Towards programmable RNA materials

Abstract: Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a structurally diverse and functionally rich molecule. RNA uses specific sequences as well as canonical (AU/GC) and non-canonical base pairing interactions to form tertiary structures that have significant roles in regulating cellular activity and sequestering molecules. This presentation will focus on rational design approaches and experimental techniques for the synthesis of scalable multi-stranded RNA nanoarchitectures that form micronsized assemblies. These assemblies undergo nanoscale organization and range from defined rigid crystalline patterns to amorphous dynamic structures. Functional RNA domains are incorporated into structures and are demonstrated to regulate gene expression as well as recruit and arrange molecules. This research serves as a foundation for the development of a new class of programmable RNA materials that are robust, stimuli-response, and bioactive. Ultimately, this work presents insight into RNA self-assembly and how we can engineer RNA as a biomaterial for therapeutic treatments and diagnostic applications.

Bibliography: Dr. Jaimie Marie Stewart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research exploits the structural and functional programmability of RNA to design and synthesize RNA materials capable of interfacing with biological systems to advance applications in molecular sensing and therapeutics. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology in Prof. Paul W.K. Rothemund’s group. She completed a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of California, Riverside, and a B.S. in Bioengineering with a concentration in cell and tissue engineering and a minor in Italian from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Stewart serves as the RNA Editor for the textbook Art of Molecular Programming and the lead editor for Recent Advancements in RNA Technologies, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Dr. Stewart has earned recognition as an Intersections Science Fellow and a Stanford.Berkeley.UCSF Next Generation Faculty Fellow. Dr. Stewart has received several awards, including the Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship sponsored by Merck, the Ford Postdoctoral Fellowship, Kavli Nanoscience Institute Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship and more recently the Alfred P. Sloan Matter to Life seed grant.