ARRTI hosts Nils Walter as guest speaker at U of L today

The Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) Speaker Series will be featuring Nils Walter from the University of Michigan today — one of the pioneers in creating an understanding of how RNA is a major regulator in our cells. Walter is invited to the University of Lethbridge upon invitation by Ute Kothe, who shares very similar research interests.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Walter to the U of L and to exchange ideas about RNA research, student training and the importance of RNA research for our society,” says Kothe. “Through his visit, we can strengthen our connection between ARRTI and the Center for RNA Biomedicine at the University of Michigan.”

Walter will be presenting his presentation Single Molecules Come into Focus: Understanding RNA-Driven Regulation from First Principles, today at 3 p.m. at the U of L library, room L1060, and the talk is open to the public.

In a similar approach taken by ARRTI, Walter’s lab uses tools from chemical biology, analytical chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and bioinformatics to define and unleash the powers of RNA biology and DNA nanotechnology.

Walter has been with the University of Michigan since 1999, and is now a Francis S. Collins Collegiate Professor of Chemistry, Biophysics and Biological Chemistry. He also acts as the Founding Director of the Single Molecule Analysis in Real-Time (SMART) Center and the Founding Co-director of the Center for RNA Biomedicine, both at the University of Michigan.

Since 2014, ARRTI has been holding their Speaker Series, in which researches are invited to speak about their current research in RNA and topics related around it. This year, in recognition of its influence, the ARRTI Speaker Series is sponsored by the International RNA Society as part of its RNA Salon initiative to promote RNA-related research. For more information on the ARRTI Speaker Series, visit uleth.ca/research/ARRTI.