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A little more than a decade ago, researchers discovered an ancient mechanism that cells use to silence genes. Like a dimmer switch turning down a light, RNA interference (RNAi) dials down gene activity in simple organisms as well as in humans. Scientists have seized RNAi as a tool to “turn down” genes to determine what they do, an area of study known as functional genomics.

The word ӳýE in black text  is centered a black laurel wreath on a white background.

The ӳý is launching a new series of workshops to share laboratory and computational methods developed within our community and extend the impact of our science. These ӳýE workshops, which launch May 21, are open to all ӳý staff and to scientists from the Harvard and MIT communities. 

The ӳýE curriculum ("E" stands for educational, and "ӳý" means collaboration) offers insights and hands-on training in rapidly evolving technologies, high-throughput methods, and computational tools that are not typically found in conventional research labs. 

Last week we wrote about the new WormToolbox automated imaging software, used to capture single images of the C. elegans roundworm. See the news story .

While it’s one thing to describe the technology, we thought we’d share several images from real ӳý experiments using the WormToolbox program.

 

Melanoma – the deadliest and most aggressive form of skin cancer – has long been linked to time spent in the sun. Now a team led by scientists from the ӳý and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has sequenced the whole genomes of 25 metastatic melanoma tumors, confirming the role of chronic sun exposure and revealing new genetic changes important in tumor formation.

Scientists hoping to unlock cancer’s secrets face a formidable challenge. Sophisticated research tools have allowed them to peer into the genomes of cancer cells and identify many DNA alterations that may underlie malignancy, yet quantifying those changes is no simple task.