Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4/30/2025
Mechanisms of RNA Decay - PROJECT SUMMARY A counterbalance to RNA synthesis, RNA degradation is critical for regulating gene expression. The understanding that RNA degradation is critical for gene expression traces back to 1959 when Pardee, Jacob and Monod demonstrated in a historical paper that there had to be an unstable intermediate directing protein synthesis. Groundbreaking research over the past decades led to the identification of a variety of specific and tightly regulated RNA decay pathways and biochemical characterization of the enzymes involved in them, both in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. The clinical applications in the post-transcriptional regulation/RNA field are now being realized with the initial development of Nusinersen/Spinraza® to successfully treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy and the more recent description of Milasin® to treat a single patient through a personalized RNA therapy. Of course, in 2020, RNA burst onto the global stage in a way we could not have predicted with the COVID-19 RNA virus impacting life as we know it across the globe. Who would or could have guessed that RNA could also represent a potential path back to a new normal via the rapid development and deployment of the first mRNA vaccines. All these examples highlight why the FASEB meeting on ‘Mechanisms of RNA Decay’ is timely. This meeting has developed into a unique conference that brings together the leading experts in RNA decay in humans and other metazoan animals, plants, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. This meeting is the 13th is a series of FASEB meetings on this topic where there is a long tradition of sharing key discoveries, building collaborations, and contributing to career development for junior scientists in the field. This meeting, held August 18–22, 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal, is co-organized by three leaders in the RNA decay field, Dr. Olivia Rissland from University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA, Dr. Alicia Bicknell from Moderna Therapeutics, and Dr. Oliver Muhlemann from University of Bern, Switzerland. We propose three specific aims for this meeting: 1) Bringing together the international community working on RNA degradation and providing an intellectually stimulating and mutually supportive forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest advances in the field; 2) Providing an inclusive and friendly environment for establishing collaborations between researchers studying RNA degradation with different approaches and in different organisms; and 3) Encouraging productive interactions between a diverse group of both junior scientists and world leaders in the RNA degradation field. In keeping with the meeting goals, the organizers are committed to inclusive excellence: Among the 28 invited speakers, there are 13 women (46%) and a well-balanced gender ratio will be ensured among the 25 additional oral presentations that will be selected from the submitted abstracts. Also, among the 10 session chairs, six are women. We are excited to include trainee co-chairs, who will be selected from the short-talk presenters. The long-term goal is to continue a successful meeting series that addresses modern and timely topics in RNA decay and strengthens the interactions within a diverse and inclusive community of collaborative scientists and colleagues.
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