Dr. Shelley Berger: Epigenetic pathways as targets in human disease

Live Blogger: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Editor: Paola Medina-Cabrera, Ryan Schildcrout

This piece was written live during the 10th annual RNA Symposium, “RNA Frontiers: From Mechanisms to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine.

Doesn’t everyone want to increase their memory?” asks Dr. Shelley Berger. 

Understanding the mechanisms that drive memory loss and aging is precisely the motivation for Berger’s ongoing and exciting research. Dr. Shelley Berger is a scientist in the epigenetics field – the type of science that studies how genes can be regulated without altering the DNA sequence. Authoring high-impact publications in Nature, Science, and Cell, Dr. Berger is undoubtedly a world-renowned expert who has advanced our understanding of many basic biological pathways and has worked to translate this knowledge into applications in medicine and beyond. 

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From Printer Inkjets to Diagnostic Tests: The Promising World of Microfluidics

Written by: Camila Gonzalez Curbelo

Edited by: Nick Janne, Hector Mendoza, Jessica Li, and Ryan Schildcrout

Illustrated by: Caroline Harms

Like many students, I enjoy trivia nights at my local university bar. This past winter, during a Family Feud-style event, I found myself intrigued by a stirring bonus question round. The task was to name the most underestimated technologies regularly used by students. Among the top five answers displayed on the projector was the printer–an unassuming contender overshadowed by the likes of the laptop–yet a worthy candidate whose evolution has been critical for scientific discovery. 

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