News from the Nucleic Acid Chemistry Center at UMass Chan Medical School

Congressman Jake Auchincloss toured UMass Chan research laboratories and participated in an open discussion on federal funding changes and other issues.

A highlight of the annual Convocation and Investiture ceremony was the announcement of the 2026 recipients of the Chancellor’s Medals for excellence in teaching, scholarship, service and clinical excellence. 

Erik J. Sontheimer, PhD, the Pillar Chair in Biomedical Research, professor and vice chair of RNA therapeutics, has been appointed chair of the RNA Therapeutics Institute, effective in January of 2027.

Novel mRNA treatment developed at UMass Chan Medical School eliminates pancreatic cancer tumors in 50 percent of treated mice.

Li Li, PhD, discusses how the FDA's approval of the first mRNA flu vaccine could accelerate the development of future mRNA-based therapies while highlighting the scientific challenges that remain.

MD/PhD student Anna Aristarkhova received a predoctoral fellowship award from the NIH to research the mechanisms underlying visual loss in multiple sclerosis.

The 28 UMass Chan Medical School faculty members who completed the Junior Faculty Development Program this year graduated from the program on June 9. 

UMass Chan Medical School faculty made new company pitches to leaders from nearly two dozen venture capital firms and other industry organizations.

The siRNA-based therapy specifically targets photoreceptor cells in the eye, halting disease progression for six months to a year.

Erik Sontheimer, PhD, and Wen Xue, PhD, have developed a gene editing technology that allows for precise, efficient insertion of very large DNA segments into the human genome.