Fred Hutch Basic Sciences Division

2025 was an exceptional year for the Basic Sciences Division. We celebrated @fredhutch.org’s 50th anniversary, faculty, trainees, and staff receiving numerous awards, the retirements of Drs. Jon Cooper and Michael Emerman, and so much more. Get the highlights in our annual report: buff.ly/xQ8hsUM

"Consequences of slowing down chromatin remodeling at double-strand breaks" We are very excited to have Dr. Richard Frock joining us from @stanfordradonc.bsky.social to speak at today’s Current Biology Seminar! For all @FredHutch.org colleagues, don’t miss a great talk today at noon in Pelton!

So many excellent pumpkins at this year’s carving contest! Congratulations to the Henikoff Lab for most humorous, the @harmitmalik.bsky.social Lab for most horrific, the Srivastava Lab for most artistic and the @suebiggins.bsky.social Lab for most scientific!

The 2026 Pumpkin Carving Contest Kicks off at 4pm today! Can’t wait to see everyone and their amazing pumpkins!

In new study, we show that SARS-CoV-2 has evolved decreased inherent antigenicity in humans, as quantified by a ~3-fold decrease in the number of naïve human B cells that can bind the spike RBD. doi.org/10.64898/202...

I have felt a torrent of emotions this past week moving away from a city I hold incredibly dear, in part due to this beautiful tribute from a skilled writer (@jhigginswriter.bsky.social) about an exceptional place (@basicsci.fredhutch.org) and the joy of discovery www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...

We have Basic Sciences double feature for Friday Afternoon Seminars! For everyone @FredHutch.org, join us at 4:00 in Pelton to hear about the latest discoveries from Adam Cheng in the Adeyemi Lab and Peter Dietzen in the @harmitmalik.bsky.social Lab.

Join us for Jen Crainic’s (@jenniferabrain.bsky.social ) dissertation defense! Title: Free cysteine as a determinant of metabolic stress and covalent drug efficacy in cancer Lab: Sullivan Lab, FH When: Monday, October 26, 1pm PDT Where: Fred Hutch B-Suites (Weintraub Building)

Check out this very nice piece on our article by Viviane Callier: cen.acs.org/biological-c...

"The Parabrachial Calca Neurons Function as a General Alarm" We are very excited to be hosting Dr. Richard Palmiter for today’s Current Biology Seminar! For all @FredHutch.org colleagues, don’t miss a great talk today at noon in Pelton!

Can’t wait for the first Friday Afternoon Seminars of the season! Excited to hear about the latest research from Weifang Wu in the Henikoff Lab and Siqi Li from Human Biology’s Berjona Lab. For all @FredHutch.org colleagues, join us in Pelton at 4PM for two great talks!

A big thank you to the one and only @harmitmalik.bsky.social for such a thoughtful and memorable gift and for an unforgettable collaboration at Fred Hutch’s Basic Scuences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org ! We love you, Harmit! ♥️

Postdoc opening @basicsci.fredhutch.org! Great opportunity! Rajan Lab, Fred Hutch: fat-to-brain signals, Atg8 & brain aging. Collaborative fly lab, strong basic-science community, postdocs supported toward independence. From Jan 2027. careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/31508/p...

"Epithelial Brakes on Commensal-Specific CD8⁺ T Cells” Excited for the first Current Biology Seminar of the season! Dr. Oliver J. Harrison is joining us from @benaroyaresearch.bsky.social to share his latest research! For all @FredHutch.org colleagues, don’t miss a great talk in Pelton at noon!

Nominations for the 2027 Weintraub Graduate Student Award are now open! Celebrate the achievements of an outstanding graduate student in biology by nominating them here: www.fredhutch.org/en/research/...

Today is #ResearchAdministratorsDay! We thank our Research Administrators for their vital role in advancing Basic Sciences. From managing labs and funding to solving various issues, our division's success is thanks to their contributions every day.

Then and Now: The Rapid Evolution of Harmit Malik www.the-scientist.com/then-and-now...

Thanks to the generosity of the Bezos Family Foundation, @basicsci.fredhutch.org is excited to announce a new search to recruit a Bezos Family Distinguished Scholar : apply.interfolio.com/193655

The 2026 Basic Sciences Retreat is today! Excited for talks from faculty, the poster session, meeting incoming students, and the scavenger hunt. Can’t wait to see everyone there and hear about all the latest research happening in the division!

“Widespread neuronal mRNA recoding by regulated stop codon readthrough in Drosophila” We have a special guest seminar today! Dr. Lynn Cooley is joining us from @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social to share her latest discoveries. For all @FredHutch.org colleagues, don’t miss a great talk in Pelton at 11!

An analysis of more than 60,000 #RSV sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study from the @jbloomlab.bsky.social published today in @nature.com. https://bit.ly/3Tb2tw5

We are excited to announce this year's Stream for Fred Hutch Ambassadors! Each ambassador shows a commitment to growing the program and believe in the mission of Fred Hutch. They are all creators, fundraisers, and community builders.

Fred Hutch is at #PAXWest this weekend! Stop by our Stream for Fred Hutch booth in the Arch Building skybridge lobby to learn how you can harness the power of your community to save lives and make breakthrough discoveries in cancer and infectious disease. https://bit.ly/4gRchDy

🔬 Fred Hutch Cancer Center is hiring an Assistant or Associate Professor in the Basic Sciences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org. Join a world-class research community in Seattle and help advance discoveries in fundamental biology. Apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/190640

Bring bold ideas and new directions to our collegial research community in Seattle. @FredHutch.org’s Basic Sciences Division is hiring an Assistant/Associate Professor. Apply by Oct 15. apply.interfolio.com/190640

Want a window into fundamental science @fredhutch.org? Subscribe to our upcoming Basic Sciences newsletter for research highlights, community news, and more: eloqua.fredhutch.org/LP=326

Antibiotic resistance isn't just a genetic problem; it's ecological. New research from #HHMIInvestigator Harmit Malik & co shows that when a dangerous bacterium shares space w/a common fungus, it can be pushed toward resistance it wouldn't develop alone — but with a built-in weakness bit.ly/4g1jLnZ

Big breakthroughs often start with a single bold idea in a basic science lab. Invest in the postdocs @fredhutch.org Basic Sciences whose discoveries can change how we prevent, treat, and cure disease: secure.fredhutch.org/goto/basic-f...

Science starts with curiosity. Stay connected to the researchers, ideas, and discoveries @FredHutch.org Basic Sciences—subscribe to our upcoming newsletter: eloqua.fredhutch.org/LP=326

Postdocs in @FredHutch.org’s Basic Sciences Division are asking the fundamental questions that lead to lifesaving advances. Help fuel their training and research today: secure.fredhutch.org/goto/basic-f...

Join @FredHutch.org's Basic Sciences Division as an Assistant or Associate Professor and help shape the future of fundamental biology. We welcome applicants whose work will complement, extend, or bring new directions to the division. apply.interfolio.com/190640

Curiosity-driven basic science powers tomorrow’s cancer breakthroughs. Support postdocs @fredhutch.org Basic Sciences as they pursue bold ideas in the lab: secure.fredhutch.org/goto/basic-f...

Let cancer eat cake. 🍰 A Fred Hutch study led by @lucasbsullivan.bsky.social finds that feeding NRF2-mutated tumors too much of a nutrient they crave makes them vulnerable to slower growth and cell death. https://bit.ly/45Yx9Ua

🔬 Fred Hutch Cancer Center is hiring an Assistant or Associate Professor in the Basic Sciences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org. Join a world-class research community in Seattle and help advance discoveries in fundamental biology. Apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/190640

Happening TODAY - Jodiene Johnson's defense! Title: Determining a mechanism for the synthetic lethal interaction between the DNA repair proteins BRCA2 and SCAI Lab: Adeyemi Lab, FH When: 11:00 a.m. PDT Where: FH O'Mack Suite (Steam Plant Building) & Zoom (email mcb@uw.edu for link)

MxA is one of the broadest antiviral proteins mammals make. It’s a big reason most bird flu strains never get a foothold in people. The rare ones that succeed have learned to dodge it. How MxA actually recognizes viral targets at the molecular level is unknown for a bunch of technical reasons.

A new blog post thinking through the parallels between protein structure prediction and virtual cell efforts. Many of our current approaches to collect data to build a virtual cell model lack the abstraction that links measurement and function. t.co/4sPSMaLWLL

Come be our colleague. I have been in this Division for 27 years (4 as a postdoc and 23 as a PI). It is an amazing place to work, collaborate, and be inspired. If you are applying to be an Assistant or Associate Professor this Fall, don't miss this deadline.

Join @FredHutch.org's Basic Sciences Division as an Assistant or Associate Professor and help shape the future of fundamental biology. We welcome applicants whose work will complement, extend, or bring new directions to the division.

Join us for Jodiene Johnson's defense! Title: Determining a mechanism for the synthetic lethal interaction between the DNA repair proteins BRCA2 and SCAI Lab: Adeyemi Lab, FH When: Friday, August 14, 11:00 a.m. PDT Where: FH O'Mack Suite (Steam Plant Building) & Zoom (email mcb@uw.edu for link)

Gabriel Spitzer (@kuow.org) visited our lab to learn about our work to use evolutionary principles to supercharge innate immunity to (hopefully) deploy it in the face of viral infections. Gabriel is a masterful storyteller and would recommend listening to his ‘Pocket Science’ series (each ~12 min)

Last Wednesday I had the immense privilege of defending my PhD dissertation @fredhutch.org @basicsci.fredhutch.org. The last 6 years in Seattle have been the most joyous of my life, and I am so grateful to have been surrounded by amazing people that made this not only possible, but wonderful! 1/

Dr. @harmitmalik.bsky.social chats with Gabriel Spitzer on Pocket Science from @kuow.org where he discusses his lab's work in Basic Sciences @FredHutch.org using the genetic echoes of long-dead viruses to help pinpoint defenses against whatever virus comes next.

Join us for Emily Teets’s (@eteets.bsky.social ) dissertation defense! Title: Investigating the role of glial pruning in Parkinson's Disease Lab: Singhvi Lab, FH When: Monday, August 3, 1:00 p.m. PDT Where: FH Pelton Auditorium (Weintraub Building) & Zoom (email mcb@uw.edu for link)

Our immune systems have evolved to overcome all kinds of flus, plagues and poxes, but the process of adaptation is slow. @basicsci.fredhutch.orgs' @harmitmalik.bsky.social looks to find ways to put evolution into overdrive to fight future diseases. 🎧 Listen to @kuow.org's Pocket Science for more.

Congratulations to Dr. Steve Hahn on being elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences! A well-deserved recognition of his scientific leadership, mentorship, and contributions to advancing science in Washington.

The remarkable @jeremyahollis.bsky.social defended his PhD thesis on the evolutionary innovations and landscapes of integrin proteins from Melody Campbell & Malik labs today to a packed house @fredhutch.org @basicsci.fredhutch.org Jeremy is a force of nature & one of the kindest people I’ve ever met

“Scents and Sense-ability” We’re excited to have Dr. Denise Ferkey speaking at a special scientific seminar today at noon. For all our @FredHutch.org colleagues, don’t miss a great talk in the Sze East room of the Thomas Building!

Open science before it had a name: An interview with molecular biologist Steven Henikoff (who is not on social media) @fredhutch.org @basicsci.fredhutch.org @hhmi-science.bsky.social @natprot.nature.com www.springernature.com/gp/researche...

This was nothing short of a delight to work on with an amazing set of collaborators. Forever grateful to @basicsci.fredhutch.org at @fredhutch.org for making science so accessible and joyous to do!

Jeremy Hollis’ detective story on centromeric histone chaperones (HJURP/Cal1) is now published after peer review with a few extra goodies. @jeremyahollis.bsky.social @nlehrbach.bsky.social @cbmoens.bsky.social @irinakitop.bsky.social @basicsci.fredhutch.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...