VIPR complex

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Kenneth Loi

PhD student,
Doudna Lab,
UC Berkeley Biophysics

Decoding life's longest war.

I study how genetic conflict gives rise to programmable molecular machines.

Research.

Harnessing evolution's designs.

Selected works

A noncontiguous code for RNA-guided DNA recognition at the origin of CRISPR-CasYoon & Loi et al.Science2026VIPR · RNA-guided DNA recognition · phage defense

The New York TimesIGI story

VIPR RNA-guided DNA recognition by noncontiguous geometric triplex formationYoon et al.Science2026VIPR structure · RNA-guided DNA recognition

Competition among viral elements for VIPR RNA-directed genome silencingLopez et al.bioRxiv preprint2026VIPR · phage satellites · viral competition

tRNA-derived second messengers confer bacterial immunityValentin-Alvarado et al.bioRxiv preprint2026tRNA-derived second messengers · bacterial immunity

Structure and evolution-guided design of minimal RNA-guided nucleasesSkopintsev et al.Science2026synthetic TnpBs · protein design · RNA-guided nucleases

A miniature CRISPR-Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signallingDoherty et al.Nature2025immune signaling · bacterial defense · toxin-antitoxin systems

Structure-guided discovery of ancestral CRISPR-Cas13 ribonucleasesYoon et al.Science2024RNA-guided RNase · structural homology · Cas13 ancestry

Eukaryotic RNA-guided endonucleases evolved from a unique clade of bacterial enzymesYoon et al.Nucleic Acids Research2023transposons · RNA-guided endonuclease

Talks

A noncontiguous code at the origin of CRISPR

Selected oral presentation · CRISPR 2026
New Haven, CT · June 10, 2026

About.

Grew up on Frank Herbert, Ted Chiang, and my grandmother's gong sik chaau min under the Southern California sun.

Probably somewhere flipping rocks.