Stanford University · BiologyFire Epigenetics Lab
Andrew Z. Fire · Stanford, California
Research Focus
Dr. Andrew Fire's lab at Stanford University studies how cells respond to changes in their genetic information. Using the C. elegans model organism, the lab explores how cells can distinguish between their own genetic material and foreign elements, such as viruses. Research aims include understanding the mechanisms of gene silencing and inheritance, with applications that could lead to therapies for controlling gene expression.
gene expressionCaenorhabditis elegansgene silencingnon-chromosomal inheritanceepigeneticsviral defensegenetic engineering
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how cells detect and respond to foreign genetic material.
AIM 02Understand the mechanisms behind non-chromosomal inheritance.
AIM 03Explore pathways that allow the persistence of certain RNAs in the genome.
AIM 04Adapt genetic persistence mechanisms for therapeutic applications.
AIM 05Study how cells maintain control over their gene expression.
Skills the Lab Values
C. elegans manipulationRNA interferencegenomic sequencinggene cloningepigenetic analysismicroscopydata analysis in bioinformaticsPCRCRISPR/Cas9
Output against the department
Publications296top 19% of dept.195th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations54ktop 4% of dept.43rd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.