Research

RNA biology, RNA binding proteins, alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation, heart development, congenital heart disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Diabetic heart disease, Cardiometabolic heart disease

Our laboratory’s focus is to understand post-transcriptional gene regulation by RNA binding proteins in the heart. We utilize state of the art RNA-sequencing technologies combined with animal models, molecular and cellular biology techniques to:

1. Identify RNA binding proteins and their target RNA networks required for heart development and heart function.
2. Elucidate how dysregulation of or mutations in RNA binding proteins lead to congenital and adult heart diseases.
3. Correct alternative splicing and polyadenylation of pre-mRNAs to restore crucial RNA networks regulated by RNA binding proteins for prevention or treatment of human heart diseases.

Watch a video interview with Dr. Muge Kuyumcu-Martinez