Photo: Adrien Chauvier, Ph.D., in the Nils Walter’s lab (Credit: Laura Penabad-Peña) Dr. Adrien Chauvier’s journey has taken him around the world, from the Amazon rainforest to Michigan snowy winters, and his passion for science has never left him. He is now a postdoctoral fellow in Nils Walter’s lab, in the Department of Chemistry…
While some students may think it’s a good idea to pull an all-nighter before an exam, conventional wisdom may be correct: a good night’s sleep may actually be more helpful, according to University of Michigan research. U-M scientists Sara Aton and James Delorme found when mice are sleep deprived, there is an increase in activity…
by Elisabeth Paymal Often overlooked because they might not alter the amino acid production, splicing defects can play an important role in rare genetic pituitary gland diseases. Several clinical endocrinologists and bioinformaticians, led by Sally Camper and Jacob Kitzman, Professors of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS), came together to further…
For most organisms, DNA sequences are available, but the complete RNA sequences are not. Here, we call for technologies to sequence full-length RNAs with all their modifications. Article co-authored by Dr. Vivian Cheung, member of our Center. Publication: Alfonzo, J.D., Brown, J.A., Byers, P.H. et al. A call for direct sequencing of full-length RNAs to identify all…
Sometimes it takes exploration outside our usual interests to find our true passion. This is what happened to Sydney Rosenblum, now a graduate student in Rackham Graduate School Program in Chemical Biology, in Professor Amanda Garner’s lab. In high school, Sydney felt that “science was not for her,” somewhat irrelevant or too abstract, until she…
by Elisabeth Paymal In an article published in the journal RNA [1] , Karan Bedi, a bioinformatician in Mats Ljungman’s lab, Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School, investigated the efficiency of splicing across different human cell types. The results were surprising in that the splicing process appears to be quite…
As we are hosting our last seminar of the academic year with the RNA Collaborative Seminar Series this Wednesday, June 30th, we want to give special thanks to the infallible support we have received from LSA Technology Services. Like all of us, we were quite baffled by the pandemic social distancing and the necessity to…
As we end the 2020–21 academic year, we’re still pondering the impact of RNA research on the pandemic that is changing the world we live in. As RNA scientists, we applaud the mRNA vaccine development and how scientists pivoted their research to contribute to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research. These extraordinary scientific achievements and the pandemic…
One of the challenges of becoming an expert is to keep exploring broadly while being highly focused. Alyssa English, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Stephanie Moon’s lab, has found that by extensively studying basic science and rigorously applying the scientific method, she has acquired a strong foundation that allows her to tackle many different…
On May 20th, 2021, the Board of Regents approved the following promotions of our RNA research community members: Dawen Cai, associate professor of cell and developmental biology, with tenure, Medical School, and associate professor of biophysics, without tenure, College of LSA (featured scientist) Justin A. Colacino, associate professor of environmental health sciences, with tenure, and associate…
With great sadness we join the entire University of Michigan community in mourning Charles R. Doering, Ph.D., and expressing our deepest condolences to his colleagues, friends and loved ones. Charles (Charlie) Doering was the Nicholas D. Kazarinoff Collegiate Professor of Complex Systems, Mathematics and Physics and was the Director of the Center for the Study…
Neurons result from a highly complex and unique series of cell divisions. For example, in fruit flies, the process starts with stem cells that divide into mother cells (progenitor cells), that then divide into precursor cells that eventually become neurons. A team of the University of Michigan (U-M), spearheaded by Nigel Michki, a graduate student,…
Launched at the initiative of the University of Michigan Center for RNA Biomedicine, and inaugurated on April 22, 2020, with a seminar hosted by the Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, the RNA Collaborative Seminar Series is a growing grassroots effort, now supported by the international RNA Society and involving 21 RNA research partners…
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)…
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…
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…
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…