6th Annual RNA Symposium, “Towards our Future of RNA Therapeutics” Friday, March 25, 2022, 8:30am – 4:00pm A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Bldg, Kahn Auditorium 109 Zina Pitcher Pl, Ann Arbor, Michigan Thank you to our sponsors:
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…
Adrien Chauvier, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Walter Lab Chemistry, LSA Your research interests in less than 100 words I aim to understand how RNA modulates gene expression using riboswitches as a model system. Riboswitches are structural elements that regulate transcription or translation through structural conformational change triggered by the binding of a specific ligand….
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…
Read about our 2020-21 Seminar season here. Monday, June 14, 4:00 pm, Yousuf Khan, Stanford and Mike McMillan, University of Michigan – Link to recording Monday, May 17, 4:00 pm, Thomas Martinez, Salk Institute for Biological Studies Monday, May 3, 4:00 pm, Olivia Rissland, University of Colorado, Medical School Monday, April 19, 4:00 pm, Jailson…
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…
Jun Hee Lee, Ph.D. Associate Professor Molecular & Integrative Physiology Medical School Lee Lab Scientific interest video We study the relationship between stress, aging and metabolism, focusing on the following projects: (1) Stress-inducible Sestrins and their role in age- and obesity-associated metabolic pathologies, (2) Biochemical mechanisms underlying physiological functions of Sestrins, (3) Pathogenetic mechanisms of…
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…
Alyssa English, Ph.D. Postdoctoral research fellow Human Genetics, Medical School Faculty-Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Moon Moon Lab Website Alyssa’s LinkedIn Alyssa’s Twitter Alyssa’s Google Scholar Mutations in EIF2AK2, a crucial regulator of protein biosynthesis, memory storage, and synaptic plasticity, are associated with the genetic neurodevelopmental disorder Leukoencephalopathy, Developmental Delay, and Episodic Neurologic Regression (LEUDEN) syndrome…
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…
Sydney Rosenblum Graduate Student Program in Chemical Biology Rackham Graduate School Faculty-Mentor: Amanda Garner Garner Lab Broadly, I am interested in RNA and RNA-protein interactions as drug targets and using chemical biology to develop methods of probing or inhibiting those interactions. How does RNA relate to your research interests, and why? I…
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…
Rachel Torrez Graduate Student, Ph.D. Candidate Department of Medicinal Chemistry College of Pharmacy Faculty-Mentor: Dr. Amanda Garner and Dr. Melanie Ohi Twitter: @torrez_rach Linkedin Ohi Lab Garner Lab My research focuses on using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to study the structure and function of an enzyme called DICER1. DICER1 is a large, highly dynamic, multidomain…
Maha Hanafi, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy Alumna, April 2021 Faculty-Mentor: Professor Nouri Neamati LinkedIn: Maha Zidan My research involves drug discovery where I focus on identifying novel anticancer agents for the treatment of various cancers especially pancreatic cancer being one of the most aggressive malignancies. I am always excited about my research and…
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,…
