RNA Biology Laboratory
RNA Biology Laboratory
About
The RNA Biology Laboratory was formed in 2017 to enhance RNA research at the NCI. Our mission is to carry out cutting-edge research into the roles of RNAs and RNA-protein complexes in cancer and to foster synergistic interactions and cross-disciplinary collaborations between a wide range of RNA scientists and clinicians. Areas under study include the pathways by which RNAs are synthesized, processed and degraded, the mechanisms by which noncoding RNAs and RNA-protein complexes contribute to cell function, the ways in which alterations in RNA metabolism contribute to human cancers, and the development of RNA-based therapies.
Noncoding RNAs & RNPs Section: Dr. Sandra Wolin studies how noncoding RNAs function, how cells recognize and degrade defective RNAs, and how failure to degrade these RNAs affects cell function and contributes to human disease.
Functional Transcriptomics Section: Dr. Thomas Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis studies the impact of post-transcriptional regulation on cell fate decisions and how disruption of pre-mRNA processing contributes to cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders by applying functional genomics approaches.
RNA Mediated Gene Regulation Section: Dr. Shuo Gu focuses on mechanisms of RNA interference, the pathways by which microRNAs are synthesized and degraded and the applications of microRNAs in cancer treatment. Areas of particular interest include the fidelity of microRNA processing and the cellular roles of microRNA modifications.
Molecular Mechanisms of Transcription Section: Dr. Mikhail Kashlev studies how RNAs are synthesized. He conducts biochemical and genetic studies of the mechanisms regulating transcription elongation and RNA polymerase fidelity in E. coli, yeast and mammalian cells. They also investigate the impact of transcription errors in cancer, and study transcription-coupled DNA repair in yeast and mammalian cells.
Messenger RNA Regulation and Decay Section: Dr. Eugene Valkov focuses on structural and biochemical characterization of the messenger RNA degradation machinery and how decay factors interface mechanistically with other post-transcriptional processes such as translational repression and regulation.
Translational Control of Gene Expression Section: Dr. Colin Wu is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of ribosome-mediated translational regulation by ribosome-associated factors and RNA binding proteins. They are also pursuing non-canonical roles of the ribosome in dictating life-or-death cell fate decisions in response to cellular stress in mammalian cells.
PI & Key Staff
Principal Investigators
Key Staff
Job Vacancies
Position | Degree Required | Contact Name | Contact Email |
---|---|---|---|
Senior Investigator/Tenure-Track Investigator - RNA biology | Ph.D. or equivalent, M.D. or equivalent | Patrick Miller | millerp@mail.nih.gov |
Postdoctoral Fellow - Noncoding RNAs and RNPs, RNA Surveillance | Ph.D. or equivalent | Sandra L Wolin | sandra.wolin@nih.gov |
News
2023 Spring Research Festival Poster Blitz - 3rd Place: Karrie Spain, NCI: “Mapping Functional microRNA Target Sites in vivo by RNA Editing”
Congratulations to our 2024 Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE) winners: Sharan Malagobadan, Hyeyeon Nam, James Shamul, Chunmei Shi, Karrie Spain and Arun Prasath Damodaran
Congratulations to Sandra Wolin on her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Yevgen Levdansky 2023 CCR Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award. Congratulations Yevgen.
Congratulations to Sandra Williams and Sandra Wolin for receiving a 2023 FLEX Award.
Congratulations to Aaztli Coria and Sandra Williams for winning poster prizes at the NCI RNA Biology Initiative Retreat!
2022 Spring Research Festival Poster Blitz - 1st Place: Shreya Kordale, NCI: “Genome-wide CRISPR Screening to Uncover Alternative Splicing Regulatory Networks”
Congratulations to Adrianna Hernandez for being awarded an iCURE Fellowship from the NCI.
Congratulations to Sandra Wolin for being elected President of the RNA Society, 2023-2024.
Congratulations to Acong Yang for receiving an 2022 NCI Director's Innovation Award.
Congratulations to Wataru Horikawa, who was awarded a 2022 JSPS-NIH Fellowship.
Congratulations to Joshua Corbo and Xavier Bofill De Ros, who received Best Poster Awards at the 2021 NCI RNA Biology Initiative Retreat
Congratulations to Sandra Wolin for receiving the 2021 Sandra K. Masur Senior Leadership Award from the American Society for Cell Biology.
Congratulations to Ryan Stanton, Outstanding Poster Award and Presentation at the 2021 NIH Postbac Poster Day.
Congratulations to Xinguo Chen, first place and travel award for his oral presentation at the 2021 Staff Scientists/Staff Clinicians Retreat.
Congratulations to Thomas Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis and Michael Aregger for their 2021 FLEX Award: “Development of a scalable combinatorial CRISPR screening platform for high-content single-cell phenotypic screens".
Congratulations to Don Court for receiving the 2020 NCI Director's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Events
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis Lab
Valkov Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Gu Lab
Wolin Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Wang Lab
Valkov Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Wu Lab
Wolin Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Valkov Lab
Wolin Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Gu Lab
Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Valkov Lab
Kashlev Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Wolin Lab
Wu Lab
RBL Lab Meeting - bldg 549/Auditorium
Kashlev Lab
Valkov Lab
Wolin Lab
Gu Lab
Seminars
RNA Biology Laboratory Seminar Series
*The RBL Seminar Series is held in the Bldg. 549 Auditorium and via zoom on Mondays at noon unless otherwise noted*.
Sept 12, 2023 Oct 23, 2023 |
Rotem Karni, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School Nadya Dimitrova, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University |
Nov 1, 2023 |
Leemor Joshua-Tor, Ph.D., Professor & HHMI Investigator, W.M. Keck Professor of Structural Biology |
Nov 13, 2023 |
Kotaro Nakanishi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University |
Dec 11, 2023 |
Susan Carpenter, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz |
Apr 8, 2024 |
Lela Lackey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University |
Apr 22, 2024 |
Sherif Abou Elela, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease, University of Sherbrooke |
May 6, 2024 |
Liang Tong, Ph.D., William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University |
May 20, 2024 |
Homa Ghalei, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine |
Jun 24, 2024 |
Athma Pai, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School |
Jul 22, 2024 |
Angela Brooks, Ph.D., Professor, Biomolecular Engineering, University of California |
Lab Life

Celebrating RNA Day with a picnic

Sandy is elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Celebrating Shuo's promotion to Senior Investigator

Congratulations to Yevgen for his successful defense of his Ph.D. thesis!
Contact
Contact Info
Center for Cancer Research National Cancer Institute
- Building 560, Room 11-82
- Frederick, MD 21702-1201
- 301-846-1245