ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Small Regulatory RNAs: From Bench to
Bedside, organized by Drs. Frank Slack, Jörg Vogel, Ivan Martinez and Karyn Schmidt. The conference will be
held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from May 1-4, 2022.
RNA-based therapeutics are already approved for a variety of human diseases. A large and diverse set of
small regulatory RNAs have emerged as key regulators of gene expression during development and cellular
homeostasis and are frequently mis-expressed in human disease. Their small size and molecular properties
make small RNAs amenable as targets and therapeutics and provide physicians with a powerful new battery of
agents to diagnose and treat disease. However, while thousands of small RNAs are known, relatively little is
known about their roles and targets, and there is still a limited application of these molecules in the clinic. This
conference program is designed to explore the exciting biology of small regulatory RNAs and to highlight the
best current research into the role that small RNAs play in fundamental processes. Additionally, other
sessions will focus on the latest efforts to harness the power of these RNAs as agents in the fight against
disease and provide the basic understanding that will drive the invention of powerful clinical tools. Dedicated
sessions will focus on therapeutic applications of microRNA and siRNA in areas of high interest such as
oncology, as well as diverse conditions ranging from rare genetic disorders to kidney disease, fibrosis, hepatitis
and wound healing. It is anticipated that this conference will attract the many researchers working in small
RNAs to come together to engage in critical discussions that will advance the field and accelerate the bench to
bedside translation of this technology. Finally, this conference will provide a stimulating environment where
students, postdocs and junior investigators can present and discuss their research with the best minds in the
field.