119th Distinguished Research Lecture: Roy Parker

Adventures with RNA in Health and Disease

Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 4–5 p.m. (Reception to follow)
Chancellor's Hall and Auditorium, Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE)
University of Colorado Boulder

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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules and their regulation are central to normal human cellular function. RNA misregulation can lead to bone marrow failure disorders and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Disease-causing disruptions are diverse and include altered RNA longevity, storage and cellular trafficking. Our goals are to understand the lives of human RNAs from birth to death, determine how abnormalities in the normal RNA life cycle can lead to human diseases, and use that insight to suggest new therapeutic approaches.

Roy Parker is a distinguished professor of biochemistry and Cech-Leinwand chair of biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and director of the BioFrontiers Institute at CU Boulder.

Parker is a global leader in the study of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, which are both molecular machines and the messenger of genetic information. His pioneering work has revealed new aspects of the life of RNA molecules and how abnormalities in RNA regulation can lead to bone marrow failure diseases and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

He is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Parker’s excellence in mentorship is demonstrated by the success of his past trainees in many economic sectors and fields of study. His outstanding dedication to university service is particularly evident in his critical scientific leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the CU Boulder response.

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