Fyodor Dmitriyevich Urnov (Russian: Фёдор Дми́триевич Урнов; born 1968) is a Russian-born scientist who has played an important role in the field of genome editing. He is a Professor of Genetics, Genomics, and Development at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves as Director of the Center for Translational Genomics at the university's Innovative Genomics Institute. In 2005, Urnov and his colleagues created the term "genome editing" and showed the first use of ZFNs to change DNA in human cells. Urnov is considered an early leader in the field of genome editing, and his work has been cited many times.
Early life and education
Fyodor Urnov was born in the Soviet Union to a mother who studied languages and a father who analyzed literature. He grew up in Moscow. Urnov's father often bought him books. On his 12th birthday, Urnov received a copy of James D. Watson's book The Double Helix. This book helped Urnov become interested in life sciences.
Urnov studied at Moscow State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1990. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Urnov applied to graduate schools in the United States. He attended Brown University for his doctorate, where he worked as a researcher in Susan Gerbi's lab. Urnov received his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1996.
Career
After graduating, Urnov worked with DNA in the laboratory of Alan Wolffe at the National Institutes of Health. In 2000, Urnov joined Wolffe at Sangamo Therapeutics, where he was hired as Chief Scientific Officer. Shortly after moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Urnov was offered a part-time lecturer position at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2005, Urnov’s team at Sangamo showed the first use of ZFNs to change DNA in human cells and introduced the term "genome editing."
In 2019, Urnov became a professor of Genetics, Genomics, and Development at UC Berkeley and also became the director of the Center for Translational Genomics at the Innovative Genomics Institute.
In 2025, Urnov helped lead a team that developed a customized CRISPR treatment for an infant born with a deadly genetic disease called CPS1 deficiency, six months after the baby was born.
He is a cofounder of Tune Therapeutics, a company that edits the epigenome to treat diseases. Tune is starting a clinical trial in Hong Kong to treat chronic hepatitis B. Tune raised $40 million in its first funding round and $175 million in its second to support its research and development efforts.