The Center for RNA Biomedicine offers bi-weekly RNA Innovation Seminars that feature visiting professors, U of M faculty, and students. The seminars cover a broad array of topics about RNA research and its application. In addition to learning about the latest research in the field, it is an opportunity to meet colleagues, network, and foster…
Dr. Stephanie Moon is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School, and a faculty scholar at the U-M Center for RNA Biomedicine. She joined our RNA community in January 2020, and is the first RNA BSI faculty hire. Dr. Moon brings to Michigan an extensive experience…
The cell is a complex network of interacting components, or molecules, each of them with its own characteristics and all of them together functioning as a living system. Each of the molecular processes and interactions in the cell bears the risk of becoming dysfunctional, resulting in disease. Biomedical research into processes that power the cell…
Over half of our genomes are made of repeating elements within DNA. In rare cases, these repeats can become unstable and grow in size. These repeat “expansions” cause neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Dementia as well as learning disorders and autism in Fragile X syndrome. Research to date has focused on how these expanded…
Amanda Garner, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Medicinal Chemistry The Garner Laboratory is developing novel high-throughput screening assays for the discovery of chemical probes for targeting microRNAs and microRNA-microRNA-binding protein interactions. In addition, we are engaged in the discovery of new microRNA-binding proteins using chemical biology and proteomic approaches. Visit Lab Website Follow on Twitter:…
Ian Hall Graduate Student Keane Lab Department of Chemistry Who/what brought you to science? I had excellent mentors in high school and college that encouraged me to pursue science. What are your research interests? I study the structure and function of regulatory RNAs. I am interested in the molecular mechanisms by which RNA…
Sarah Owen Ph.D. Candidate Sunitha Nagrath’s lab Department of Chemical Engineering Who/what brought you to science?I have always enjoyed biology and have been fascinated by its complexities. Everything is profoundly interconnected, from within a single cell to the tissue and organism level, and I wanted to understand how it all works. What are your research…
Elizabeth Tidwell Graduate Student, Markos Koutmos Group Program in Biophysics Who/what brought you to science? From a young age, I wanted to understand the reasons behind natural phenomena. During my pre-college and college education, I became fascinated with the interconnection between math, chemistry, and biology; how they can be combined to explain what…
Vivian G. Cheung, M.D. Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Pediatric Research Research Professor, U-M Life Sciences Institute Professor of Pediatrics, U-M Medical School Professor of Human Genetics, U-M Medical School Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute We study regulation of transcription; in particular, RNA-DNA sequence differences, RNA polymerase pausing and R-loop. We are interested in the…
Monica Dus, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology The Dus lab is interested in understanding how the environment reshapes brain and behavior. To this end we are studying how diet changes the physiology of the brain by altering metabolic-epigenetic pathways at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, and how this,…
Jayakrishnan Nandakumar, Ph.D. Associate Professor Departments of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology We are interested in the biogenesis, trafficking, recruitment to telomeres, and catalytic mechanism of the RNP enzyme telomerase. We are also investigating other noncoding RNAs that are involved in gene regulation. Visit Lab Website Follow on Twitter: @LabNandakumar What are your research…
Carlos Andres Aguilar, PhD Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering The long-term goal of the NOBEL (nano-omic-bio-engineering-laboratory) is to make breakthroughs in medicine and biology that instill hope and inspire others. To accomplish this feat, we develop, optimize and apply innovative technologies such as integrative genomic assays and high-throughput sequencing, micro/nanofabricated devices, genome…
Kaushik Ragunathan Assistant Professor Department of Biological Chemistry My lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms that define how the combinatorial logic of histone modifications and its dynamic interactions with histone binding proteins encodes stable and heritable patterns of gene expression. We take a multidisciplinary perspective that synthesizes genetics, biochemistry and biophysical approaches to capture…
Charles L. Brooks III Cyrus Levinthal Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and Biophysics Warner-Lambert/Park-Davis Professor of Chemistry Professor of Biophysics, Director of Biophysics Our group studies RNA structure, dynamics and folding using both all atom and coarse grained models. Current interests involve the assembly of the ribosome and it’s functional dynamics, the folding of complex…
We explore single cell transcriptomes through single cell RNASeq. Primarily focused on cancer. Visit Website What are your research interests? I am interested in the interaction between the cancer and the microenvironment. This includes exploring how both macromolecules and physical forces modulate cancer growth. In addition, our lab focuses on single cell analysis technologies…
Xiang Zhou, Ph.D. Associate Professor Departments of Biostatistics We develop statistical methods and computational tools for analyzing array based or sequencing based RNA studies. Example application areas include differential expression analysis, removing batch effects, controlling for individual relatedness or population stratification, single cell RNA sequencing studies. Visit Lab Website Follow on Twitter: @xzlab_org What…
Andrew Ludlow, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Movement Science Director, Integrative Molecular Genetics Laboratory School of Kinesiology Broadly, my laboratory studies telomere and telomerase biology. We are interested in the gene expression regulation of telomere maintaining genes, such as telomerase component hTERT. We focus on the gene expression regulation by alternative RNA splicing by studying…
POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: Telomerase Holoenzyme Assembly, Structure, and Action at Telomeres Kathleen Collins (UC Berkeley) Hosted by: Department of Chemistry POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: NCI RNA Imaging and Intracellular Dynamics Workshop (flyer) Porter Neuroscience Center, Building 35, Rooms 610/620/630 Website: https://ncifrederick.cancer.gov/events/conferences/NCIRNAWorkshop VIRTUAL: RNA Center Journal Club April 2, 4pm, BlueJeans link: https://bluejeans.com/2968484075/…
Aaron Frank, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Departments of Biophysics and Chemistry In order to understand the relationship between molecular structure and dynamics and biological function, the Frank research group seeks to develop and deploy integrative modeling tools to elucidate the structure and dynamics of biologically relevant molecules. We are primarily interested in using our methods to…
Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.N. Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology Director, Program for Neurology Research & Discovery Director, ALS Center of Excellence Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degeneration of motor neurons that develops from a complex interaction of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. We are investigating the role of altered…
