Institute for Systems Biology

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.

If you missed this week’s Research Roundtable, you can now watch the full recording.

ISB’s Dr. Alice Kane explores how the body ages — and what new research is revealing about frailty, menopause, and long-term health.

Watch here:

How the Body Ages: Exploring Frailty, Menopause, and the Biology of Healthspan Alice Kane on aging, frailty, and healthspan, highlighting new biomarkers, s*x differences, and insights into menopause and women’s health.

ISB scientists recently joined colleagues from across the Seattle region for a scientific exchange focused on microbial engineering — a growing field with applications in health, sustainability, and biotechnology.

Hosted by the University of Washington's Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, the event brought together researchers from ISB, Fred Hutch Fred Hutch, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to share ideas, explore new tools, and spark collaborations.

As ISB’s Dr. Sid Venkatesh noted, the goal is simple: bring people together to generate knowledge and open new paths forward.

MolES’ Scientific Exchange sparks microbial engineering collaborations – Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute MolES’ Scientific Exchange sparks microbial engineering collaborations Filed Under: EventsNewsResearch April 21, 2026 On April 8, the University of Washington Molecular Engineering and Sciences (MolES) Institute hosted a Scientific Exchange on Microbial Engineering to catalyze new collaborations, ...