Everything has a message
We were taught that DNA is the secret of life. DNA has all the information we need to be ourselves. The way this information becomes action is through the transformation of DNA into proteins through an intermediate called messenger RNA (mRNA). Then, in true scientific manner, we discovered we were wrong (but pretended we knew we would be)! Most of our DNA does not turn into protein, it remains as RNA. So, we called this non-coding RNA. Most of our usable DNA had no message.
We since learned that non-coding RNA is way more meaningful than anyone ever anticipated.
In this inaugural lecture, Professor Dimitris Lagos will share how his journey brought him to York to study the role of non-coding RNA in the true wonder that we call our immune system. Punctuated by lessons learned from the multitude of people that have been part of the journey, he will present intriguing discoveries into some fundamental questions about immune cells and their targets. Looking to the future, he will explore what these discoveries mean in the era of RNA medicine and how they can be used to improve health.