RNA

MIT biological engineers have devised a way to regulate the expression of RNA once it gets into cells, giving them precise control over the dose of protein that a patient receives, as shown in this conceptual image.

This RNA-based technique could make gene therapy more effective

Biological engineers design RNA circuits that enable precise control over the dose of therapeutic protein a patient receives.

October 16, 2018

New assistant professor of biology and Whitehead Institute member Ankur Jain uses a combination of innovative approaches to investigate the biology of RNA aggregation.

Ankur Jain joins Whitehead Institute and the Department of Biology

Biophysicist will investigate the biology of RNA aggregation.

June 11, 2018

Researchers have taken an in-depth look at RNA-protein interactions, determining the sequence, structure, and context preferences of RNA-binding proteins in a high throughput manner.

Decoding RNA-protein interactions

Scientists leverage one step, unbiased method to characterize the binding preferences of more than 70 human RNA-binding proteins.

June 7, 2018

Network of diverse noncoding RNAs acts in the brain

Scientists identify the first known network consisting of three types of regulatory RNAs.

June 7, 2018

MIT researchers have discovered that enzymes performing the same function in yeast and bacteria may have different structures, but are present in the same relative amounts within each type of cell.

Scientists find different cell types contain the same enzyme ratios

New discovery suggests that all life may share a common design principle.

March 29, 2018

A collection of SHERLOCK paper test strips. (Left) Unused paper strips, (middle) paper tests displaying a negative SHERLOCK readout, and (right) paper tests displaying a positive SHERLOCK readout.

Researchers advance CRISPR-based tool for diagnosing disease

With SHERLOCK, a strip of paper can now indicate presence of pathogens, tumor DNA, or any genetic signature of interest.

February 15, 2018

A new “REPAIR” system edits RNA, rather than DNA.

Researchers engineer CRISPR to edit single RNA letters in human cells

“REPAIR” system edits RNA, rather than DNA; has potential to treat diseases without permanently affecting the genome.

October 25, 2017

MIT researchers have adapted the CRISPR genome-editing system to identify genes that protect cells from a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease.

New technique scours the genome for genes that combat disease

Biological engineers identify genes that protect against protein linked to Parkinson’s disease.

October 12, 2017

JoAnne Stubbe has been awarded the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize for her work illuminating the mechanism of ribonucleotide reductase.

JoAnne Stubbe wins Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

Awarded annually by The Rockefeller University, the award recognizes accomplishments of outstanding women in science.

October 10, 2017

MIT professors James Collins (left) and Feng Zhang are co-authors of a new paper reporting that an RNA-targeting CRISPR enzyme can be harnessed as a highly sensitive detector able to indicate the presence of as little as a single molecule of a target RNA or DNA.

Scientists unveil CRISPR-based diagnostic platform

New system adapts tool known for gene editing; to be used in rapid, inexpensive disease diagnosis.

April 13, 2017

MIT researchers have devised a new vaccine candidate for the Zika virus. “It functions almost like a synthetic virus, except it’s not pathogenic and it doesn’t spread,” says postdoc Omar Khan.

Progress toward a Zika vaccine

Researchers program RNA nanoparticles that could protect against the virus.

March 29, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a portable technology, known as Seq-Well, that can rapidly prepare the RNA of many cells for sequencing simultaneously.

Making single-cell RNA sequencing widely available

Portable tool could help scientists learn more about cells’ roles in many diseases.

February 13, 2017

Four nucleotides, abbreviated A, C, G, and T, spell out DNA sequences that code for all of the proteins cells need. MIT researchers have now discovered another layer of control, mediated by transfer RNA, that helps cells to rapidly divert resources in emergency situations.

Cracking the code for dormant bacteria

Newly discovered genetic code controls bacterial survival during infections.

November 11, 2016

In a new study, MIT biologists have deciphered the structure of one type of long noncoding RNA and used that information to figure out how it interacts with a cellular protein to control the development of heart muscle cells.

Linking RNA structure and function

Biologists have discovered how an enigmatic type of RNA helps to control cell fate.

September 8, 2016

“This nanoformulation approach allows us to make vaccines against new diseases in only seven days, allowing the potential to deal with sudden outbreaks or make rapid modifications and improvements,” says Daniel Anderson, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Institute for Medical Engineeri...

Engineers design programmable RNA vaccines

Tests in mice show the vaccines work against Ebola, influenza, and a common parasite.

July 4, 2016

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