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Christian Froekjaer Jensen

Associate Professor, Bioscience

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division
Email icon cfjensen@kaust.edu.sa
Website icon Synthetic Genome Biology Lab

We develop synthetic biology approaches in C. elegans to understand fundamental biology and engineer novel functions into a multicellular organism. 

Program Affiliations

Biography

Professor Christian Frøkjær-Jensen is an Associate Professor of Bioscience at KAUST, where he has been a faculty member since 2017. Prior to KAUST, he was a visiting instructor at Stanford University, U.S., working with Professor Andrew Fire, and he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah, U.S., with Howard Hughs Medical Institute Investigator Professor Erik M. Jorgensen. Dr. Frøkjær-Jensen earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, an M.Sc. in Neuroscience from the University of Oregon, U.S., and an M.Sc. in Biophysics from the University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on genome engineering, gene regulation, and synthetic biology in C. elegans. His lab has made significant contributions to developing broadly adopted genetic tools and methodologies. 

Research Interests

Professor Frøkjær-Jensen's research is centered on understanding genome organization and epigenetic gene regulation, primarily utilizing the nematode C. elegans as a model system. His lab explores how noncoding DNA elements, such as Periodic A/T Clusters (PATCs), protect genes from epigenetic silencing, and investigates gene features that permit expression from normally repressive chromatin environments. A major focus is the development and application of high-throughput genome editing technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9 and transposon-based systems, to enable genome-scale manipulations. His group has also worked on reprogramming small RNA pathways, like the piRNA pathway, for precise and transgenerational gene silencing, and has defined engineering rules for robust transgene expression and explored non-Mendelian inheritance patterns. The overarching goal of his group is to apply principles of synthetic biology and biological engineering to dissect fundamental biological mechanisms and build novel genetic systems from first principles. 
Keyword tag icon
piRNA CRISPR Transgenerational inheritance Biological engineering Genome organization

Education Profile

  • Research Fellow, Stanford University, 2017

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Utah, 2014

  • Ph.D., Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2008

  • MSc, Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 2004

  • MSc, Biophysics, University of Copenhagen, 2002

Awards and Recognitions

  • Carlsberg Foundation post-doctoral fellowship, 2011-2013  

  • Young Investigator of the Year, Medical School, University of Copenhagen, 2009  

  • Lundbeck Foundation post-doctoral fellowship, 2008-2011 

Publications

  • Priyadarshini, M., Ni, J.Z., Vargas-Velazquez, A.M., Gu, S.G., & Frøkjær-Jensen, C*. "Reprogramming the piRNA pathway for multiplexed and transgenerational gene silencing in C. elegans." Nature Methods 19, no. 2 (2022): 187-194. 

  • Frøkjær-Jensen, C. et al. "An Abundant Class of Non-coding DNA Can Prevent Stochastic Gene Silencing in the C. elegans Germline." Cell 166, no. 2 (2016): 343-357. 

  • Frøkjær-Jensen, C. et al. "Random and targeted transgene insertion in Caenorhabditis elegans using a modified Mos1 transposon." Nature Methods 11, no. 5 (2014): 529-534. 

  • Frøkjær-Jensen, C. et al. "Single-copy insertion of transgenes in Caenorhabditis elegans." Nature Genetics 40, no. 11 (2008): 1375-1383. 

  • Chang, S., Johnston, R.J., Frøkjær-Jensen, C., Lockery, S., & Hobert, O. "MicroRNAs act sequentially and asymmetrically to control chemosensory laterality in the nematode." Nature 430, no. 7001 (2004): 785-789.