human development are extraordinarily complex and not yet fully understood.

This project sets out to change that by building the first predictive digital twin of mammalian embryonic development: a model that can simulate how an embryo evolves, identify where things go wrong, and point toward targeted interventions. If successful, it would mark a fundamental shift in how medicine approaches congenital disease - from reaction to prediction, and eventually to prevention. Learn More >

Assistant Professor Livnat Jerby is the senior author of the immune research study, which was published March 23 in Nature Immunology. Postdoctoral scholar Young-Min Kim, PhD, is the lead author of the study.

“We found that when we equip immune cells with receptors that sense metabolites released by cancer cells, they can sense the tumor, migrate toward it, infiltrate it and control tumor growth, which markedly enhances the survival of mice with human breast and ovarian cancers,” said Livnat Jerby, PhD. Learn More >

Professor Brunet breaks down what aging really is, how lifestyle choices influence longevity, and the promising frontiers of aging research.

"Aging is a process that affects us all. But how many of us can clearly define what happens in our bodies when we age? For an inevitable and universal experience, it’s shockingly mysterious."

Professor Anne Brunet leads a lab that studies the molecular mechanisms of aging and longevity, and is a key voice on the steering committee of the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, which aims to reframe aging science around the path to healthy aging, rather than only the drivers of disease. Learn More >

Professor Ting researches how Alzheimer’s alters the brain’s electrical activity.

Postdoctoral scholar Annie Goettemoeller is collaborating with Alice Ting, whose lab has developed "tools that allow us to manipulate specific neural connections with much greater precision".

Traditionally, if you wanted to study what happens when the entorhinal cortex’s connection to the hippocampus is disrupted in a mouse, you might simply silence those neurons. But that approach affects all of their projections throughout the brain.

What this tool from the Ting lab helps us do is specifically cut out the connection between the entorhinal cortex and these particular dentate gyrus cells. Learn More >

February 2026

A team led by Nicolas Altemose, PhD, an assistant professor of genetics, is revealing mysterious regions of our genome that are far from junk DNA. They may be enormous control centers that help regulate one of the most fundamental processes in biology: how cells decide when to grow.

“Finally, technologies have come along that let us peer into these regions of the genome,” Altemose said. “It’s like charting the unknown and, eventually, it may have implications for human health.” Learn More >

January 2026

Fellowships for Genetic Scholars and Students

Our Stanford genetics scholars and students have received many honors. Here, we highlight four researchers who have received funding to support critical research:

Shannon White, PhD, has received the K99 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Cancer Institute (NIH). She is exploring the epigenetic hallmarks that contribute to colon cancer progression and drug resistance. "I am developing colon organoids derived from pre-cancerous polyp tissue collected from Familial Adenomatous Polyposis patients as a model system to investigate epigenetic and signaling responses to chemoprevention treatments".

Yi Zeng, PhD, has received the Springboard Fellowship. He says: "This fellowship provides the critical support and mentorship I need to launch my independent research program translating RNA biology into ALS therapies”.

PhD student Simone Evans has received a Bio-X Bowes Graduate Student Fellowship for research in the 'Mechanisms of Protease Defense and Regulation in Bacterial Innate Immunity'.

PhD Student Valeh Valiollah Pour Amiri has been recognized as an Amazon AI Fellow and a HAI Graduate Fellow. Her research focuses on developing interpretable, DNA sequence-based AI models to emulate and elucidate the molecular machinery of living cells, contributing to the long-term goal of building a mechanistic “virtual cell”.