Developing novel anti-inflammatory mRNA therapeutics

• Honours
• Masters by Coursework
• PhD

Variants in ADAR1 and IFIH1 cause Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS), a rare but fatal childhood autoinflammatory disease. These genes normally help cells fight viruses, but when mutated they lock the body into a state of chronic inflammation, for which there is currently no effective treatment.

We have discovered a novel RNA-based therapy that restores balance and shuts down the inflammatory pathways driving AGS. Because it targets a common inflammatory mechanism, the approach could extend to a wider range of inflammation-associated conditions. The student will test this new therapy in established mouse and human cell lines carrying ADAR1 variants, measuring its effect on inflammation using RNA and protein analysis, imaging, FACS and survival assays. The project offers hands-on experience across cutting-edge RNA biology and therapeutic development.

This project is open to students in the CareerTracker and Metcalf Scholarship programs.

The mission of the Heraud-Farlow lab, a newly established group, is to understand how cells regulate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and dsRNA sensing, and to translate that understanding into new therapies for inflammatory disease and safer RNA-based medicines. We work at the interface of RNA biology and innate immunity, combining cellular and molecular biology, functional genomics and patient-derived disease models.

We aim to define the rules that govern dsRNA recognition, identify new therapeutic targets in the dsRNA-sensing pathway, and develop RNA-based approaches to reset inflammation. This work spans rare monogenic conditions, such as Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, and the growing number of common inflammatory diseases now linked to dsRNA dysregulation. As a new lab, we are committed to building a supportive, inclusive learning environment for students.