Europe to Establish Virtual RNA Research Group

Experts with a panel of biologists at the European Science Foundation recommend that the European Union create a large network of research laboratories focused solely on studying and making good use of the amazing properties of RNA.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of the main compounds, alongside amino-acids, proteins and DNA, that makes life on the planet possible, and it has great potential for treating numerous medical conditions.

However, studies of the acid have only been conducted on a relatively shallow level, in the sense that no large international collaboration was ever developed to shed light on its secrets.

This is precisely what the new endeavor should be about, the ESF team says in their new report, entitled “RNA World: a new frontier in biomedical research.”

“RNA could bring significant advances to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of many human diseases,” explains scientist Jörg Vogel.

The German expert is a professor at the University of Würzburg, and also one of the co-chairs for the newly-released document, Science Blog reports.

“In the global context, it’s surprising that Europe doesn’t have many centers specifically funded for and dedicated to it, particularly in comparison to the US,” he adds.

“We strongly recommend creating a network of RNA centers, linked together as a Europe-wide ‘virtual institute.' A first step could involve calls through the European Commission and national funders,” the expert goes on to say.

Since the successful completion of the human genome project, more than a decade ago, the international scientific community has somewhat shifted its focus from DNA to RNA.

Another paradigm shift took place as investigators learned that there was more to ribonucleic acid than being a simple intermediary in the cell’s gene-reading activities.

The molecule was shown to play a great role in heredity, and to be very useful as a potential treatment for a variety of conditions, and numerous scientific projects have been started to make sense of it.

But these efforts also need to be conducted in an organized manner, if any tangible results are to be obtained within the next decade or so, scientists add.

In order for that to happen, Europe would do well to construct this research network, Vogel says.

“A new generation of bioinformaticians needs to be trained to meet future demand, in RNA research and in many other areas of the life sciences,” the professor concludes.