Natanael Spisak

Mutation bias in driver genes reveals the distribution of effects of oncogenic mutations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.25.678277v1

Sex differences in transcription-associated mutagenesis in the human germline https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.18.677082v1

Fluctuating DNA methylation tracks cancer evolution at clinical scale - Nature Cancer evolutionary dynamics are quantitatively inferred using a method, EVOFLUx, applied to fluctuating DNA methylation.

Studying cancer evolution needs multi-region or single cell seq for phylogenetics, right? Amazingly (I think!) we found single-sample bulk methylation suffices, via analysis of "fluctuating methylation". In @nature.com today led by brilliant @calumgabbutt.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thanks! Indeed, it seems that the NMF model assumptions are correct and there is little interaction between signatures (at least at the level of 96 mutation types). There are exceptions, such as SBS2 and SBS13, which are both due to APOBEC deamination, SBS7* signatures (UV), and then SBS5.

Very happy to share our work on signature SBS5. See Molly's thread for a short summary

PhD Student in Mutational Processes Driving Somatic Evolution

Would you like to do some unique experiments in cancer genomics and mutagenesis, in beautiful Munich? Well then apply for this PhD position: jobs.dkfz.de/en/jobs/1679...

You'll learn a lot and it'll be fun and interesting!
#DKTK @dkfz.bsky.social @lmumuenchen.bsky.social

I'm thrilled that my lab at NYU is now supported by an NIH MIRA grant! I'm looking to hire 1-2 senior lab members (outstanding postdoc candidates or experienced staff scientists) with expertise in computational or statistical methods in human genetics or genomics. Please share!

The clock-like accumulation of germline and somatic mutations can arise from the interplay of DNA damage and repair The rate at which DNA mutations accumulate varies substantially across cell types and tissues in the human body, but the origin of these differences is not well understood. This study develops a model...

Those who enjoyed the plenary talk from @mollyprz.bsky.social this morning at #SMBE2025 might like to read more about this work in this 2024 @plosbiology.org paper with @natanaels.bsky.social &co: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

It was fun writing this short piece on the omnigenic model. Sharing it here, though it's a painful time as my family, along with millions of others, is at risk in Iran and the region.

Damage and Misrepair Signatures: Compact Representations of Pan-cancer Mutational Processes Mutational signatures of single-base substitutions (SBSs) characterize somatic mutation processes which contribute to cancer development and progression. However, current mutational signatures do not ...

Please check out our new approach to modeling somatic mutation signatures.

DAMUTA has independent Damage and Misrepair signatures whose activities are more interpretable and more predictive of DNA repair defects, than COSMIC SBS signatures 🧬🖥️🧪

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Elegant new theory on polygenic adaptation by Will Milligan, Laura Heyward, and Guy Sella.

Having a hard time processing this. HHMI is pausing all competitions. Very demoralizing for early career scientists like me @hhmi.org

My lab at hiring! - we have TWO postdoc positions (one computational, one wet lab focussed) at Yale @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social, working closely with our group members at University of Cambridge, UK @cambridgeuni.bsky.social

Please help to spread the word!

Adverts with full details below ⬇️

Banner for job offers

📣 Two ERC-funded positions are available in the lab! If you are interested in exploring the mechanisms underlying mutation, we’d love to hear from you.

PhD: shorturl.at/Oc04N
Postdoc: shorturl.at/1ShHB

RPs and shares would be greatly appreciated!
🧪🧬🖥️ #ScienceJobs #PostdocJobs

A crowd of people wraps around a hallway. About 25-30 people are visible

UCSF hosted its first food pantry event for postdocs today, where a local food bank gives free food to UCSF employees.

This picture represents about half the line that had formed 10 minutes before the market had opened.

What the fuck are we doing here guys?

Do people know about the STEM Jobs feed? Seems useful to put related job postings together in one place. #ScienceJobs

1/ A thread about mutation and recombination in vertebrates and what we learned by studying three-generation pedigrees of zebra finches. Take home: the remarkable similarities between birds and mammals in many properties of these fundamental processes.

The clock-like accumulation of germline and somatic mutations can arise from the interplay of DNA damage and repair The rate at which DNA mutations accumulate varies substantially across cell types and tissues in the human body, but the origin of these differences is not well understood. This study develops a model...

@natanaels.bsky.social's work modeling how mutations accumulate with age and time, now out in PLoS Biology (joint with @marcdemanuel.bsky.social, William Milligan & Guy Sella): journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Come join us in the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia on May 17th for the 2024 New York Area Population Genetics Meeting.
Keynotes by Lindy McBraide and Cedric Feschotte
Register here zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/new-york-are...