Institute for Systems Biology

Last week, Lost Women of Science co-founder Katie Hafner visited ISB for a special presentation and conversation with Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow.

Together, they explored the stories of overlooked women scientists, the importance of mentorship, and the work still needed to create opportunities for future generations of women in STEM.

Watch a recording of the event and read our recap:

Lost Women of Science’s Katie Hafner Joins Mary Brunkow for Conversation on Recognition, Mentorship, and Opportunity Lost Women of Science co-founder Katie Hafner joined Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow to talk overlooked women scientists, mentorship, and more.

Congratulations to the University of Washington Class of 2026!

This weekend, Nobel laureate and ISB scientist Mary Brunkow returned to her alma mater to deliver the keynote address at the UW's 151st Commencement ceremony.

Mary shared reflections on curiosity, discovery, and the importance of staying open to unexpected opportunities throughout life and career.

Watch the ceremony here (Mary's remarks begin around the 2-hour mark):

2026 University of Washington Commencement Needing Translation Services?Download the Zoom app on your phone o...

This Saturday, Nobel laureate and ISB scientist Mary Brunkow will address graduates at the University of Washington's 151st Commencement.

GeekWire recently spoke with Mary about her perspective on AI, science, and the message she hopes to share with the Class of 2026.

As graduates push back on AI, UW’s Nobel-winning commencement speaker takes different approach Nobel laureate Mary Brunkow will be the featured speaker at Saturday's 151st commencement. She's a scientist, not a tech executive — and unlike other graduation speakers this season, she's not planning to sell students on AI.

Join us on June 11 for a free virtual conversation featuring Katie Hafner, co-founder of Lost Women of Science, and ISB's Mary Brunkow.

Together, they'll discuss the women whose scientific contributions have been overlooked throughout history, the importance of telling those stories, and the evolving role of women in science today.

📅 Thursday, June 11
🕛 Noon–1 p.m. PT

Register for free: https://isbscience.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JSd9UWwmRNG7Ioe_o2-c7w

How do genetics, environment, diet, microbiomes, and lifestyle all work together to shape human health?

A new paper published in the journal Cell (Cell Press) looks at a global multiomics human diversity study that aims to better understand health across populations and cultures worldwide.

By combining many layers of biological data, researchers hope to build a more complete picture of human health — and ultimately improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Read the story here:

Global Multiomics Study Reveals How Geography and Ethnicity Shape Human Biology A multiomics study published in Cell reveals how ethnicity and geography shape metabolism, immunity, the microbiome, and biological aging.

How does the immune system recognize viruses and cancer — and how can scientists study those responses in greater detail?

A new study from ISB researchers introduces a high-throughput platform that can identify and deeply profile antigen-specific CD4+ T cells at single-cell resolution.

The work, published in Nature Portfolio's Nature Communications, could help improve vaccine design and advance future cancer immunotherapies.

Read the story:

A New Window Into the Immune System: ISB Researchers Develop Powerful Platform to Decode CD4+ T Cells A new high-throughput platform profiles antigen-specific CD4+ T cells at single-cell resolution for vaccine and cancer research.

What if antibiotic resistance in tuberculosis begins before treatment even starts?

New research from the Institute for Systems Biology shows that oxidative stress — part of the body’s natural immune response — can prime bacteria to rapidly evolve drug resistance.

This finding challenges the idea that resistance is driven only by exposure to antibiotics and suggests that the conditions inside the body may play a critical role in shaping how resistance emerges.

Understanding this process could open new pathways to slowing or preventing drug-resistant infections.

Read more: https://isbscience.org/news/infectious-disease/tuberculosis-antibiotic-resistance-host-stress/

Nitin Baliga Nature Portfolio

How Host Stress May Prime Tuberculosis to Rapidly Gain Drug Resistance New research shows oxidative stress can prime tuberculosis bacteria to rapidly evolve antibiotic resistance, reshaping how resistance begins.

What if we’ve been missing a major part of human biology?

Scientists — including researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology — have identified more than 1,700 new protein-like molecules hidden within the human genome.

These newly discovered molecules, called “peptideins,” expand our understanding of the human proteome and could have important implications for cancer, immunotherapy, and other diseases.

This work opens the door to an entirely new area of biology — and potentially new approaches to diagnosing and treating disease.

Read the full story:

Scientists Uncover 1,700+ Protein-like Molecules in the ‘Dark Proteome’ Scientists identify 1,700+ new protein-like molecules in the human genome, revealing a hidden layer with implications for cancer and disease.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Craig Venter, a pioneer whose work helped shape modern biology.

ISB Co-founder Lee Hood shared the following reflection:

“Craig Venter will long be remembered for his innovation across many different fields. He was a pioneer in high-throughput biology, using automated DNA sequencing to identify populations of mRNAs in cells, organs, and whole human individuals.

Craig established Celera, a for-profit company, to determine the entire DNA sequence of the human genome — and to push the sequencing of large DNA fragments that made possible the effective assembly of DNA into the 25 human chromosomes.

He synthesized, for the first time, a small microbe — the first functional synthetic organism — opening the field of synthetic biology. And from his yacht, he sampled seawater across vast regions of the Pacific Ocean to define the DNA sequences of microbes living in these environments.

Brisk, confident, aggressive, and innovative — Craig had the traits that helped open at least five major fields of biology. He will not be forgotten.”

Read more about Venter’s life via The New York Times:

J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79 A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.