Researchers, industry leaders convene at Brown to explore the potential of RNA

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - A two-day symposium focused on RNA science felt less like a conference at times, and more like a rally, as researchers and industry leaders celebrated the far-reaching promise of ribonucleic acid to solve problems in health, medicine and more.

The newly named Giuliani RNA Center at Brown University and the Rhode Island Life Science Hub hosted "RNA Without Borders: Academic Insights, Industry Impact," at Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School from Sept. 26-27. The symposium featured presentations, discussions and spirited tête-à-têtes on how RNA's potential can be harnessed to develop real-world solutions for the health of people and the planet.

During the symposium, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson shared news of the center's new name, which comes in recognition of a generous gift from health care investor and Brown trustee Giammaria Giuliani and his wife, Sabrina, to support RNA research at Brown.

As Craig Mello, who earned the2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with collaborator Andrew Fire for groundbreaking research on RNA interference, offered the event's keynote address.

"RNA is the software," said Mello, who earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Brown in 1982and is now a professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. "Every cell has the same DNA, but it's the RNA that the makes the program run."