Würzburg Life Science Seminar: Elisa Franco

Prof Elisa Franco - “Programmable artificial RNA condensates in mammalian cells”

The Franco lab explores how DNA and RNA structures self-assemble, focusing on nucleic acid condensates, nanostructures and molecular circuits that can behave as clocks, switches, pulse generators, and sensors. In her talk, entitled “Programmable artificial RNA condensates in mammalian cells”, Elisa Franco will present recent work on the rational design of artificial, multifunctional RNA condensates that are based on a single RNA molecule that folds into a star-shaped motif, or nanostar. These 'designer condensates', whose morphology, growth rate, and subcellular localization can be influenced by nanostar design parameters, are powerful tools for building synthetic cells and programming cellular behavior.