That's quite the bucket (vat?) Just when I thought I couldn't despair of UKRI any more. This is no way to run a call, let alone one with funding of this magnitude.

Exited to share Current Opinion review on how chromatin hubs involving multiple enhancers and promoters are formed, and their potential roles in gene regulation: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

It super exciting how quickly tools to unlock #IDR function are developing- can't wait to give this a try!! Congrats again!

We missed scoring 96 this round! Scoring 17000 applications and making decision is not a easy task. Better go with lottery model after prescreening.

Check out our new findings showing BRD4's role in preventing the premature activation of developmental transcription factors via #Polycomb, providing new mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorder #CdLS #NDDs, #chromatinopathies www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Spend months during last summer writing a MRC grant, hoping that we will have finding to continue employing postdocs in the lab. This week l am already expecting to receive a disheartening message from UKRI.

At a time when the UK should be capitalising on its global reputation as a great place to do science, this is an enormous own goal. I am so sorry for all those who jobs are going to be impacted.

We need to be shouting about the effects of this on junior researchers from the roofs, writing to our MPs. We are risking a "missing generation" of researchers.

I have grant under consideration and I have already given up on this round :(

How could you reveal this on social media? Did you not sign a naan-disclosure agreement?

Happy to share with you our work on how the interferon response impacts embryonic development 🦠Mammalian embryos contain endogenous dsRNAs that resemble viruses and can be misrecognised by the dsRNA sensor MDA5. Thanks to all collaborators, we could not have done it without you 🤩 rdcu.be/eWMfA

A human embryo implantation model from the @Rugg-Gunn Lab *key for understanding the early extraembryonic-maternal interactions Congrats to everyone involved! It’s been great to see this project develop. Huge credit to the @babrahaminst.bsky.social authors 🥂🍾 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

The TArgeted Cohesin Loader (TACL) paper was just published. Happy that we were able to contribute to this really exciting project! If you want to learn how targeting cohesin to defined loci in the genome affects the local chromatin environment and transcription, look no further! rdcu.be/eLiT5

Just back to work after a brief subbatical

If you are the market for this, I can highly recommend!

We have added additional functionalities including a collapsible protein pane and zoom scrolling. domaindesigner.farnunglab.com

Many enhancers that drive tissue-specific gene expression are already connected to gene promoters in human pluripotent cells. In a new preprint, we share some clues about when, how, and why this happens! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Histone acetylation - not always about transcriptional activation: H4K16ac safeguards the genome replication program by repressing premature replication of heterochromatin. Well done Marta Milan! tinyurl.com/yuy9m8t3

Another interesting link between H4K16ac & transposons, genome stability. Congratulations to the Scaffidi lab; we are pleased to contribute to this work.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone at the @biochemsoc.bsky.social #transcription and #chromatin UK #TCUK meeting today in sunny Manchester! #BiochemEvent 🧬🔬☔️ www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...

Handsup 🙌, who is coming to @blizardinstitute.bsky.social to attend the @illingworth-lab.bsky.social seminar this Friday on "polycomb repression in development and disease"? Also, who is joining online for this @qmulepigenetics.bsky.social seminar.

Great news, no more grant deadlines 😀 MRC applicant-led funding – UKRI share.google/lP742F01GmuK...

Our work "Aquarius helicase facilitates HIV-1 integration into R-loop enriched genomic regions" is out @natmicrobiol.nature.com, showing HIV-1 integration into R-loop genomic regions upon their resolution by cellular splicing helicase Aquarius (AQR) of the Intron Binding Complex (IBC)🧵.

This preprint is now a published peer-reviewed paper! Thanks to all the co-authors involved, to the funders and to @reviewcommons.org and @embopress.org @emboreports.org for a smooth editorial process! Excited to see this in press! www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.... @imperiallifesci.bsky.social

Our next guest speaker webinar is happening on Friday, September 12th at 15:30 GMT. Robert Illingworth will give a talk on 'Passive Yet Essential, Polycomb Repression in Development and Disease’​. To join, please follow this link: qmul.ac.uk/epigenetics/...

Multiple TF-coactivators regulate enhancer/promoter activity. Right? But how can just one histone modification (H3K27ac) distinguish an enhancer from a non-enhancer? While still a valuable indicator, it is just one component of a complex feature.

🚨 New paper alert 🚨 I am excited to share our new work on epigenetic enhancer priming in early mammalian development genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... Fantastic collaboration with Wolf Reik’s team, with key contributions from many others, led by the excellent Chris Todd. Short 🧵

Excited to share our hot-off-the-press @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social that explores how PRC1-mediated H2AK119ub deposition safeguards lineage fidelity during forebrain development. Fantastic work by @lucyadoyle.bsky.social and our colleagues & collaborators. 🥳🧬🧠🔬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I hope to see many chromatin and transcription enthusiasts at this annual event, this time in Manchester. Please register as soon as possible and submit abstracts for oral presentations and posters.

Registration for Transcription and Chromatin UK is OPEN! Taking place from September 17 to 19, 2025, this conference will showcase cutting-edge research and is a ‘must-attend’ event for the UK transcription and chromatin community & both at home and abroad. Pl register ow.ly/7QQb50W9Alo & share

Looking for a Postdoc? A PDRA position is available in the LSI Exeter with Prof Brian Hendrich from September 2025. Do you have experience in mammalian stem cell culture and a solid understanding of molecular & biochemical lab techniques? Apply! Job Ref: Q05546 jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...

It was great to catch up with many friends and meet new people. Thank you all for participating in this event.

In our last preprint we identify endogenous dsRNAs capable of activating the interferon response. Could these be relevant to our understanding of DiGeorge syndrome (22qDS)? In collaboration with @herassr.bsky.social and @heick.bsky.social labs www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Using Promoter Capture Hi-C, we linked STARR-seq enhancers to their putative target genes. This revealed that genes interacting with active enhancers had the highest expression levels, followed by genes interacting with primed enhancers, followed by genes interacting with poised enhancers.

Generating the first STARR-seq map in a non-cancer human cell line, we classified the identified STARR-seq+ enhancers into: - Active (ATAC-seq+; H3K4me1+; H3K27ac+) - Primed/Inactive (ATAC-seq+; H3K4me1+; H3K27ac-) - Poised (ATAC-seq+; H3K27me3+) - Chromatin repressed (ATAC-seq-)

Happy to be part of this exciting work. A must-read for enhancer aficionados: A massive effort has gone into generating genome-wide STARRseq in hPSCs and conducting functional validation assays. Congratulations to all authors, Stefan and Ufuk, for leading this project 🎉.

Oh wow. Starting grant 0-10 years post PhD from 2027, Consolidator 5-15

Ahem. Now hiring a postdoc and PhD students in one of "the UK's happiest places to live." Want to be a happy Chromatin researcher? Contact me! www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Choose Science. Choose Europe. A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open. With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond. Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF

I appreciate how the GRC Epigenetics is elevating a lot of the truly exciting research from up-and-coming scientists (mixed with plenty of more established folks). Would be great if some of the other major conferences could follow suit (cough... EMBL Chromatin & Epigenetics cough.. cough)

Oligo-LiveFISH is a high-resolution, reagent-based platform for studying 3D genome dynamics and their links to cellular processes in diverse cell types, including primary cells. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... authors.elsevier.com/c/1kxK7L7PXu...

New preprint from my group! Here we studied the contribution of a subset of human- and hominoid-specific transposons (SVA, LTR5HS) to the evolution of human craniofacial development. We specifically focussed on cranial neural crest (CNCC) formation and migration 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Do you have transposon-related research cooking, with some cool results you are exciting to share? Start thinking about registering to #EMBOMobileGenome workshop! Nov 4-7 2025 in Heidelberg. One of the historical TE meetings, with a diverse and welcoming community. www.embl.org/about/info/c... 1/3

Chromatin & transcription meeting is back again. Register your interest here www.biochemistry.org/events-and-t...

Fully funded (at UK home rate) #PhD studentships to start 2025/2026 at University of Exeter, UK. #Chromatin #StemCells #Signalling #ProteinStructure #LineageCommitment #Transcription Please spread the word, and anyone interested please contact me. lsi.exeter.ac.uk/groups/hendr...

Our latest paper is out in NAR! 🥳 In collaboration with @saramaciasrna.bsky.social, we show DGCR8 haploinsufficiency disrupts pluripotency in hESC by affecting primate-specific miRNAs and TEs. Our findings highlight a co-evolved miRNA-TE network in primates. Read: academic.oup.com/nar/article-...

🧪 Pregnancy alters 76 key body systems in complex, lasting ways. Nearly half take over 10 weeks to stabilize postpartum. Some markers shift before conception, hinting at earlier risk detection. 🩺

Inhibition of cytosolic DNA sensing and transposon activity safeguards pluripotency https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.26.645264v1

Check out our preprint "De-repression of Transposable Elements by Histone Hyperacetylation Leads to Sterile Inflammation in Preeclampsia" www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...