Our Philosophy

Snapshot of a circos plot showing the diverse types of RNA duplexes in mRNAs

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.

In particular, we focus on the roles of dynamic protein-RNA condensates, which form through large numbers of weak links. We wish to understand how these links enable selective RNA regulation, how they are rapidly modulated in response to cellular signals, how cross-regulation between proteins and RNAs in condensates contributes to cellular homeostasis, and how loss of such homeostasis contributes to neurodegenerative diseases.

We also study transposable elements, genetic migrants with a vast potential for evolutionary innovations. Over a million of sequences derived from such elements are transcribed as part of our genes, and they bind to proteins that shape the gradual emergence of innovations in our RNAs 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.

Primary collaborators

Ben Blencowe - The Francis Crick Institute, King's College London & University of Toronto

Mathieu Bordenx - UK DRI at UCL
Andrea Serio - The Francis Crick Institute & King's College London

Sila Ultanir - The Francis Crick Institute

Laura Andreae - King's College London

Pietro Fratta - The Francis Crick Institute & UCL Institute of Neurology

Greg Findlay - The Francis Crick Institute

Sonia Gandhi - The Francis Crick Institute & UCL

Christine Mayr - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York

Karen Duff - UK DRI at UCL

Marc-David Ruepp - UK DRI at King's

Sarah Mizielinska - UK DRI at King's

Sarah Marzi - UK DRI at King's

Ivo Lieberam - King's College London

Kei Cho - King's College London

Gianpietro Schiavo - UK DRI at UCL & UCL Institute of Neurology

Gabriel Balmus - UK DRI at Cambridge

Roman Jerala - Chemistry Institute, Ljubljana
Goodwright, London - a company developing flow.bio

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

Primary funding:

1/2020 – 12/2024 Wellcome Trust; Senior Investigator Award, jointly with Nicholas Luscombe (215593/A/19/Z)

1/2020 – 9/2025 European Research Council; ERC Advanced Grant (835300, RNPdynamics)

4/2022 – 3/2028 Core funding from UKDRI (MRC)

1/2024 – 1/2032 Wellcome Trust Discovery award, jointly with Ben Blencowe and Laura Andreae (227465/Z/23/Z)

Past primary funding:

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

Other past 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