Gerd Blobel

Gerd Blobel is the Frank E. Weise III Professor of Pediatrics and Co-Director of the Epigenetics Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). His research focuses on chromatin structure, epigenetics, and globin gene regulation, bridging basic science with preclinical studies for sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

Education:

• MD from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, Germany (1986)
• PhD from Rockefeller University, New York (1991)

Blobel investigates spatial organization of genetic regulatory elements in the nucleus, chromatin architecture dynamics across the cell cycle, and mechanisms for reactivating fetal hemoglobin. His lab combines molecular, genomic, biochemical, and imaging techniques with mouse models and CRISPR screening.

Recent work highlights include YY1-controlled regulatory networks, LDB1-mediated enhancer looping, and peptide-assisted genome editing. Publications span Cell, Nature, Science, and Blood, emphasizing chromatin dynamics, transcriptional control, and therapeutic applications.

Lab Members:

• Nick Aboreden (Graduate Student)
• Raymond Carter (Graduate Student)
• Paul Kaminski (MD-PhD Student)
• Jessica Lam (MD-PhD Student)
• Over 20 researchers, including postdocs and technicians