Eric C. Lai

Eric C. Lai, PhD is a Professor in the Developmental Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where he leads an active research laboratory focused on RNA biology and developmental mechanisms. He holds affiliations with the Center for Stem Cell Biology and the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Lai received his BA from Harvard College and his PhD from the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Lai's research spans multiple areas of RNA biology, with particular emphasis on microRNAs and other small regulatory RNAs, alternative mRNA processing and modification, and Notch signaling in neural development. His lab utilizes Drosophila melanogaster as a primary model system, complemented by mammalian studies, to investigate fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation. Key research areas include the biogenesis and function of microRNAs, tissue-specific alternative polyadenylation, RNA circularization, and RNA methylation (m⁶A) pathways.

Analysis of Dr. Lai's recent publications reveals a strong focus on RNA regulatory mechanisms with implications for both basic biology and disease. His work demonstrates how RNA processing events like alternative polyadenylation, circularization, and methylation create tissue-specific regulatory networks, particularly in neural contexts. Recent studies have uncovered novel roles for RNA-binding proteins, identified conserved mechanisms of miRNA targeting, and revealed how RNA modifications influence development and disease processes.

Dr. Lai's scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards:

• Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Basic Research, MSKCC (2009)
• Kimmel Scholar, Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research (2007-2009)
• V Scholar, V Foundation for Cancer Research (2006-2008)
• Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences, Burroughs Wellcome Fund (2005)
• Special Fellow, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (2004-2006)
• Fellow, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (2000-2003)

Dr. Lai mentors a diverse team of researchers including postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and graduate students. His lab has received continuous funding through competitive grants that support investigations into RNA regulatory networks during development. Current projects focus on understanding how RNA processing mechanisms contribute to tissue patterning and how their dysregulation may underlie disease processes. The lab maintains strong collaborations with structural biologists, particularly with Dinshaw Patel's laboratory at SKI, to elucidate molecular mechanisms of RNA-protein interactions.

The Lai laboratory operates within the Developmental Biology Program at MSKCC, with physical space in the Rockefeller Research Laboratories. The lab maintains specialized facilities for Drosophila genetics, molecular biology, and high-throughput genomic analyses. Dr. Lai actively participates in the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School, mentoring PhD students and contributing to graduate education in biomedical sciences.