Faculty
Emeritus & Former Members
James S. Butler, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Douglas H. Turner, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Chemistry
Thomas H. Eickbush, PhD
Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus
Department of Biology
Xin Li, PhD was an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics and a Member of the UR Center for RNA Biology. He was at the UR from November 2014 through March 2023, and now works at Zhejiang University. We look forward to continued interaction with Dr. Li at his new RNA Center. His contact information and new title are below.
Xin Li, PhD
Qiushi Distinguished Professor
Academic Director, ZJU RNA Center
International Institutes of Medicine
The Fourth Affiliated Hospital
Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Yiwu, Zhejiang, China
Phone: +86-0579-89932175
Email: xinlirna@zju.edu.cn
Li Lab: puji.zju.edu.cn
ZJU RNA Center: https://ism.zju.edu.cn/research/centers/45
Hitomi Sakano, MD, PhD was an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology and Neuroscience and a Member of the UR Center for RNA Biology. She was at the UR from 2018-2023 and now is at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her contact information and new affiliation are below.
Hitomi Sakano, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Otolaryngology and Neuroscience
Peter O’Donnell Jr Brain Institute
2001 Inwood Rd., 7th Floor
Dallas, TX 75390-9035
Email: hitomi.sakano@utsouthwestern.edu
Antimicrobial drug discovery using pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii: exploiting components of the bacterial RNA metabolism machinery; characterizing prokaryotic ribonucleases; understanding the impact of the host environment on antibiotic resistance and virulence factor expression. 
Structural dynamics of the ribosome and ribosomal ligands during proteins synthesis, regulation of protein synthesis by mRNA structure in normal and diseased cells, and mechanisms of antibiotic action.
X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy analysis of RNA and protein-RNA complexes
RNA metabolism in human cells (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay/mRNA surveillance); influence of pre-mRNA splicing on mRNA translation; Staufen-mediated mRNA decay and Staufen-regulated RNA metabolism; post-transcriptional gene control via lncRNAs and SINEs; miRNA metabolism; Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome/Autism; therapeutics of nonsense diseases.
Using primarily human pluripotent stem cell models, we examine astrocyte development in normal and pathological conditions, the role of astrocytes in modulating response to injury or stress, the role of altered RNA processing and translation in neural development, and the utility of glial precursor cells and their astrocytic progeny for cell transplantation therapy. 
Understanding how regulation of RNA Polymerase II activity regulates cellular differentiation, with a focus on erythropoiesis. Delineating epigenetic control of normal erythropoiesis; determining the contribution of disrupted epigenetic regulation to inherited anemias.
Mechanism and physiological importance of alternative polyadenylation; Integrator Complex and transcriptional control, development and application of next-generation sequencing technologies
Pathophysiological function and molecular mechanism of new non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins and translational control in cardiac system and cardiovascular disease
