Postdoctoral Scientist @Stanford • Ph.D. @Columbia @sternberglab • @UCL Bichemistry ‘20 • Transposons, microbes, viruses, CRISPR genome engineering
Stanford, CA
Joined December 2019
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Florian Hoffmann, PhD retweeted
Nature research paper: Exapted CRISPR–Cas12f homologues drive RNA-guided transcription
go.nature.com/3P0wiNu
Florian Hoffmann, PhD retweeted
Nature research paper: Structural basis of RNA-guided transcription by a dCas12f–σE–RNAP complex
go.nature.com/3MXvicv
Our 2 papers on RNA-guided transcription are now out @Nature. This mechanism re-writes the traditional concept of bacterial transcription and allows RNA transcripts to be generated de novo from potentially any cellular DNA sequence. 🧬 See below for links and thread 🧵
Out now! In collaboration with @LeifuChangLab, we uncover the molecular and structural underpinnings of CRISPR-Cas12f-like RNA-guided transcription systems!
Links to the articles in the following tweet:
Florian Hoffmann, PhD retweeted
Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.16.6…
@wig_r Great question - we haven‘t observed these systems in phage genomes yet.
In parallel to our RNA-guided transcription biology story, we collaborated with @LeifuChangLab and determined how Cas12f interacts with a Sigma factor to recruit RNA polymerase. See their thread on the magnificent dCas12f-Sigma-RNAP structure below:
Our new preprint is live! doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.10.6…
In collaboration with @SternbergLab, we determined the cryo-EM structure of a dCas12f-σE-RNAP complex from F. taeanensis, revealing an RNA-guided transcription mechanism that bypasses canonical promoter motifs.
Excited to share my last major PhD work from the @SternbergLab. We discovered a mechanism that initiates transcription at programmable sites, without requiring promoter sequences - a novel mode of transcription regulation in bacteria.
New pre-print(s) from the Sternberg Lab in collaboration with @LeifuChangLab! We uncover an unprecedented molecular mechanism of CRISPR-Cas12f-like proteins, which drive RNA-guided transcription independently of canonical promoter motifs.
Full story here: tinyurl.com/mr3fd493
Florian Hoffmann, PhD retweeted
Know the feeling when two things look similar, and yet turn out to be quite different? Seems like defense-associated reverse transcriptases will continue to surprise us...
Another thrilling story uncovered in collaboration with @WiedenheftLab! Check it out:
The sequel to our DRT2 story is here, and this one is once again full of surprises! This time around, the @SternbergLab teamed up with the @WiedenheftLab to study how DRT9 reverse transcriptases provide antiviral immunity. Here’s what we found: biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
Florian Hoffmann, PhD retweeted
Thrilled, and also in a bit of disbelief, to see our paper featured on the cover of @ScienceMagazine! "Finding Neo" wasn't easy, but we just kept swimming (read: stared at a sequence of DNA) until the Eureka moment hit.
The central dogma of molecular biology states that genetic information flows from DNA and RNA to protein, with reverse transcription converting RNA to DNA.
In the pursuit of understanding how bacteria defend themselves from viral infection, two groups have found alternative pathways to making genes from RNA that did not previously encode proteins. Learn more this week in Science: bit.ly/3ZO7tI1
Huge congratulations to the most brilliant scientist I‘ve met so far - @shsternberg. Hard to come across a more dedicated PI and mentor - I can‘t even imagine the amazing discoveries this will enable you and the whole @SternbergLab to make in the future! 🧬 🎉
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