Melissa J. Moore

Melissa J. Moore, PhD, is Professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, where she holds the Eleanor Eustis Farrington Chair of Cancer Research and serves in the RNA Therapeutics Institute. She also holds appointments in the T. H. Chan School of Medicine (Department of Chemical Biology) and the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, and Translational Science). Additional affiliations include campus-wide programs in Bioinformatics & Integrative Biology and Chemical Biology.

Education:

• BS in Chemistry/Biology, College of William and Mary
• PhD in Biological Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Focus:

Melissa Moore’s laboratory investigates post-transcriptional gene regulation in eukaryotes, with emphasis on three interconnected themes: (1) spliceosome structure and catalytic mechanism, (2) nuclear-to-cytoplasmic control of mRNA metabolism, and (3) quality control and clearance of defective ribosomal and messenger RNAs. The group combines biochemistry, single-molecule biophysics, RNA structural biology, and cell biology to dissect these processes at molecular and systems levels.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Eleanor Eustis Farrington Chair of Cancer Research

Funding & Collaborations:

Work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and involves ongoing collaborations with investigators at Brandeis University, MIT, University of Rochester, and other institutions. Rotation projects for graduate students are available in all active research areas.

Laboratory & Team:

The Moore laboratory is located in the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Chan Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA. The team employs state-of-the-art single-molecule imaging, mass spectrometry, and high-throughput sequencing to advance understanding of RNA biology and to translate insights into therapeutic RNA technologies.