My main scientific interest is in the field of computational RNA biology. My team at the Center for Genomic Science (CGS@SEMM) develops algorithms, software and data-analysis strategies to study the function, evolution and regulation of RNA molecules. We have a particular focus on the application and development of methods based on Nanopore direct RNA-Sequencing, a new technology that for the first time allows to sequence full-length, native RNA molecules without the need for retrotranscription or amplification.
By designing and creating dedicated tools we leverage the potential of this technology to dissect the transcriptional output of complex loci, quantify isoform expression and determine non genomically encoded transcript features, such as epitranscriptional modifications or polyA tail length.