The UNSW RNA Institute is Australia’s leading RNA research institute.
Uniting researchers from the UNSW faculties of Science, Engineering and Medicine & Health, the scope of the institute’s research is ambitious and can be divided into four key challenge areas:
1.
Interactions
Understanding sequence, structure and functional relationships of RNA.
2.
Delivery
Delivery vehicles, targeted delivery, RNA design and stability, transport into cells, the fate of nanoparticles in vivo, crossing the blood brain barrier.
3.
Sensing
The development of sensing technologies for commercialisation and advancement of scientific knowledge.
4.
Manufacturing
RNA synthetic chemistry for sustainable manufacturing, lab-on-a-chip platform for synthesis and scale-up, scale-up of novel delivery systems, and documented production for pre-clinical studies.
The UNSW RNA Institute will make critical contributions that advance human health, with a special emphasis on priority health areas.
Infectious diseases
the treatments and vaccines for current and future infections (and their variants), including COVID-19
Cancer
focus on hard-to-treat cancers in children
Rare and genetic disorders
including neuromuscular diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases
with emphasis on the fundamental role of non-coding RNA in diseases such as Alzheimer’s.