The central dogma asserts that the information written in our DNA code is transcribed into RNA which is translated in protein. But this fundamental principle alone greatly oversimplifies many complicated and intricate processes that work together to specify the gene expression program. While every cell contains the same genetic code, each produces a different set of translated proteins at a given time. Consequently, the cell must respond to its environment to control gene expression and meet its changing metabolic needs. To date, the RNA field has made several foundational discoveries that highlight the importance of RNA in gene regulation: (1) RNA forms complexes with protein partners and o...

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The central dogma asserts that the information written in our DNA code is transcribed into RNA which is translated in protein. But this fundamental principle alone greatly oversimplifies many complicated and intricate processes that work together to specify the gene expression program. While every cell contains the same genetic code, each produces a different set of translated proteins at a given time. Consequently, the cell must respond to its environment to control gene expression and meet its changing metabolic needs. To date, the RNA field has made several foundational discoveries that highlight the importance of RNA in gene regulation: (1) RNA forms complexes with protein partners and other RNAs to regulate gene expression; (2) RNAs can undergo modification and be alternatively spliced to control RNA fates and diversify the genetic code; (3) The dysregulation of RNA has been implicated in several diseases, including many forms of cancer. This growing interest in RNA-focused research has created a great opportunity to transition from describing RNA-mediated processes to predicting the functional consequences of manipulating RNA within these processes. My research program will take an interdisciplinary approach to meet this great challenge. We will combine fundamental biochemistry, high-throughput genomics, and translational chemical biology to advance our understanding of RNA regulation and how disease mutations impact the intricate gene expression program. We will develop models to predict the effects of RNA folding, RNA-protein interactions, and RNA modifications on gene expression for any RNA sequence. We will then study how those interactions are disturbed in cancer cells. Finally, we will use the knowledge of predictive models will revolutionize the development of cancer therapies that target RNA. This unique approach has the potential to transform our understanding of RNA gene regulation in cancer and to reveal the power of RNA-targeted therapeutics.

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