6th Annual Non-coding RNA Symposium 2025
Introduction
The Annual Non-coding RNA Symposium is a global forum that brings together internationally renowned experts to highlight the latest developments in the field of basic and translational non-coding RNA research. This symposium aims to foster cross-collaboration between national and international researchers/clinicians and serve as a vital platform to accelerate the clinical utility of non-coding RNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics that can pave ways for precision medicine. This meeting will strengthen academia-industry partnership and provide a stimulating environment where students, postdocs and junior investigators can present and discuss their research to a diverse audience. We have included a new session on cutting-edge technologies highlighting new tools and techniques to study noncoding RNAs and a panel discussion on career development opportunities for the students and junior scientists.
On behalf of the organizers, Dr. Afsar Naqvi (UIC COD), Dr. Deepak Shukla (UIC COM), Dr. Roopa Biswas (USU School of Medicine), Dr. Jason Hanna (Purdue University) and Dr. Gatikrushna Singh (U of Minnesota) we cordially invite noncoding RNA researchers and enthusiasts to participate in this year’s symposium from Thursday, October 2, 2025 9:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. to Friday, October 3, 2025 9:15 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Please find details on location, speakers, learning objectives, registration cost, agenda, sponsorship and contact information below.
Registration link to come.
Plenary & Keynote Speakers
Bruce Alan Sullenger, PHD
Keynote
Bruce Alan Sullenger, PhD
Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor of Experimental Surgery
Director, Duke Center for Translational Research
The focus of Dr. Sullenger’s translational research laboratory is to develop RNA based therapeutic agents for the potential treatment of a range of diseases. He is currently characterizing RNA and DNA aptamers that block proteins involved in immune modulation in cardiovascular diseases. His group is also developing RNA based tumor targeting strategies for delivering siRNAs to tumor cells and novel methods to control inflammation.
Analisa DiFeo, PhD
Analisa DiFeo, PhD
Professor, Department of Pathology and Obstetrics & Gynecology
University of Michigan
Dr. DiFeo’s lab research spans the continuum translational research, beginning with an in-depth analysis of patient tumors and progressing to a functional assessment of key genetic drivers of ovarian cancer progression and the development of a novel therapeutic approach to abrogate these drivers to uncover therapies that will improve ovarian cancer patient survival. She has developed a state-of-the-art gynecologic tumor biobank which includes novel patient-derived cell lines, organoids, and mouse models which are used to uncover advance personalized approaches to cancer treatment.
Carmella Evans-Molina, PhD, MS, MD
Keynote
Carmella Evans-Molina, PhD, MS, MD
Director, Indiana Diabetes Research Center
Professor Pediatrics and Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Evans-Molina is an investigator in the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Network where she serves as a scientific advisor, chair of the Long-Term Investigative Follow-Up (LIFT) Study, and chair of the TN-31 JAKPOT T1D Trial. Her research program is focused on defining the molecular and inflammatory etiologies of β-cell dysfunction that contribute to diabetes pathophysiology. She has a clinical research interest focused on leveraging activation of β-cell stress pathways to inform the development of biomarkers that predict diabetes risk and define disease endotypes. Her group’s research is primarily focused on defining the pathways that regulate intracellular calcium dyschomeostasis during diabetes and leveraging miRNAs as biomarkers for diabetes and applying these biomarkers as surrogate clinical endpoints in response to therapeutic interventions.
Yuan Fang
Yuan Fang, PhD
Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Dr. Fang’s research program focuses on the molecular understanding of enothelial homeostasis governed by mechanical forces, with emphasis upon regulation of non-coding genone, transcription factors, G protein signaling, and genetic variance. His ongoing research aims to elucidate novel non-coding genone-mediated disease mechanisms and to develop innovative nanomedicine-based therapeutic strategies to treat dysregulated mechano-sensing mechanisms causing vascular diseases.
Shobha Vasudevan, PhD
Keynote
Shobha Vasudevan, PhD
Associate Professor
Brown University
Dr. Vasudevan joined Brown University in 2024 as associate professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry, and director of technology and innovation at the Brown RNA Center. She was associate professor at the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, and Broad Institute, which she joined as assistant professor 15 years ago. Her research is focused on uncovering the role of RNA mechanisms in refractory cancer, as a basis for developing new therapeutics to curtail intractable cancers. Her lab discovered that quiescent cancer cells use specialized post-transcriptional mechanisms to enable tumor persistence. These mechanisms alter the roles and expression of coding and noncoding RNAs and RNA complexes such as ribosomes, to express survival regulators that persist acute myeloid leukemia and other tumors.
Qing Deng, PhD
Qing Deng, PhD
Professor
Purdue University
Dr. Deng is professor of biological sciences studying cell biology in innate immunity. As a graduate student, she studied cellular trafficking and the enzymatic activities of bacterial effector proteins. After establishing her group at Purdue University, Dr. Deng started investigating the roles of microRNAs and mitochondria in regulating neutrophil behavior. She discovered new microRNA and protein-coding genes that regulate neutrophil migration using genetic tools and high-resolution intravital imaging of signaling events. Using high-resolution imaging, photo manipulation, and simulation her lab dissects how chemical and mechanical signals integrate to coordinate calcium signaling and wound healing in the zebrafish fin. Her collaborative team with broad expertise in biochemistry, cell biology, and animal models aims to advance understanding of neutrophil biology.
Asfar Naqvi, PhD
Asfar Naqvi, PhD
Professor
University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Naqvi is a professor of periodontics at the University of Illinois Chicago, specializing in the study of noncoding RNAs and their role in oral health and disease. He earned his PhD investigating how viruses target microRNAs and further explored microRNA-mediated regulation of host immunity during his postdoctoral training. Dr. Naqvi’s laboratory focuses on unraveling the complex regulatory networks of noncoding RNAs in periodontitis, with particular emphasis on oral viruses in modulating mucosal immune responses. By integrating biochemical, genetic, and bioinformatics approaches, his research aims to elucidate the immunopathogenesis of periodontal disease and the impact of pathogens such as herpesviruses and SARS-CoV-2 on disease progression and severity. The ultimate objective of his work is to identify and characterize both human and viral microRNAs, as well as long noncoding RNAs, that hold promise as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and as therapeutic agents capable of modulating gene expression for clinical applications in dentistry and medicine.
Sarah Woodson, PhD
Keynote
Sarah Woodson, PhD
Professor
John Hopkins University
Sarah Woodson is the T. C. Jenkins Professor of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. She received her PhD in Biophysical Chemistry in 1987 with Donald Crothers at Yale University, and did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Thomas Cech at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research group studies how RNA molecules fold into specific three-dimensional structures, and how the RNA and proteins components of cellular complexes such as the ribosome come together. Dr. Woodson was elected an AAAS Fellow, served as the president of the RNA Society and received the Lifetime Service Achievement Award from the RNA Society in 2020, and Ignacio Tinoco Award in Biophysical Chemistry from the Biophysical Society in 2023.
Learning Objectives
Unraveling the mechanism of CAG repeat RNA aggregation
Sarah Woodson, Johns Hopkins University
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the molecular mechanisms underlying CAG repeat RNA aggregation, including the structural features and cellular factors that promote or inhibit this process.
- Analyze the pathological consequences of CAG repeat RNA aggregation in human disease, and evaluate experimental approaches used to study and modulate RNA aggregation in cellular and animal models.
CE credits: 0.5
MicroRNA as a key to new regulators for neutrophil migration
Qing Deng, Purdue University
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding the role of neutrophils in inflammation and its resolution.
- Explore how microRNAs function as critical regulators of neutrophil migration by identifying specific microRNAs involved and elucidating their molecular targets and signaling pathways.
- Evaluate the potential of targeting microRNA-mediated mechanisms to discover novel therapeutic strategies for controlling neutrophil migration in inflammatory diseases.
CE credits: 0.25
Targeting post-transcriptional mechanisms of tumor persistence
Shobha Vasudevan, Brown University
Learning Objectives:
- Examine the key post-transcriptional mechanisms—such as mRNA stability, alternative splicing, and microRNA regulation—that contribute to tumor cell persistence and survival.
- Assess current and emerging therapeutic strategies that target post-transcriptional processes to disrupt tumor persistence, highlighting their mechanisms of action and potential clinical applications.
CE credits: 0.5
Exploiting microRNA Vulnerabilities: High-Throughput Discovery of Small Molecules Inhibitors of miR-181a
Analisa DiFeo, University of Michigan
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the significance of miR-181a in disease processes and why it represents a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
- Describe high-throughput screening approaches used to identify small molecule inhibitors of miR-181a, and interpret how these discoveries can be leveraged to develop novel treatments.
CE Credits: 0.25
β Cell microRNAs Function as Molecular Hubs of Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis and as Biomarkers of Diabetes Risk
Carmella Evans-Molina, Indiana University
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how β cell microRNAs act as central regulators (“molecular hubs”) in the development and progression of Type 1 Diabetes, including their roles in immune modulation, β cell survival, and insulin secretion.
- Evaluate the potential of β cell microRNAs as biomarkers for predicting diabetes risk, and discuss current research approaches for their detection and clinical application.
CE Credits: 0.5
Viral MicroRNAs in Oral Inflammatory Diseases
Afsar Naqvi, University of Illinois Chicago
Learning Objectives:
- Role of viruses in oral inflammatory diseases.
- Explain the roles of viral microRNAs in the development and progression of oral inflammatory diseases, including how these molecules modulate host immune responses and contribute to disease pathology.
- Assess current research on the detection and functional characterization of viral microRNAs in oral tissues, and evaluate their potential as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets for oral inflammatory conditions.
CE Credits: 0.25
Creating aptamer-based EXACT inhibitors to potently and reversibly control blood coagulation
Bruce Sullenger, Duke University
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the principles behind aptamer-based EXACT inhibitors and how they are engineered to specifically, potently, and reversibly modulate blood coagulation pathways.
- Evaluate the advantages and challenges of using aptamer-based therapeutics for blood coagulation control, including their mechanism of action, reversibility, and potential clinical applications.
CE Credits: 0.5
Precision Nanomedicine of Non-coding RNAs
Yun Fang
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how precision nanomedicine enables the targeted delivery and functional modulation of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) for therapeutic applications, including the design and engineering of nanocarriers.
- Assess the challenges and opportunities in developing nanomedicine strategies for ncRNA-based therapies, focusing on specificity, safety, and clinical translation.
CE Credits: .25
Sponsorship
Information on sponsorship opportunities to come.
Important Dates & Pricing
Undergrad/Graduate Students: Free
Post Docs: $50
Faculty: $75
Company Representatives: $100
Registration Closes: August 31, 2025
For information on refunds or cancellations please reach out to the NRNA team at microRNAsymposium@uic.edu.
Agenda
October 2, 2025
Session 1
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Keynote
Dr. Sarah Woodson, Johns Hopkins University
“Unraveling the Mechanism of CAG Repeat RNA Aggregation”
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. One Talk
Qing Deng, Purdue University
“MicroRNA as a Key to New Regulators for Neutrophil Migration”
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Short Talks
11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Sponsors
12:10 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch Break
Session 2
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Keynote
Shobha Vasudevan, Brown University
“Targeting Post-Transcriptional Mechanisms of Tumor Persistence”
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. One Talk
Analisa DiFeo, University of Michigan
“Exploiting microRNA Vulnerabilities: High-Throughput Discovery of Small Molecule Inhibitors of miR-181a”
2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 – 3:30 p.m. Short Talks
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Sponsor
October 3, 2025
Session 3
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Keynote
Carmella Evans-Molina, Indiana University
“β Cell microRNAs Function as Molecular Hubs of Type 1 Diabetes Pathogenesis and as Biomarkers of Diabetes Risk”
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. One Talk
Afsar Naqvi, University of Illinois Chicago
“Viral MicroRNAs in Oral Inflammatory Diseases”
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Short Talks
11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Sponsors
12:10 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch Break
Session 4
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Keynote
Dr. Bruce Sullenger, Duke University
“Creating Aptamer-Based EXACT Inhibitors to Potently and Reversibly Control Blood Coagulation”
2:00 – 2:25 p.m. One Talk
Yun Fang, University of Chicago
“Precision Nanomedicine of Non-Coding RNAs”
2:25 – 3:00 p.m. Awards and Concluding Remarks
Planning Committee & Contact
Araceli Valverde-Estepa
Secretary of NCRNA Symposium
UIC COD
Virginia Buglio
UIC COD
Raza Naqvi
UIC COD
Shabana Shaik
Arizona University
Arivarasu Anbazhagan
Veterans Affairs/UIC
For any questions please reach out to the NRNA team at microRNAsymposium@uic.edu.
ADA CERP
This event is open to all. Presenters do not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry designates this activity for 3 continuing education credits.
Location
Auditorium Rm. 1017
UIC Molecular Biology Research Building (MBRB)
900 S. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612
