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Last week on the ӳý website, we featured recent work by ӳý researchers that can shed new light on the massive genomic changes taking place in cancer cells. The genomes in tumors are often drastically disorganized, with large chunks of missing or extra DNA — even whole chromosomes — in addition to smaller, single-letter mutations. These alterations can complicate the search for genetic changes underlying cancer.

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 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.