Broadly speaking, we want to understand the physiology and pathology of non-coding RNA and their interactors in hematopoiesis. Gene expression is a key component of regulating hematopoiesis, and many non-coding RNAs have some effect on gene expression. One subset of non-coding RNA, microRNAs, regulate gene expression and are thought, in most cases, to repress mRNA translation or cause degradation. It is now clear that certain miRNAs are important in controlling the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. The majority of studies point towards specific roles for these miRNAs in the differentiation of specific cell types, and we study how B-lymphocyte differentiation is regulated by various miRNAs. As we attempt to understand the mechanistic basis of miRNA action, we study key transcriptional regulators and targets of these miRNAs by using a combination of high-throughput gene expression analyses and computational approaches. miRNAs are frequently deregulated in hematolymphoid malignancies, and we are interested in both the pathophysiology of these processes and the thereapeutic possibilities offered by small RNAs. In addition, new classes of non-coding RNA are being described and we are interested in understanding how they might fit into the differentiation schema in hematopoiesis and how they might be disrupted in cancer. Hence, a better understanding of the action of non-coding RNA would be useful in our understanding of development, and could advance our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of hematolymphoid malignancies.

Dinesh S. Rao received a B.S. summa cum laude in Biochemistry and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA. During this time he developed a deep interest in the pathogenesis of cancer, completing several projects in cancer research during medical school, and went on to a research fellowship at the University of Michigan. There, he made a seminal discovery implicating clathrin mediated trafficking of growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases in the pathogenesis of oncogenic transformation. He then combined clinical training in the pathology of hematologic diseases with further research training in the laboratory of Nobel laureate David Baltimore at Caltech. His research came to focus on the involvement of microRNAs in hematologic development, particularly B-cell development and immunity, and cancer, and resulted in several high-impact publications in well-regarded journals. The Rao Lab, established in 2010, studies the mechanisms of post-transciptional gene regulation in hematopoietic development and cancer. He combines running a vibrant research laboratory with a busy diagnostic service in leukemia and lymphoma pathology.

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