Ravi Patel receives Wellnitz Award for paper in Nucleic Acids Research
Ravi Patel, a graduate student in the Grimson lab (and recent graduate) received the Wellnitz Award for their paper in Nucleic Acids Research. They have developed an experimental approach, Combined Analysis of RNA-seq and PRO-seq (CARP), to disentangle microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate key biological processes by modulating the expression of direct targets: messenger RNAs that are physically bound by miRNAs. In addition to these direct targets, miRNAs also elicit a downstream cascade of changes triggered by the altered levels of the direct targets: indirect targets. These direct and indirect targets together form complex gene regulatory networks, which are extremely difficult to decipher using existing techniques. CARP enabled the authors to identify the true direct targets of microRNAs, and their indirect targets. Thus, Patel et al are able to reveal the regulatory networks controlled by miRNAs with significantly improved precision. Read more about their work here.
Jordana Bloom’s first author research paper as a graduate student in Dr. John Schimenti’s lab entitled “
Ethan Sanford, a 5th-year Ph.D. student in Marcus Smolka’s laboratory, received a 
“To be or Knot to be” was the theme of Bhargav’s 3 Minute Thesis presentation which explored the blueprint behind building a small intestine. Bhargav (Class of 2017) is a member of Natasza Kurpios’ lab. Read the Graduate School story 
