The Human Genome Project has brought us great strides closer to understanding the role of every element in the genome, including large portions of it that for years have been considered nonfunctional or otherwise insignificant: non-coding RNA. In his research at the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences at Newcastle University in the UK, Dr. Andreas Werner is focusing on non-coding RNA, and looking specifically at what are referred to as natural antisense transcripts (NATs), which may play a role in the regulation of protein expression, in driving transcription, and even in certain diseases. Dr. Werner is a wealth of information, offering an in-depth conversation on the science behind what he’s doing and what he aims to discover in the coming years.

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