From bioterrorism to cybersecurity, RNA could help us confront serious threats to the nation.
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / May 8, 2024 / A group of renowned scientists today will be holding a Congressional Briefing on the Human RNome Project, an ambitious plan to obtain the sequences of full-length RNA transcripts with all the modifications.
"RNA holds massive scientific potential," said Drew Weissman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania whose work on mRNA technology led to the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and earned him a share of the 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine. "This project could shed light on thousands of currently untreatable diseases -- and spur unprecedented breakthroughs in gene therapy and cancer treatments."
Modeled on the Human Genome Project, the new effort aims to solve problems beyond the medical field -- from improving crop yields and combating plant disease to detecting RNA-based bioweapons. RNA even has the potential to store data and encrypt state secrets.
"If you encode it in DNA/RNA, all the digital data on earth could fit into a cup," said University of Illinois professor Olgica Milenkovic.
"During this briefing, we hope to communicate just how revolutionary RNA sequencing can be," said Dr. Vivian Cheung, one of the first scientists to debunk the notion that DNA and RNA are nearly identical. "This project aims to bolster sectors that many of our foreign competitors are heavily investing in. We can't afford not to pursue it."
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Cheung will deliver opening remarks at the launch of the project at the Hart Senate Office Building. Additional speakers will include:
Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D. - University of Pennsylvania professor in vaccine research and co-winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine, who will give an overview of RNA and explain its medical potential.
Olgica Milenkovic, Ph.D. - University of Illinois professor of electrical and computer engineering, who will share pioneering methods to use DNA and RNA as a data storage technique.
Brian Gregory, Ph.D. - University of Pennsylvania professor of biology, who will explain how RNA can make plants more resilient against climate change.
Ryan Morhard, J.D. - Senior director for policy and partnerships at Ginkgo Bioworks, who will explain RNA's implications for biotech and national security.
"For all of its promise, RNA is still not well understood. We need the government, the research community, and private industry to come together to sequence RNA and its modifications in order to enable these innovations," said Mukesh K. Jain, dean of medicine and biological sciences at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. "The purpose of today's event is to bring representatives from all of these groups together to better understand the urgency here."
The Congressional Briefing is sponsored by The Warren Alpert Foundation, which co-sponsored the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's recent report laying out a roadmap for RNA sequencing, and Brown University.
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About the Human RNome Project
The Human RNome Project seeks to obtain the sequences of full-length RNA transcripts with all the modifications. The technologies developed by the Human RNome Project will allow the direct sequencing of any RNA from any organism. The data and technologies will have a broad and deep impact on biology and manufacturing from data storage to therapeutics. To learn more, visit humanrnomeproject.org.
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SOURCE: Human RNome Project
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