World RNA Day is an excellent opportunity to highlight the special role that RNA research plays in the scientific activities of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry PAS. 🔬

Over the past decades, advances in RNA research have profoundly transformed our understanding of the processes taking place within cells and living organisms. The discovery of new functions of RNA has paved the way for the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, making RNA research one of the fastest-growing fields in modern biology, medicine, and biotechnology. 🚀

Many research groups at the Institute conduct studies focused on RNA. 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬
Their research covers:
🔹 structural biology and RNA genomics,
🔹 non-coding RNA research,
🔹 virus biology,
🔹 the molecular basis of diseases,
🔹 the development of modern RNA-based diagnostic methods and therapies.

Research carried out at the IBCH PAS contributes to a better understanding of the role of RNA in biological processes and opens up new opportunities for translating this knowledge into advances in biology, medicine, and biotechnology. 🌍💊

🗣️ Prof. Marek Figlerowicz, who leads a project funded by the Medical Research Agency, under which an RNA-based therapeutic platform is being developed in collaboration with Polpharma S.A., explains the future of RNA research and its importance for the advancement of modern medicine:

“What are RNA therapeutics? 🧬 The information that determines how our bodies are built and function is encoded in DNA. A complete copy of this information – the entire set of DNA molecules present in every cell – is called the genome. It can be compared to a computer’s hard drive. For the information stored in the genome to be used, it must first be transcribed into RNA. RNA therefore acts as the operating system that initiates and coordinates all the processes taking place in our bodies.

People often think that the human genome consists mainly of protein-coding genes. In reality, protein-coding genes account for less than 2% of our genome! The remaining part encodes, among other things, various types of RNA molecules that regulate intracellular processes or form complex multi-enzyme assemblies. Discoveries recognized in recent years with a series of Nobel Prizes have shown that virtually every biological process — essentially every stage of cell formation and function, from the very first embryonic cell to the final ageing cell — can be regulated through RNA. Rather than searching for increasingly complex drugs and synthetic compounds, we can instead deliver the appropriate RNA molecules to the body.”

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