In a study published December 20 in the journal Science, scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and Duke University School of Medicine reported they have uncovered a previously unknown role for a cell’s own RNA in protecting from attacks by RNA viruses.
The lead scientist on the work is Nandan Gokhale, PhD, a 2019 alumnus of the Duke PhD Program in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. He studied the role of RNA modifications in viral infection in the lab of Stacy Horner, PhD. Gokhale is currently a Helen Hay Whitney and NIH Pathway to Independence Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington.
The study in Science opens new avenues for research on host RNA-based treatments for infections and autoimmune diseases, according to a press release from the University of Washington. Horner, associate professor of integrative immunobiology, said her lab contributed cell lines and data analysis to the work. The senior author is Ram Savan, PhD, professor of immunology at the University of Washington.
Gokhale said that he will be starting his own lab as an assistant professor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's Division of Immunobiology in March 2025.