ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Non-Coding RNAs: Biology and
Applications, organized by Drs. David L. Spector, Ling-Ling Chen and Anna Marie Pyle. The conference will
be held in Palm Springs, California from May 10-14, 2021.
A large number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with a surprisingly wide-range of cell-type specific
expression profiles are present in human transcriptomes. Emerging evidence points to their critical roles in
human physiology and pathology and some are recognized as potential therapeutic targets. However, many
seminal questions regarding their mechanism of action remain largely unexplored. There is a need to
understand how different regulatory RNAs are processed and regulated, how they act in different physiological
and disease contexts, how their essential structural modules are built, organized, and interact with proteins and
other RNAs in the cell to carry out their functions. Additionally, there is a need to elucidate how the
fundamental biology of regulatory RNA can be translated to therapeutic approaches. Therefore, this
conference will bring together scientists who study the basic biology of diverse types of ncRNA molecules from
generation and processing, structure, mechanisms of action to functional significance in different model
organisms, as well as those who develop cutting-edge RNA technologies, biomarkers and medicines for
translational purposes. It is anticipated that this conference will provide an integrated platform for scientists to
communicate the latest innovative technologies and methodologies that will speed up the exploration of both
fundamental regulatory RNA biology and translational applications.