Excited to share our discovery of a new programmable RNA-guided DNA-targeting system hiding inside bacteriophages that predates CRISPR.
We call it VIPR (Viral Interference Programmable Repeat), and it uses an entirely new logic to find its targets.
Thread + link below.
Kenneth Loi
Loh, L. S., DeMarr, K. A., Tsimba, M., Heryanto, C., Berrio, A., Patel, N. H., Martin, A., McMillan, W. O., Wray, G. A., Hanly, J. J. (2025). Lepidopteran scale cells derive from sensory organ precursors through a canonical lineage. Development, 152(5) journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Summary: The wing scales of butterflies and moths are derived from sensory organ precursors and are homologues of mechanosensory bristles.
My lab is looking to hire a postdoc to work on the evolution of organs and cell types. I’m at #EED2026 this week. If you’re here too and this sounds interesting then please reach out. Multi-year funding available!
