In June 2009, the University of Massachusetts Medical School begins an new research paradigm initiative the RNA Therapeutics Institute (RTI) with Prof. Melissa J. Moore as co-director. (In 2016 she becomes Moderna‘s Chief Scientific Officer and 2017 is elected to the influencial National Institute of Sciences). [2]
“RTI represents a new model for scientific exploration… By interweaving basic and applied nucleic acid scientists with clinicians dedicated to finding new cures, our goal is to create a new paradigm for organizing molecular research that enables the rapid application of new biological discoveries to solutions for unmet challenges in human health” and curing diseases. RNA both creates and regulates the complex patterns of gene expression, understanding RNA is the key challenges for molecular biology in the 21st century. [1]