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Introduction: RNA profiling and target identification

Introduction: RNA profiling and target identification
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Hi, and welcome to my lecture. My name is Jing-Wen Shih. In the following sections, we’ll talk about how to uncover potential drug targets and biomarkers by analyzing the expressions of numerous RNAs simultaneously, which is called RNA profiling.
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As mentioned in the previous sections, in human cells, DNA could be transcribed to generate messenger RNA (or called mRNA). mRNAs could be further translated to generate proteins. These gene expression processes are tightly controlled to help us grow, develop, and stay healthy.
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However, the mutation or aberrant expression of mRNA, which is usually caused by the DNA alteration, would probably lead to uncontrolled protein activity. This dysregulation of gene expression could be the cause of various clinical disorders.
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In contrast to mRNAs, another group of RNA, the non-coding RNAs, are functional RNA molecules that are transcribed from DNA, but are not translated into proteins. Interestingly, many non-coding RNAs have the capacity to regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.
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Remarkably, the disruption of many non-coding RNAs have already been linked to various disease processes.
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Thus, RNA expression is an important regulator and indicator of gene expression. Along these lines, genome-wide RNA expression profiling between patients and healthy controls could help us to understand pathogenesis and identify novel therapeutic targets or biomarkers. In the following sections, you’ll learn about different types of RNAs, their roles in disease pathogenesis and how we perform genome-wide RNA expression profiling to identify potential drug target candidates. We hope you will both learn from and enjoy this course. So let’s get going.
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Introduction to Translational Research: Connecting Scientists and Medical Doctors

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