ANN ARBOR—To better understand how RNA in bacteria gives rise to protein—and along the way, target these processes in the design of new antibiotics—researchers are turning their attention to the unique way this process happens in bacteria. In eukaryotic cells, transcription (the process by which information in a DNA strand is copied into messenger RNA)…
Ahmed Malik, Ph.D. MSTP fellow Neuroscience Graduate Program and Department of Neurology Medical School Faculty-Mentor: Sami Barmada, M.D., Ph.D. Barmada Lab Google Scholar READ HIS STORY My dissertation work focused on the DNA- and RNA-binding protein Matrin 3. Mutations in this protein cause inherited neurodegenerative and muscular disease, and Matrin 3 pathology is also seen…
A Ph.D. dissertation is a huge accomplishment, resulting from four, five or more years of intense research and training. To become a Ph.D. is a remarkable challenge both scientifically and intellectually that requires a deep personal and emotional commitment. A doctoral defense is not only the culmination of years of hard work, but it also…
Top left to right: Markos Koutmos, Sara Aton, Chris Lima, and Kevin Weeks; bottom left to right: Feng Zhang, Tracy Johnson and Brenda Bass. At the panel discussion of our 5th Annual Symposium held March 25–26, 2021, we asked the keynote speakers for advice for trainees and mentors. Brenda Bass from the University of Utah,…
With over 550 participants, this two-day symposium virtually gathered the vibrant RNA research community from the University of Michigan (U-M), the US, and around the world. The symposium opened with remarks by Nils Walter, co-director of the U-M Center for RNA Biomedicine, who reminded the attendees of the importance of RNA research for society, as…
Our 5th Annual Symposium,”Processing RNA,” March 25–26, 2021, 11:00–2:30 pm ET Can you match our speakers with their topics? SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION Answer SYMPOSIUM DETAILED INFORMATION
Over 1,450 people attended our webinar with Melissa Moore, Chief Scientific Officer at Moderna Therapeutics, on March 3rd, 2021. In her presentation, Dr. Moore explained how the mRNA vaccine works, and how it was developed in record time of just 45 days. To put an end to this pandemic, she strongly encouraged the audience to…
Karen Montoya is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in Nils Walter’s lab (Department of Chemistry, College of LSA) where she is studying state-of-the-art single molecule spectroscopy and imaging. Montoya’s interests in biosciences were sparked in part by “Osmosis Jones,” an animated action comedy about one white blood cell’s race against the biological clock to hunt…
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 5: March 26, 2021, 11:05–12:00 pm More information on the Symposium Blog by MiSciWriters “Distinguishing self and non-self dsRNA in vertebrates and invertebrates” Brenda Bass, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry University of Utah The Brenda Bass Lab Twitter: @BassLabUtah TALK ABSTRACT When a virus infects an animal cell, including a human cell,…
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 1: March 25, 2021, 11:05–12:00 pm More information on the Symposium Blog by MiSciWriters “RNA Splicing, Chromatin Modification, and the Coordinated Control of Gene expression” Tracy Johnson, Ph.D., University of California – Los Angeles Keith and Cecilia Terasaki Endowed Chair in the Life Sciences Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Howard Hughes…
By Elisabeth Paymal Altogether, over 6,800 rare diseases affect an estimated 25 million to 30 million Americans. These patients who suffer from genetic mutations that often occur within the same family, are still nowadays left with few, if any, therapeutic options. However, RNA on-going discoveries and the development of new technology and tools such as…
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 5: March 26, 2021, 12:10–1:05 pm More information on the Symposium Blog by MiSciWriters “Mechanisms that target RNA for destruction” Christopher D. Lima, Ph.D. Alfred P. Sloan Chair; Chair and Member and Professor, Structural Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Christopher Lima Lab TALK ABSTRACT Decay and…
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 3: March 25, 2021, 1:35–2:30 pm More information on the Symposium Blog by MiSciWriters “Exploration of Biological Diversity to Discover Novel Molecular Technologies” Feng Zhang, Ph.D. James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Professor, Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Biological Engineering at MIT Core Member, Broad…
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 2: March 25, 2021, 12:10–1:05 pm More information on the Symposium Blog by MiSciWriters “Structure-based discovery of new functions in large RNAs” Kevin Weeks, Ph.D. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Chemistry, University of North Carolina The Kevin Weeks Lab TALK ABSTRACT The functions of many RNA molecules – including mRNAs, long non-coding RNAs,…
Photo: Jalihal describing his research based on live cell single particle tracking. Growing up in Chennai, in South India, Ameya Jalihal, Ph.D., has always loved going on nature walks, watching birds, and collecting insects and seashells. While observing nature and biodiversity, young Jalihal had many questions that fueled his passion for life sciences. Inspired by…
More information and required registration are available here. Dr. Melissa Moore, chief scientific officer at Moderna Therapeutics, will be hosted for a virtual seminar on February 10, 2021, 4:00– 5:00pm EST by the University of Michigan Center for RNA Biomedicine as part of the worldwide RNA Collaborative Seminar Series. The title of her talk is:…
In our September 2020 issue of RNA Translated, 2020 the year of the RNA virus, we presented how University of Michigan (U-M) Center for RNA Biomedicine’s scientists pivoted their research to address the COVID-19 pandemic. One of them is Dr. Chinnaiyan and his team of prostate cancer researchers who focused on two proteins that are…
The 2020 Nobel Prize of Chemistry recognizes Emmanuelle Charpentier, Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany, and Jennifer Doudna, University of California, Berkeley, USA, “for the development of a method for genome editing.” Every year, the University of Michigan Complex Systems invites U-M faculty to comment about the Nobel Prizes awards. In…
Only a couple of weeks after defending her Ph.D. thesis in November, Sarah Owen, a graduate student in Chemical Engineering in Dr. Sunitha Nagrath’s lab, landed her dream job. “It all went very fast,” she explained, “I had a seven-hour zoom interview on Thursday, and they offered me the job the following Monday!” In January…
Robb Welty Post-doctoral fellow Chemistry Principal Investigator/Faculty: Nils Walter Google scholar What are your research interests? Academically speaking, my scientific interests lie at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and biology. I suppose that I just enjoy figuring out how systems work. It turns out that physics provides an awesome framework for figuring things out,…
