Institute of Genomics and RNomics
Cells from all organisms contain two different types of RNA molecules: messenger RNAs and so-called “non-protein-coding RNAs” (ncRNAs). NcRNAs are involved in numerous biological processes mainly affecting the regulation of gene expression on the level of transcription or translation respectively. The Institute for Genomics & RNomics aims to understand the function and roles of different types of ncRNAs in health and disease. The research interests include the identification of regulatory ncRNAs involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or neurodevelopmental diseases such as Prader-Willi syndrome. More recent projects also include the study of mitochondrial derived tRNA genes found in introns of pre-mRNAs in the nuclear genome and their impact on splicing. Importantly, various aspects of protein synthesis and its regulation by RNA modifications are studied at the Institute of Genomics & RNomics leading to a deeper understanding of genome evolution and opening novel pathways for gene therapy.