Transport of DNA and RNA Molecules in
Cells
Research in the Chin lab is focused on cell
and molecular aspects of transport processes that involve DNA and
RNA molecules. This involves both living and formaldehyde-fixed
tissues and cultured cells that are examined by confocal
microscopy which also requires intensive computational resources.
For a lot of these studies, manual microinjection of proteins or
nucleic acids (both synthetic and natural) into living cells is
required. Interest in nucleic acid transport led to studying
possible practical applications by examining antisense strategies
and their mechanisms of action. Antisense therapies are based
upon using the specificity of the genetic code to block the
function of genes that cause targeted diseases such as AIDs.
However, the delivery of these agents is hampered by the membrane
barrier of all cells/tissues. Recently the lab re-examined claims
that certain tissues were naturally permeable to nucleic acids
and found that apoptosis (or programmed cell death) was
responsible.
Specific Interests
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