Dr. Kassis with members of her laboratory.Credit: NICHD
During a research career that spans four decades, NICHDs Judith Kassis, Ph.D., has learned many lessons along the way. For the last 23 years, she has headed the Section on Gene Expression at NICHD, and before that, she spent 12 years as a researcher and regulator at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Kassis is a leader in the field of transcriptional gene repression by Polycomb group proteins (PcG), and her laboratory explores how genes are regulated during embryonic development.
I like to follow up on unexpected results. Be open-minded about the answer, and test the hypothesis. A lot of experiments today are designed to prove a hypothesis, when you should always evaluate your idea and assumptions first, shared Dr. Kassis. Todays research environment limits ones ability to do this, but early on, I could chase whatever I wanted in the lab. When I started my graduate studies, I didnt even think about my career. I simply loved science and wanted to do it.
Childhood photo of Dr. Kassis (left) at age 1.5 with her sister Diane, age 3.Credit: Judith Kassis, Ph.D.
Dr. Kassis was the second of six children, raised in Sacramento, CA. Her paternal grandparents were Lebanese American and had an arranged marriage. They lived in North Dakota, where her grandfather owned a candy store, but the Dust Bowl forced the couple to relocate with extended family in California. Dr. Kassis father worked as a grocery store manager and insurance salesman. He later went back to school to become a certified financial planner. Dr. Kassis mother, who grew up in Minneapolis, was a college graduate and medical technician. She became a full-time homemaker soon after becoming a mother.
Looking back, Dr. Kassis is proud of carving out her career and having the opportunity to conduct research at NIH. My mom didnt work outside of the home, and I didnt know what I was going to do. Its amazing to consider where I ended up with this career when I didnt have a plan, she said.
Dr. Kassis mother was active in the American Field Service , which was known at the time for its international student exchange programs. They also had programs to learn about Native cultures, explained Dr. Kassis. When she was a senior in high school, she was an exchange student in Kotzebue, Alaska, about 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and spent a semester at a Bureau of Indian Affairs school. I was there during the fall and got to see the Northern lights. What I remember most is looking at the stars over the the Kotzebue Sound and the tundra, so beautiful. I was so lucky to be able to experience such a different environment and culture.
Her parents also planned independent trips for their children. When I was 18 years old, my older sister and I took Greyhound buses all over the country and visited friends of my parents. Remember, we didnt have cell phones back then, she said. Dr. Kassis and a younger brother also visited Mexico, where they took buses to Guatemala and El Salvador. My parents were very loving, generous people, who encouraged us to be curious and try different things.
For college, Dr. Kassis attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, initially with no idea of what she wanted to study. This is going to sound extremely nerdy, but I took a biochemistry class and loved it. I studied so hard that I could actually see the connections between all the different biochemical pathways, she said. For my final exam, I got an A++, and my professor helped me apply for a summer research fellowship through the National Science Foundation. It was the summer of 77, and I absolutely loved working in the lab. For her fellowship, Dr. Kassis studied malaria and enzymatic pathways at the University of California, Riverside, and then published her first paper.
During her senior year, Dr. Kassis worked in the laboratory of Leslie Wilson, Ph.D. Research was my passion, and I realized there was nothing else I wanted to do. Thats why I applied for graduate school, she explained. After graduating with highest honors and a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Kassis moved in 1978 to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for her doctoral studies. I knew I wanted to move out of state, and Wisconsin had one of the best biochemistry programs in the country, she said.
Her thesis advisor was Jack Gorski, Ph.D. , one of the discoverers of the estrogen receptor. He was very smart and kind. I remember I had the choice of three topics and, after I picked one, I had to learn how to be independentthat was his philosophy. I had to think for myself, figure out who to talk to, and learn how to seek help, she said. It was a nice lab, and there were a lot of women. Overall, it was a very good experience. During those years, Dr. Kassis studied estrogen receptor recycling and met her future husband, Scott Stibitz, a fellow graduate student.
While finishing graduate school in 1983, Dr. Kassis decided to change fields. She found a new postdoctoral position in a lab headed by Patrick O'Farrell, Ph.D. , at the University of California, San Francisco, where she studied evolutionary conservation of the Drosophila engrailed gene, an important developmental gene in fruit flies that has counterparts in other living organisms, including people. It was there that she also developed a lifelong interest in how developmental genes are regulated by DNA sequences that are far away (i.e., tens to hundreds of kilobases) from where the activity begins at a transcription unit. Eventually, she would focus on the field of developmental epigenetics.
In my opinion, it was the best time to be in biology. The homeodomain was discoveredflies had it, humans had it. For the first time, people recognized that animals had so much in common at a genetic level. It was very exciting, she said. But at that time, cloning a gene and sequencing it was a whole project. For my postdoc, I cloned the engrailed gene from a related Drosophila species and sequenced it. Experiments have completely changed now. Its great that you can do more, but back then, you had more time to think.
Dr. Kassis published several postdoctoral papers and got married as she wrapped up her four-year position. I had great advisors, but there was no career mentoring back then. People didnt really talk much about careers. The biotech industry was just starting. No one asked me, Do you want to be a [principal investigator]? Everything was just about the science, she explained. Her husband received a job offer from the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). So, Dr. Kassis applied for jobs in the Washington, DC, area and received a job offer from CBER, too.
In 1987, she and her husband moved to the East coast, where Dr. Kassis split her time between leading a small research laboratory and regulating products made in living cells for CBER. At the time, the FDA had laboratories on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD, and Dr. Kassis collaborated often with NIH researchers. Like all principal investigators at CBER, her progress was reviewed under NIHs tenure system, and she received tenure in 1994. The next few years brought many exciting changes.
Dr. Kassis was featured in the NIH Catalyst when she received tenure in 1994.Credit: Judith Kassis, Ph.D.
The first was related to Polycomb Response Elements (PREs). During embryonic development, some genes must be silenced or inactivated at certain times and places, for instance, in the development of different tissues and organs. This silencing is orchestrated by Polycomb group proteins (PcG), which must be recruited to the gene in question. The genes themselves contain special sequences called PREs, which bring in an intermediaryPRE DNA-binding proteinsto recruit the PcGs.
Dr. Kassis and colleagues made a string of discoveries beginning with an unexpected observation in fruit flies that enabled Dr. Kassis to easily identify PREs. She initially wanted to identify regulatory DNA by cloning it and placing it into a vector to make transgenic flies. The vector also contained a marker for eye color, a common research practice to easily identify transgenic flies from normal flies. When white-eyed flies were injected with the vector, their transgenic offspring had colored eyes. Normally, flies with two copies of the transgene (i.e., homozygotes) have a darker eye color than those that only have one copy (i.e., heterozygotes).
However, in Dr. Kassis experiments, when certain fragments of DNA were cloned into the transgene vector, the eye color of the homozygotes was lighter than that of heterozygotes. In fact, most of these homozygotes had white eyes, suggesting that the eye color marker was somehow blocked or silenced. Dr. Kassis called this phenomenon pairing-sensitive silencing. Later, she discovered that this phenomenon was caused by the PREs that she had cloned into the vector. When I presented my findings at a conference, people were very excited, and some even mentioned they had similar observations but had not followed up. I think thats how I distinguished myselfI follow up on unexpected, interesting findings, she said.
Dr. Kassis and her laboratory also discovered the first PRE binding protein, Pho, and later identified three more: Pho-like, Spps, and Combgap. The benefit of having two jobs at FDA was that I didnt have to worry about publishing in high-profile journals. I didnt have to be a bigshot. I could just do good work, explained Dr. Kassis. At that point, I was just doing what I was interested in, and I found [PREs], and it was so much fun.
Dr. Kassis with her daughter Sandy in the 1990s.Credit. Judith Kassis, Ph.D.
Dr. Kassis worked at CBER for 12 years, heading two licensing committees and her small lab. During that time, she also had her two children. It was very hard to do both the regulatory work and the research. I could see that I was going to have to make a decision, especially once you have kids. Thats like three jobs: the lab, the regulatory work, and your children, she said. She successfully applied for an opening at NICHD in 1999 to head a research lab, and she brought along her staff scientist, Lesley Brown, Ph.D., and a postbaccalaureate fellow. It was a very good time to look for a new job, and I want to highlight Lesleys contribution. Shes a transcription factor expert and discovered Pho in my lab. Im not sure I would have gotten the [NICHD] job without her and the timely publications.
NICHD colleague Paul Love, M.D., Ph.D., said that Dr. Kassis is patient, inquisitive, supportive, and always willing to listen. Scientifically, she exemplifies the model investigator. Early in her career, she identified an important but very complex question in biological science, Polycomb-mediated gene repression, and she has devoted her career to steadily chipping away at the problem. Along the way, she has come up with new insights and challenged existing paradigms. It doesnt get any better than that!
When Dr. Kassis first started her lab, she did a lot of work at the bench. Even today, you can find her observing fly embryos under the microscope and doing her own immunostaining. On some of her early papers, she was the only author because the lab was so small. It can be difficult hiring good postdocs when youre starting out, said Dr. Kassis. My advice for tenure-track investigators is to attend meetings, talk to people, talk to journal editors, and promote yourself. If youre shy, pretend you are not.
She also recommends finding a core scientific family. Dr. Kassis attends a small, regional meeting, which originally consisted of five laboratories interested in somatic chromosomal pairing in flies. We collaborate and review each others papers before submission. I also found a postdoc through this group. If youre not currently part of one, consider starting your own group.
At one point, Dr. Kassis considered taking a break from research to teach children, like her son, Zack, who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When he was younger, one of the hardest things we did was fight for resources. It took a lot of time and emotional energy, but things have gotten better for children and their families. Dr. Kassis also appreciates the flexibility of science that can enable a work-life balance. If I had to take my son to therapy, I could go and make up the time later. But I didnt travel to meetings as much as I might have. My husband was very supportive, so I could have gone, but I didnt want to leave them. After graduating from high school, Zack attended a program in Arizona to learn to live independently. He still resides there, with limited assistance from an agency that supports adults with ASD.
Dr. Kassis (center) on vacation with her son Zack (left) and husband Scott (right).Credit: Judith Kassis, Ph.D.
Many colleagues have benefitted from Dr. Kassis career and mentorship. Todd Macfarlan, Ph.D., recalled his early years as a tenure-track investigator at NICHD, when the intramural program reorganized into affinity groups that included several labs. Dr. Kassis became the head of our affinity group, and she demonstrated tremendous leadership, creating a fun and exciting environment for sharing our science with our close colleagues. This was a truly exceptional incubator for me, personally, and a major part of my labs early success, he said.
Mitzi Kuroda, Ph.D. , a professor at Harvard Medical School who also studies Polycomb proteins, co-authored a review with Dr. Kassis. She shared, Dr. Kassis discoveries include the foundational analysis of Pho, as well as recent elegant genetic studies on the establishment of repressive Polycomb domains and their boundaries. Her scientific acumen and creativity are especially evident in her truly unexpected discoveries of pairing-sensitive silencing and P-element homing. For these important scientific insights, as well as for her leadership and generosity, she has been irreplaceable as a mentor and colleague.
Dr. Kassis, who is now in her mid-60s, plans to retire next year. Her timeline for retirement has been influenced by various decisions and experiences over the last several years. One of the most pivotal was the unexpected death of her older sister Diane, who passed away four years ago from an aggressive cancer. We were very close and had shared a room growing up. Her death made me realize that theres more I want to do. I want to spend more time with loved ones, said Dr. Kassis. In addition to her son, she has a daughter, Sandy, who lives in Louisiana, and she enjoys visiting both of them. Dr. Kassis and her husband also raise chickens and bees and have three dogs. While I never planned on working until my 80s, I realize now that things can happen.
About eight years ago, Dr. Kassis considered switching fields but never did. Instead, she decided to tackle the unfinished projects that accumulated over the years. She also stopped hiring postdoctoral fellows once she committed to her retirement timeline. These decisions resulted in a perfect pairing of projects ideal for postbaccalaureate fellows, who generally stay for one or two years before moving on to graduate school. Dr. Kassis also does not have to concern herself with high-profile journals, which are more important for a postdoctoral fellows future job prospects.
Anna Horacek, a former postbaccalaureate trainee currently in the Molecular Cell and Biology Program at the University of California, Berkeley, is grateful for her time in Dr. Kassis lab. Notably, Dr. Kassis recognizes that each mentee is unique. While I struggled with communication and specific organizational skills, others needed support with critical thinking and designing experiments. With these objectives in mind, Dr. Kassis altered her approach for each person. She encouraged us to think of future experiments, set up one-on-one meetings to discuss professional development, and provided opportunities for us to present our research.
Currently, one of the labs most exciting projects looks at the stability of a genes on and off transcriptional state and how it is regulated. The lab is using a 79-kilobase transgene to study two epigenetically regulated enhancers, regulatory DNA sequences, important in the Drosophila wing. She and her colleagues found that deletion of either of these enhancers from the 79-kilobase transgene causes flies to have mutant wings. Surprisingly, deletion of the same enhancers from the endogenous locus (i.e., where it occurs naturally in the flys genome) does not cause the same wing mutations.
No one has moved a domain and then tried to fix it. Thats essentially what were doing, said Dr. Kassis. The only difference between the transgene and the endogenous locus is that the endogenous locus has boundaries that stop the spread of epigenetic marks and enhancer activity. These boundaries make it so that everything is concentrated inward in the gene, she explained. The lab recently found that adding these boundaries to their transgene also influenced the genes on and off transcriptional states, which fits into Dr. Kassis hypothesis. Dr. Kassis aims to wrap up this project and finish writing six papers by next year.
What Ive learned is how redundant and resilient development is, said Dr. Kassis. When you have a developmental disorder, the range of phenotype is wide because theres backup in the system. Im fascinated that even though you can make so many mutations in a gene, there are just as many redundant enhancers that enable the fly to live. But how many subtle defects do they have? Its all very interesting.
- The Role of Epigenetics and Contributing Impact of Stress, Multigenerational, and Developmental Factors in Opiate ... - Cureus - February 8th, 2024
- About Epigenetics | Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine - November 16th, 2023
- What is Epigenetics? - Bruce H. Lipton, PhD - January 4th, 2023
- Why Epigenetics Contradicts Evolutionary Theory | Evolution News - December 18th, 2022
- Epigenetics in Psychology | Noba - November 24th, 2022
- Epigenetics: Definition, Mechanisms and Clinical Perspective - November 24th, 2022
- Researchers Find that Moms Pass On Additional Epigenetic Information To Their Children - WhatIsEpigenetics.com - October 13th, 2022
- Prestigious award advances OHSU research on impact of drug use over generations - OHSU News - October 13th, 2022
- Hoylake doctor launches test that detects diseases before they appear - Wirral Globe - October 13th, 2022
- Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. Announces Signing of Patent Assignment Related to Collaboration With VolitionRx Limited and CLS Therapeutics - Yahoo Finance - October 13th, 2022
- Understanding the Epigenetics of Childhood Trauma - Psych Central - October 4th, 2022
- Epigenetic therapy promotes spinal cord regeneration in mice following injury - RegMedNet - October 4th, 2022
- ORYZON to Give Updates on Corporate Progress in October - Yahoo Finance - October 4th, 2022
- InvestmentPitch Media Video Discusses Resverlogix and its Focus on Apabetalone's Future Development for the Prevention and Treatment of Post COVID-19... - October 4th, 2022
- Cardio Diagnostics To Sponsor, Participate in the American Heart Association's 2022 Metro Chicago Heart Walk - Yahoo Finance - September 16th, 2022
- Book review: Daughters and the stories they carry - Yahoo News - September 16th, 2022
- Inherent Biosciences raises funding to expand fertility care though epigenetics - VatorNews - September 8th, 2022
- 10 wellness retreat trends to know about - Cond Nast Traveller - September 8th, 2022
- Epigenetic Information Passed On to Offspring More Frequently Than Once Thought - Technology Networks - August 22nd, 2022
- New discovery shows you may inherit more from your mom than you think - EastMojo - August 22nd, 2022
- New Technology to Understand Cell Types and How Diseases Develop - Yale University - August 22nd, 2022
- Research Roundup: Fat Cell Hormone Slows Liver Tumor Growth and More Research News - BioSpace - August 22nd, 2022
- De-extinction? Plans to revive Tasmanian tiger triggers... - The American Bazaar - August 22nd, 2022
- Epigenetics in Health and Disease - PubMed - August 14th, 2022
- Clinical Epigenetics | Home page - August 14th, 2022
- Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy on Breast Cancer is Independent of Race - Pharmacy Times - August 14th, 2022
- Your True Age Might Not Be Your Birthdate And Thats Good News - Goalcast - August 14th, 2022
- Epigenetics Market is Predicted to Hit $6460.5 Million Value by 2030, says P&S Intelligence - PR Newswire UK - July 27th, 2022
- ORYZON Collaborates with the CMT Research Foundation in the US - Yahoo Finance - July 27th, 2022
- What is schizophrenia? Common myths and misconceptions around the mental illness - The Mirror - July 27th, 2022
- What gene changes and blood could tell us about the opioid crisis - UCI News - July 19th, 2022
- Epigenetics Is The Key To Treating Complex Diseases; Dr. Nirmalya Saha Is Using It To Unlock Cancer Treatment And More - EconoTimes - July 19th, 2022
- Heatstroke stresses the body years after the original heat illness - University of Florida - July 19th, 2022
- Omega Therapeutics Announces FDA Clearance of IND Application for OTX-2002, First Omega Epigenomic Controller, for MYC Driven Hepatocellular Carcinoma... - July 19th, 2022
- Genetics proposes, epigenetics disposes: how our approach to human health changes in the 21st century and how CRISPR-Cas is involved - Digital Journal - June 22nd, 2022
- Zenith Epigenetics Triple Negative Breast Cancer Clinical Data Highlighted in an Oral Discussion at the American Society of Clinical Oncology... - June 22nd, 2022
- The relationship between P16INK4A and TP53 promoter methylation and the risk and prognosis in patients with oesophageal cancer in Thailand |... - June 22nd, 2022
- Omega Therapeutics (OMGA) Research Analysts' Weekly Ratings Changes - Defense World - June 13th, 2022
- Introducing Cantata Bio, Inventive Multimodal Solutions for Accelerating Genome-based R&D - Business Wire - June 13th, 2022
- Plant biologist nominated for prestigious early career award - University of Georgia - June 13th, 2022
- Julee Cruise's Career: How and where to watch Twin Peaks and all her TV appearances - Bolavip US - June 13th, 2022
- Hitting the Pro Race Track: Onovi Health Adds Marko Radiic, Professional Race Car Driver & Entrepreneur, as a Brand Ambassador - PR Newswire - June 13th, 2022
- Epigenetics: Definition & Examples | Live Science - June 4th, 2022
- Genetics and Epigenetics of Addiction DrugFacts | National Institute on ... - June 4th, 2022
- Epigenetics Market is Growing Rapidly with Recent Demand, Trends, Development, Revenue and Forecast to 2029 The Greater Binghamton Business Journal -... - June 4th, 2022
- Epigenetics at the Intersection of COVID-19 Risk and Environmental Chemical Exposures - DocWire News - June 4th, 2022
- Global Epigenetics Instrument Market 2022 Covid 19 Impact on Top countries data |Illumina, Thermo Fisher, Diagenode The Greater Binghamton Business... - June 4th, 2022
- Global Biomarkers Market Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027: Increase In Number of Pipeline Biomarkers & Rising Adoption of Biomarkers In Disease... - June 4th, 2022
- Many African Americans face unresolved trauma of racism and enslavement; It's affecting their health - ideastream - June 4th, 2022
- Zenith Epigenetics Announces Initiation of a Phase 2b Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Clinical Trial - BioSpace - May 15th, 2022
- Gene edited rats cured of anxiety and alcoholism | SYFY WIRE - Syfy - May 15th, 2022
- Dreams on Fire sheds light on epigenetics, collective trauma of genocide traveling through generations - Armenian Weekly - May 2nd, 2022
- NEAR science: good for what ails stressed communities - NUjournal - May 2nd, 2022
- Digital biomarkers - An Emerging tool in precision Medicines. The Biomarkers Market to Reach $86 Billion by 2027 - Arizton - Yahoo Finance - May 2nd, 2022
- Sprint Bioscience's NIMA program is focused on the target protein NNMT and will be launched at the BIO International convention - Marketscreener.com - May 2nd, 2022
- Post-Doctoral Associate in the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology job with NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ABU DHABI | 291713 - Times Higher Education - May 2nd, 2022
- Womb with a View: On the Science of Maternal Effects - lareviewofbooks - April 19th, 2022
- Molecular Biology Enzymes, Kits & Reagents Market likely to bring in approximately US$ 22000 Million revenues by 2026-end Political Beef -... - April 19th, 2022
- Type 2 diabetes on the rise among Wisconsin children - Iron Mountain Daily News - April 19th, 2022
- January 2022: Exposures, diverse populations, and epigenetics merge in grantee's lab - Environmental Factor Newsletter - January 5th, 2022
- Research Roundup: Why mRNA Vaccines are So Good Against Severe COVID-19 and More - BioSpace - January 5th, 2022
- Epigenetics - Genome.gov - December 24th, 2021
- Genetics, Epigenetics, and Cancer: What Data Are We Missing? - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - December 24th, 2021
- Can epigenetics help solve the puzzle between concomitant cardiovascular injury and severity of COVID-19? - DocWire News - December 24th, 2021
- Genomics Market Revenue to Cross US$ 49996.15 by 2027: The Insight Partners - Digital Journal - December 24th, 2021
- Hydra regrow their heads and live forever due to epigenetics - Cosmos Magazine - December 10th, 2021
- Epigenetics Market to Garner US$ 2611.57 MN, Globally, by 2025 at 13.6% CAGR: The Insight Partners - Digital Journal - December 10th, 2021
- Research Associate or Research Assistant in Medical and Molecular Genetics job with KINGS COLLEGE LONDON | 274309 - Times Higher Education (THE) - December 10th, 2021
- Newpath Commits $350 Million to Fund the Next Good Things in the Life Sciences - BioSpace - December 10th, 2021
- Wind Turbine Market Development Overview And Analysis Till 2030- Market.Biz - Digital Journal - December 10th, 2021
- Cancer Testing Product Market to Witness Growth Acceleration | Epigenetics Ag, Techlab, Positive Bioscience Energy Siren - Energy Siren - November 22nd, 2021
- How can students make the best of their anxiety? - The Medium - November 22nd, 2021
- Epigenetic Study Links Smoke Exposure in Early Life to Advanced Aging - WhatIsEpigenetics.com - October 28th, 2021
- Salarius Pharmaceuticals (SLRX) is Developing a Novel LSD1 Inhibitor, Positioning it as a Significant Mover in Epigenetics-Based Cancer Therapies -... - October 28th, 2021
- Epigenetics-Based Kits Market To Witness High Growth In Near Future IMIESA - IMIESA - October 28th, 2021
- Epigenetics Diagnostic Market to Witness Growth Acceleration | Qiagen, Abcam plc, Novartis AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific IMIESA - IMIESA - October 28th, 2021
- LXRepair, Gustave Roussy Ink Research Partnership in Personalized Radiotherapy - Precision Oncology News - October 28th, 2021
- Van Andel Institute, Maine Medical Center Research Institute scientists earn $9.6 million Transformative Research Award from National Institutes of... - October 5th, 2021
- Epigenetics could reveal if you had a 'vanishing twin' - Popular Science - October 5th, 2021
- Epigenetics: Conducting The Symphony Of Genetics - Forbes - August 5th, 2021