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Research
Dr. Rana's laboratory develops and employs innovative multidisciplinary approaches to understand RNA Regulation of Development and Disease.
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Biography
Dr. Rana received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis.
Small RNA-mediated regulation of iPS cell generation.
Li Z, Yang CS, Nakashima K, Rana TM
EMBO J. 2011 Mar 2;30(5):823-34
Cellular microRNA and P bodies modulate host-HIV-1 interactions.
Nathans R, Chu CY, Serquina AK, Lu CC, Cao H, Rana TM
Mol Cell. 2009 Jun 26;34(6):696-709
Small-molecule inhibition of HIV-1 Vif.
Nathans R, Cao H, Sharova N, Ali A, Sharkey M, Stranska R, Stevenson M, Rana TM
Nat Biotechnol. 2008 Oct;26(10):1187-92
Therapeutic gene silencing delivered by a chemically modified small interfering RNA against mutant SOD1 slows amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression.
Wang H, Ghosh A, Baigude H, Yang CS, Qiu L, Xia X, Zhou H, Rana TM, Xu Z
J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun 6;283(23):15845-52
RNA helicase A interacts with RISC in human cells and functions in RISC loading.
Robb GB, Rana TM
Mol Cell. 2007 May 25;26(4):523-37
Illuminating the silence: understanding the structure and function of small RNAs.
Rana TM
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Jan;8(1):23-36
Translation repression in human cells by microRNA-induced gene silencing requires RCK/p54.
Chu CY, Rana TM
PLoS Biol. 2006 Jul;4(7):e210
Human retroviral host restriction factors APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F localize to mRNA processing bodies.
Wichroski MJ, Robb GB, Rana TM
PLoS Pathog. 2006 May;2(5):e41
Target accessibility dictates the potency of human RISC.
Brown KM, Chu CY, Rana TM
Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2005 May;12(5):469-70
RNAi in human cells: basic structural and functional features of small interfering RNA.
Chiu YL, Rana TM
Mol Cell. 2002 Sep;10(3):549-61
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Tariq Rana's Research Focus
HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders, Cancer
Welcome to the Rana laboratory, where biologists and chemists work together to address fundamental questions in RNA and Chemical Biology. We study regulation of cellular processes by RNA during creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), in stem cell differentiation and fate decisions, and in various disease states. Our laboratory develops and employs innovative multidisciplinary approaches to understand RNA-mediated gene silencing and host-pathogen interactions. In addition to biochemical, molecular and cell biology methods, these approaches include high-throughput gene silencing and sequencing, comparative and quantitative proteomics, small molecule screening, and tissue-specific RNAi in animals. Here are some examples of ongoing studies in the laboratory: (1) What are the epigenetic mechanisms and networks that regulate generation and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells? (2) What are the barrier pathways in pluripotent stem cell generation? (3) What roles does the RNAi machinery and non-coding RNAs have in the reprogramming process to create various types of stem cells? (4) How do RNA and ribonucleoprotein complexes modulate innate immunity, viral replication, and host-pathogen interactions? (5) How can we design and develop small molecules to probe and perturb diverse regulatory networks? By answering these questions, we will uncover fundamental principles that govern RNA regulation in human development and in disease pathophysiology. The knowledge and technologies created by these studies would provide new opportunities in clinical translational medicine by developing small molecule and RNA-based therapeutics. Current medical and disease models under investigation in the laboratory and with collaborators include regenerative medicine, AIDS, immune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
About Tariq Rana
Experience
Tariq M. Rana, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of the RNA Biology Program at Sanford-Burnham. Dr. Rana’s laboratory has discovered fundamental structural and functional features of small RNAs required for gene silencing in human cells. In addition, his laboratory has uncovered mechanisms involving small RNAs and RNA-protein complexes in regulating host-pathogen interactions. Dr. Rana received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis and he was an American Cancer Society fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a recipient of numerous awards including a Research Career Award from the National Institutes of Health in 1996. Dr. Rana has advised a number of biotechnology companies and has served as a member of several Scientific Advisory Boards. Prior to joining the faculty of the Sanford-Burnham, Dr. Rana was a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Director of a Program in Chemical Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Rana joined Sanford-Burnham in 2008 to establish the Program for RNA Biology.
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