OVERVIEW

RNA Technologies and Therapeutics for Neuroscience is organized by Neuroscience School of Advanced Studies (NSAS) and will be held from May 30 - Jun 06, 2026 in Venice, Veneto, Italy.

Description:
In this Advanced Course, world-leading experts in RNA in neuroscience will discuss emerging RNA technologies for use in foundational research that will establish the basis for understanding RNA in the brain and harness the power of RNA as new medicines for neurological disorders.

RNA is a highly versatile molecule that sits at the epicentre of genetic information. Although it is chemically and structurally similar to DNA, RNA is far more dynamic and capable of many organisational and catalytic activities beyond its role as an intermediate for protein synthesis. For example, in recent years, RNA has been shown to act as a cellular scaffold, to serve as a transporter of cellular cargoes, to guide epigenetic processes, and to regulate gene expression. Notably, many of these processes have now been shown to be critically important for brain function.

Furthermore, with respect to therapeutic potential, because RNA is very small and can be highly stable, and due to its sequence specificity, RNA can be programmed with relative ease. These features endow RNA with the potential to be harnessed as a novel therapeutic ‘device’. Indeed, we are witnessing a virtual explosion in the use of RNA molecules to control many aspects of biology. For example, RNA-guided surveillance complexes have been developed to edit the genome and used to control protein expression and mRNA stability.