World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Rudolf Jaenisch

Rudolf Jaenisch

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Best Scientists
2025
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Medicine
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Scientists

D-Index
234
Citations
248185
World Ranking
82
National Ranking
60

Molecular Biology

D-Index
236
Citations
244232
World Ranking
7
National Ranking
4

Medicine

D-Index
237
Citations
250473
World Ranking
51
National Ranking
39

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Medicine in United States Leader Award
  • 2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Medicine in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2024 - Research.com Genetics and Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2013 - Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute
  • 2011 - J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, Robarts Research Institute
  • 2010 - US President's National Medal of Science "For improving our understanding of epigenetic regulation of gene expression: the biological mechanisms that affect how genetic information is variably expressed. His work has led to major advances in our understanding of mammalian cloning and embryonic stem cells.", Presented by President Barack H. Obama in the East Room of the White House on Friday, October 21, 2011.
  • 2006 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
  • 2004 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Genetics/Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
  • 2003 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2002 - Robert Koch Prize
  • 2001 - Gruber Prize in Genetics
  • 1992 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Overview

Rudolf Jaenisch is affiliated with MIT in the United States and specializes in the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology as well as Medicine. Their research spans a broad range of subfields including Molecular Biology, Neurology, Infectious Diseases, Genetics, and Immunology.

The scientist's work addresses several key topics, notably CRISPR and Genetic Engineering, Pluripotent Stem Cells Research, Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms, Pancreatic function and diabetes, and Immune cells in cancer.

Rudolf Jaenisch has published extensively in various scientific venues. Frequent publication outlets include bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) with 23 publications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with 6, Nature Communications and iScience with 4 each, and SSRN Electronic Journal also with 4 publications.

The scientist has collaborated regularly with several co-authors, notably Alexsia Richards, Andrew Khalil, M. Inmaculada Barrasa, Richard A. Young, and Tenzin Lungjangwa.

Among recent publications are:

  • Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues, 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • In situ genome sequencing resolves DNA sequence and structure in intact biological samples, 2021, Science
  • MeCP2 links heterochromatin condensates and neurodevelopmental disease, 2020, Nature
  • The role of GABAergic signalling in neurodevelopmental disorders, 2021, Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
  • Human physiomimetic model integrating microphysiological systems of the gut, liver, and brain for studies of neurodegenerative diseases, 2021, Science Advances

Rudolf Jaenisch has been recognized with several awards including the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute (2013), the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine from Robarts Research Institute (2011), and the US President's National Medal of Science in 2010. The citation for the latter highlights contributions to understanding epigenetic regulation of gene expression and advances in mammalian cloning and embryonic stem cells. Additional honors include membership in the National Academy of Medicine (2006) and the National Academy of Sciences (2003), the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2004), the Robert Koch Prize (2002), the Gruber Prize in Genetics (2001), and fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1992.

Best Publications

  • Epigenetic regulation of gene expression: how the genome integrates intrinsic and environmental signals

    Rudolf Jaenisch;Adrian Bird

  • Targeted mutation of the DNA methyltransferase gene results in embryonic lethality.

    En Li;Timothy H. Bestor;Rudolf Jaenisch

  • A Bivalent Chromatin Structure Marks Key Developmental Genes in Embryonic Stem Cells

    Bradley E. Bernstein;Tarjei S. Mikkelsen;Tarjei S. Mikkelsen;Xiaohui Xie;Michael Kamal

  • Core transcriptional regulatory circuitry in human embryonic stem cells.

    Laurie A. Boyer;Tong Ihn Lee;Megan F. Cole;Sarah E. Johnstone

  • Genome-wide maps of chromatin state in pluripotent and lineage-committed cells

    Tarjei S. Mikkelsen;Manching Ku;Manching Ku;David B. Jaffe;Biju Issac;Biju Issac

  • Chromatin signature reveals over a thousand highly conserved large non-coding RNAs in mammals

    Mitchell Guttman;Ido Amit;Manuel Garber;Courtney French

  • Histone H3K27ac separates active from poised enhancers and predicts developmental state

    Menno P. Creyghton;Albert W. Cheng;G. Grant Welstead;Tristan G. Kooistra

  • One-step generation of mice carrying mutations in multiple genes by CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome engineering.

    Haoyi Wang;Hui Yang;Chikdu S. Shivalila;Meelad M. Dawlaty

  • In vitro reprogramming of fibroblasts into a pluripotent ES-cell-like state

    Marius Wernig;Alexander Meissner;Ruth Foreman;Tobias Brambrink

  • Polycomb complexes repress developmental regulators in murine embryonic stem cells

    Laurie A. Boyer;Kathrin Plath;Kathrin Plath;Julia Zeitlinger;Tobias Brambrink

  • Role for DNA methylation in genomic imprinting

    E. Li;C. Beard;R. Jaenisch

  • Genome-scale DNA methylation maps of pluripotent and differentiated cells

    Alexander Meissner;Tarjei S. Mikkelsen;Tarjei S. Mikkelsen;Hongcang Gu;Marius Wernig

  • WT-1 is required for early kidney development

    Jordan A. Kreidberg;Hannu Sariola;Janet M. Loring;Masahiro Maeda

  • Control of developmental regulators by Polycomb in human embryonic stem cells.

    Tong Ihn Lee;Richard G. Jenner;Laurie A. Boyer;Matthew G. Guenther

  • Epigenetic memory in induced pluripotent stem cells

    K. Kim;A. Doi;B. Wen;K. Ng

  • HIF-1α Is Essential for Myeloid Cell-Mediated Inflammation

    Thorsten Cramer;Yuji Yamanishi;Björn E Clausen;Irmgard Förster

  • A Chromatin Landmark and Transcription Initiation at Most Promoters in Human Cells

    Matthew G. Guenther;Stuart S. Levine;Laurie A. Boyer;Rudolf Jaenisch

  • Directly Reprogrammed Fibroblasts Show Global Epigenetic Remodeling and Widespread Tissue Contribution

    Nimet Maherali;Rupa Sridharan;Wei Xie;Jochen Utikal

  • MyoD or Myf-5 is required for the formation of skeletal muscle

    Michael A. Rudnicki;Patrick N.J. Schnegelsberg;Ronald H. Stead;Thomas Braun

  • Treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia Mouse Model with iPS Cells Generated from Autologous Skin

    Jacob Hanna;Marius Wernig;Marius Wernig;Styliani Markoulaki;Styliani Markoulaki;Chiao-Wang Sun;Chiao-Wang Sun

Frequent Co-Authors

Konrad Hochedlinger
Konrad Hochedlinger Harvard University
Alexander Meissner
Alexander Meissner Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics
Kevin Eggan
Kevin Eggan Harvard University
Jacob H. Hanna
Jacob H. Hanna Weizmann Institute of Science
Marius Wernig
Marius Wernig Stanford University
Eric S. Lander
Eric S. Lander Broad Institute
Guoping Fan
Guoping Fan University of California, Los Angeles
Dirk Hockemeyer
Dirk Hockemeyer University of California, Berkeley
Christopher J. Lengner
Christopher J. Lengner University of Pennsylvania

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