Patrick Hsu
Patrick D. Hsu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patrick David Hsu June 25, 1993 |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for | CRISPR-based genome editing, machine learning, synthetic biology, gene therapy |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Bioengineering, Gene editing, Synthetic biology, Machine learning |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Arc Institute |
| Thesis | Genome engineering and RNA-guided systems (2014) |
| Doctoral advisor | Feng Zhang |
| Website | Hsu Lab |
Patrick D. Hsu (born June 25, 1993) is an American bioengineer, entrepreneur, and investor specializing in CRISPR, machine learning, synthetic biology, and gene therapy. He is an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a co-founder of Arc Institute, a research organization focused on accelerating biomedical discovery.[1]
Biography
[edit]Hsu earned his bachelor's degree in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He then completed his PhD at Harvard University under the mentorship of Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute, where he contributed to early developments in CRISPR-based gene-editing technologies.[2][3]
After completing his doctorate at age 21,[4] Hsu worked as a principal investigator at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he invented CRISPR-Cas13 systems for controlling gene expression and cellular behavior.[5] He later joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where his lab focuses on AI foundation models for biology and developing gene editing technologies.[6] His research has over 65,000 citations, according to Google Scholar.[7]
In 2020, he helped to start Fast Grants to provide rapid funding to scientists working on research projects that could help with the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with Stanford University professor Silvana Konermann and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, Hsu is the Co-founder of Arc Institute, an independent research organization focused on accelerating discoveries in biology and medicine.[8]
Achievements and recognition
[edit]Hsu has received several prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to CRISPR, synthetic biology, and machine learning for biology. He was named to the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 list in 2017 for his pioneering work in genome engineering.[9] He was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science in 2015 for his contributions to CRISPR technology.[10] His discovery of the first programmable recombinases was named among the 5 Important Medical Breakthroughs of 2024 by Forbes,[11] and his development of genomic language models was named one of The Most Important Breakthroughs of 2024 by The Atlantic.[12]
Hsu has also been featured in The Economist for discussions on the future of gene editing.[13] His TED Talk on genome engineering has contributed to the public discourse on CRISPR,[14] and his work played a role in CRISPR being named Breakthrough of the Year. He recently gave an interview with Sequoia Capital on 'Building an App Store for Biology with AI'.[15]
Research
[edit]Hsu's research focuses on using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance biology[16] as well as the development of genome editing technologies such as recombinases and CRISPR. This includes using AI to advance cell-based models.[17] His work has contributed to:
- DNA foundation models that enable biological sequence modeling and design across molecular contexts and modalities, published in Science.[18]
- AI-driven gene editing, where computational models are used to design new gene editors that surpass naturally occurring enzymes.[19]
- Bridge RNAs for programmable recombination, which allow for precise DNA modifications without traditional genome-editing tools.[20]
- "Jumping gene" enzymes, which enable DNA insertion and deletion without using CRISPR, a novel approach published in Nature in 2024.[21]
- CRISPR-based DNA and RNA-targeting technologies, establishing widely used tools for genome editing.[22][23]
Commercial interests
[edit]Based on his gene insertion technology, Hsu co-founded and raised $85 million for Stylus Medicine, a startup aimed to develop gene therapies.[24] He is also the co-founder of Terrain Biosciences, a startup leveraging AI models and technologies for designing and manufacturing RNA,[25] and an investor in AI companies.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ "Hsu Lab at Arc Institute". Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Hsu, PD; Lander, ES; Zhang, F (2014). "Development and applications of CRISPR-Cas9 for genome engineering". Cell. 157 (6): 1262–1278. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.010. hdl:1721.1/111575. PMC 4343198. PMID 24906146.
- ^ "PATRICK HSU NAMED ONE OF FORBES 30 SCIENTISTS UNDER 30". Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology. January 12, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Patrick Hsu: Pioneering Digital Biology at the Arc Institute". Crazy Stupid Tech. April 7, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Patrick Hsu - Salk Institute". Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Hsu Lab at Arc Institute". Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Patrick D. Hsu". scholar.google.com. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Arc Institute - Patrick Hsu". Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "MIT Technology Review - Innovators Under 35: Patrick Hsu". Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Patrick Hsu, 22 - 2015-01-05 - 2015 30 Under 30: Science". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Eckhardt, Juergen. "5 Important Medical Breakthroughs Of 2024". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Derek (December 29, 2024). "The Most Important Breakthroughs of 2024". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Gene editing has put biological research on a new trajectory". The Economist. June 15, 2023.
- ^ "TED talk: Patrick Hsu". October 17, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Arc Institute's Patrick Hsu on Building an App Store for Biology with AI. YouTube. March 18, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Arc Institute's Patrick Hsu on Building an App Store for Biology with AI. YouTube. March 18, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ No Priors Ep. 1-3 With Vevo Therapeutics and the Arc Institute. YouTube. February 25, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Nguyen, Eric; Poli, Michael; Durrant, Matthew G.; Kang, Brian; Katrekar, Dhruva; Li, David B.; Bartie, Liam J.; Thomas, Armin W.; King, Samuel H.; Brixi, Garyk; Sullivan, Jeremy; Ng, Madelena Y.; Lewis, Ashley; Lou, Aaron; Ermon, Stefano; Baccus, Stephen A.; Hernandez-Boussard, Tina; Ré, Christopher; Hsu, Patrick D.; Hie, Brian L. (2024). "Sequence modeling and design from molecular to genome scale with Evo". Science. 386 (6723): eado9336. Bibcode:2024Sci...386o9336N. doi:10.1126/science.ado9336. PMC 12057570. PMID 39541441.
- ^ Callaway, Ewen (May 10, 2024). "'ChatGPT for CRISPR' Creates New Gene-Editing Tools". Nature. 629 (8011): 272. Bibcode:2024Natur.629..272C. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-01243-w. PMID 38684833.
- ^ Durrant, Matthew G.; Perry, Nicholas T.; Pai, James J.; Jangid, Aditya R.; Athukoralage, Januka S.; Hiraizumi, Masahiro; McSpedon, John P.; Pawluk, April; Nishimasu, Hiroshi; Konermann, Silvana; Hsu, Patrick D. (June 2024). "Bridge RNAs direct programmable recombination of target and donor DNA". Nature. 630 (8018): 984–993. Bibcode:2024Natur.630..984D. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07552-4. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 11208160. PMID 38926615.
- ^ Ledford, Heidi (July 1, 2024). "No CRISPR: Oddball 'Jumping Gene' Enzyme Edits Genomes". Nature. 631 (8020): 470–471. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-02141-x. PMID 38937599.
- ^ Hsu, PD; Scott, DA; Weinstein, JA (2013). "DNA targeting specificity of RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases". Nature Biotechnology. 31 (9): 827–832. doi:10.1038/nbt.2647. PMC 3969858. PMID 23873081.
- ^ Konermann, Silvana; Lotfy, Peter; Brideau, Nicholas J.; Oki, Jennifer; Shokhirev, Maxim N.; Hsu, Patrick D. (April 2018). "Transcriptome Engineering with RNA-Targeting Type VI-D CRISPR Effectors". Cell. 173 (3): 665–676.e14. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.033. PMC 5910255. PMID 29551272.
- ^ Langreth, Robert (May 12, 2025). "Exclusive: Patrick Hsu's startup Stylus Medicine launches, looks beyond CRISPR for gene insertion tech". Endpoints News. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ Inc, Terrain Biosciences. "Terrain Biosciences emerges from stealth to enable faster therapeutics and vaccine development with better RNA". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved June 17, 2025.
{{cite press release}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "The Endpoints Slack interview: Arc Institute's Patrick Hsu on investing, AI and new ways of research". Endpoints News. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
