For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things brought together.
Vincent Van Gogh

We are interested in the myriad of links that bring together the strands of RNA molecules, their links with proteins, and how these little links make life happen.

We also study transposable elements, genetic migrants with a vast potential for evolutionary innovations. Over a million of such elements are transcribed as part of our genes, and we interested in protein--RNA interactions that shape the gradual emergence of such innovations through many small steps.

Inspired by insights gained from RNA, we migrate and collaborate across research fields, backgrounds, and nationalities. We like to bring together our different perspectives, as it is the spirit of connecting and sharing that counts the most.

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Primary collaborators

Computational RNA Biology

Nicholas Luscombe - The Francis Crick Institute & UCL, London
Goodwright, London - a company developing iMaps v2

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Experimental RNA Biology

Kathryn S Lilley - University of Cambridge

Faraz Murdakheh - Barts Cancer Institute, London

Eugene Makeyev - King's College London

Pietro Fratta - UCL Institute of Neurology

​Francesco Muntoni - UCL Institute of Neurology

Rickie Patani - The Francis Crick Institute & UCL IoN, London

Sonia Gandhi - The Francis Crick Institute & UCL IoN, London

Sila Ultanir - The Francis Crick Institute, London

Louise Walport - The Francis Crick Institute, London

Andres Ramos - UCL, Department of Structural & Molecular Biology, London

Michael Kiebler - Department of Cell Biology, LMU Munich

Andrzej Dziembowski - Warsaw University, Poland

Dalibor Blazek - Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

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Our work is supported by the generous funding of the following agencies:

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Primary funding:

1/2020 – 12/2024 Wellcome Trust; Senior Investigator Award, jointly with Nicholas Luscombe

10/2019 – 9/2024 European Research Council; ERC Advanced Grant

2014 – 2019 Wellcome Trust; Senior Investigator Award, jointly with Nicholas Luscombe

2014 – 2019 European Research Council; ERC Consolidator Grant

2008 – 2013 European Research Council; ERC Starting Grant

2006 - 2013 Medical Research Council (MRC); LMB core funding

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Other funding:

2015 – 2017 European Commission; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship to Paulo Gameiro

2015 – 2017 European Commission; EMBO postdoctoral fellowship to Cristina Militti

2014 – 2016 European Commission; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship to Lorea Blazquez

2013 – 2015 European Commission; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship to Lilach Soreq

2012 – 2015 European Commission; FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) (16 groups)

2011 – 2013 Swiss National Foundation; Synergia grant supporting collaboration between 3 groups

2010 – 2013 Wellcome Trust/MRC; Strategic Award supporting collaboration between 16 groups

2008 – 2011 Human Frontiers Science Program, HFSP Program Grant supporting collaboration between 4 groups

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