RNA Featured Researcher – Maria G. Castro – Neurosurgery and Cell & Developmental Biology

Maria G. Castro, Ph.D. Professor, Neurosurgery and Cell and Developmental Biology Medical School Tweeter: @castro2355_mg Research Gate: Maria G. Castro LinkedIn Lab Website Google Scholar: Maria G Castro Dr Castro’s research program focuses on epigenetic regulation of brain cancer progression, uncovering the role of oncometabolites in the tumor microenvironment.  Her program also aims to develop immunotherapies…

RNA Featured Researcher – Daniel Wilinski, Department Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Daniel Wilinski, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow; Principal Investigator/Faculty Dr. Monica Dus Department Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology College of LSA My research is aimed at understanding how metabolism modulates the control of brain RNAs. Currently, I am investigating how dietary sugar impacts dynamic neuronal RNA modifications which are necessary to maintain proper glucose homeostasis. NIH National…

RNA Featured Researcher – Patricia Wittkopp, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology

Patricia Wittkopp, Ph.D. Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Sally L. Allen Collegiate Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, College of LSA Lab Website Google Scholar My research aims to understand the genetic, molecular, and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for phenotypic differences within and between species. Changes in gene expression are…

RNA Translated, our magazine and brief report, is out!

RNA Translated’s main focus is on “2020, the year of the RNA viruses,” with representative contributions from 10 RNA faculty members. We also feature our two Research Cores and broadly report on the Center’s activity with a few highlights. With this publication, we aim to showcase the outstanding achievements and deep impact of the scientific collaborations…

Thank you to our postdocs!

On the occasion of the National Postdoc Appreciation Week, September 21st–25th, the University of Michigan (U-M) Center for RNA Biomedicine’s community warmly thanks UM’s postdocs for their tremendous contributions to the field of RNA research and to the life of our scientific community. According to the U-M Postdoctoral Association (UMPDA), an estimated 1,400 to 1,600…

From the Center’s co-directors, Fall 2020

Dear Colleagues, While the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing major disruptions as well as many inconveniences, it also offers some new opportunities; perhaps now is the most opportune time to make new interpersonal connections, start new scientific collaborations, and broaden one’s horizons by learning from others. Through our activities below, we aim to support the…

RNA Faculty Spotlight – Sami Barmada, Neurology

Sami Barmada, M.D., Ph.D. Associate professor Neurology, Medical School Website What is the role of RNA in your research? RNA homeostasis is crucial for neuronal function and health. We study the regulation of RNA and protein homeostasis, and how abnormalities in these processes lead to neurodegenerative diseases. The image shows two neurons — the one…

RNA Featured Researcher – Lydia Freddolino, Biological Chemistry

Lydia Freddolino, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Biological Chemistry, Medical School Lab website Google scholar profile In general, I’m interested in how and why bacteria make decisions. We have a love/hate relationship with bacteria: half the time we want them to make things for us, the other half, we want to kill them. Knowing how the regulatory…

Our members’ promotions:

Four Associate Professors and one Professor! The Board of Regents of May 21st, 2020, approved recommendations for new appointments and promotions for regular associate and full professor ranks of the University of Michigan. The following Center for RNA Biomedicine’s members were further appointed:   Sami J. Barmada, associate professor of neurology, with tenure, Medical School…

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“Kinetic fingerprinting” of single protein molecules to find the biomarker needle in the haystack

  A cross-disciplinary team of scientists from the University of Michigan (U-M) has developed a biochemical technique that successfully measures the number of individual protein molecules present in blood at low concentrations. These findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), September 2020. The scientists developed special antibody probes that…

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Stressed cellular proteins break social distancing rules

By Elisabeth Paymal A team of scientists associated with the University of Michigan Center for RNA Biomedicine discovered unexpected cellular adaptation mechanisms in response to dehydration. The observed protein reaction has never been reported before. The research began while observing processing bodies (P-Bodies), which are membrane-less organelles (MLO) involved in RNA degradation in human cells….

RNA Faculty Spotlight – Amanda Garner, Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy

Amanda Garner Associate Professor, Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy Member of our Executive Committee   Lab Website Twitter: @ALGchembio The Garner Laboratory uses chemical biology, medicinal chemistry and molecular and cellular biology approaches to investigate the high-risk/high-reward areas of targeting microRNAs, RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions for probe and drug discovery. These efforts are part of…

RNA Faculty Spotlight – Sara Aton, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

  Sara Aton, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology College of LSA Lab Website Google Scholar profile ResearchGate profile Research interests The functions of sleep are a major unsolved mystery in modern biology. Increasing evidence suggests that sleep is by and for the brain, and our lab is focused on understanding what sleep…

S. Moon and N. Walter receive the CZI Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award

ANN ARBOR, MI, AUGUST 19, 2020—”A pair” of scientists from the University of Michigan (U-M) Center for RNA Biomedicine receives the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Awards. The U-M Center for RNA Biomedicine brought together two scientists for this highly competitive grant: principal investigator Stephanie Moon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Human Genetics,…

RNA Featured Researcher – Sethu Pitchiaya, Urology and Michigan Center for Translational Pathology

Sethu Pitchiaya, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Urology Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology Medical school   Website: https://www.pathology.med.umich.edu/faculty/sethu Website: https://sethupitchiaya.org/ Twitter: @SethuPitchiaya Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=flPaAgUAAAAJ&hl=en I want to understand the fundamental principles governing RNA(-based) regulation and learn how this regulatory program goes awry in cancer. To do so, I take a spatially-resolved single-cell and single-molecule…

Run into Grant Sprints!

The Center for RNA Biomedicine is offering Grant Sprints. For more information, please contact Maria Stieve. Photo: Grant Sprint at the U-M Center for RNA Biomedicine, October 2019, clockwise from left to right, Elizabeth Tidwell, Markos Koutmos, Aaron Frank, Brandon Ruotolo, Varun Gadkari. Curiosity and passion lead scientists to their field of research, but a…

RNA Featured Researcher — Joshi Alumkal, Hematology-Oncology

Joshi J. Alumkal, M.D. Professor, Associate Division Chief for Basic Research, Hematology-Oncology Division; Section Head, Genitourinary Medical Oncology Section, Internal Medicine, Medical School Visit Lab Website View Michigan Research Experts Profile Follow on Twitter: @AlumkalJoshi Our lab is focused on transcriptional regulation and how that contributes to lethal prostate cancer progression. We use biochemical, genomic,…

RNA Faculty Spotlight – Alan Boyle, Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, and Human Genetics

Alan Boyle Assistant Professor Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics Human Genetics Lab Website Twitter: @AP_Boyle Michigan Experts   What are your research interests? My research group uses computational and wet lab techniques to study how genes are controlled in human cells. We have a large focus on how human variation can change this control and how…