Fletcher Lab

Lab: Why aren't we on Twitter? Dan: Umm. I don't follow Twitter. Lab: But the rest of the world does. Scientists too. Dan: I see. What's your point? Lab: We should be on Twitter. And join scientific discussions. Dan: I'm more the silent type. Lab: We'll run it. Dan: Go for it!

Surface confinement reshapes CRISPR assay dynamics in ways solution-phase work never reveals. We built a multi-scale framework to capture those effects, then used it to develop SurfCas: a multiplexed bead-based Cas13a assay in a one-pot format. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

We are recruiting participants for endometriosis research. Our lab is studying menstrual blood to develop better diagnostic and therapeutic tools for endometriosis. If you would like to participate, please complete this survey: redcap.berkeley.edu/surveys/?s=8FJ…

Congratulations to Carlos (@NG04) for his doctoral hooding ceremony! #PhinisheD #PhD

A huge thanks to everyone who participated in the Fletcher Lab Art Show 2026! Your creativity, talent, and passion made this event truly special. Check out the Ground State Ensemble performance: youtu.be/h7E9Nld7mtk?fe…

Fletcher Lab members brought hand-held microscopes to the @exploratorium outreach event — putting the power to explore the microscopic world directly in people's hands. Huge shoutout to Michael Anne, Zaina, Andres, and Chunzi. ©Exploratorium, photo by Ida Tietgen Høyrup.

Congratulations to Carlos (@NG04) for being a recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Student Peer Mentor Award. Images courtesy of Laure Andrillon.

Congratulations Smiti (@smiti_m) for passing your qualifying exam! #PhDCandidate

Join us for the 22nd Fletcher Lab Artshow! We’re looking for artists to submit their work and be part of an evening celebrating creativity and community. We will also have the return of the Ground State Ensemble! Art by @chunzi_liu @QB3Berkeley @UCB_Biophysics @berkeleyMCB

In our new work published in @natBME in collaboration with @TheOttLab and @Doudna_lab, we introduce "interfering" guide RNAs (igRNAs) for CRISPR-Cas13a that regulate enzyme activity after activation. Congratulations to all the authors! nature.com/articles/s4155…

Happy #internationalwomensday to all of the incredible women, especially those from our lab (past and present). Your curiosity, creativity and determination continue to shape our science and community.

The NTDscope is a portable brightfield, darkfield, and fluorescence microscope used for diagnosing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This video shows S. mansoni miracidia. Check out our most recent publication: journals.plos.org/globalpubliche…

Check out our latest preprint: LUCas! A direct light control of Cas13 trans-cleavage activity. Congrats to all the authors: Carlos (@NG04), Deepak (@deepak_me90), Andres (@adextre521), and Aymeric. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

Preprint out! Cell surfaces are crowded with tall proteins that block immune recognition. We discovered tall binding proteins create “stepping stones” that help short receptors engage, even in dense crowds. In memory of Phillip L. Geissler biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

How does a macrophage decide to eat or simply nibble? Check out our latest paper! You can also read this nice review. Congrats @CaitlinCornell6 for leading this amazing work! nature.com/articles/s4155… nature.com/articles/s4155…

Macrophages can engulf targets whole (phagocytosis) or nibble them in small fragments (trogocytosis), a decision controlled by cortical tension in the targets (high tension favors former, low latter) nature.com/articles/s4155… nature.com/articles/s4155… @NatureCellBio @UCBerkeley

If you are going to #ASCB2025, check out some great talks and posters from our lab members

Happy Thanksgiving! Gratitude today for everyone pushing the frontiers of science in their different roles.

Check out our latest published manuscript: SurFlex microscopy, a new technique to measure molecular flexibility. Congrats to Aymeric, Sid (@SidAg92), Lena (@lfblackmon) and Andrés (@adextre521)! pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…

Congrats Dan!

Our team is developing portable digital microscopes that harness AI to automatically detect parasitic infections. This shows great potential to help public health programs expand access to affordable disease screening in low-resource settings. Link: tinyurl.com/4bazch67