The Breaker laboratory is exploring the enormous diversity of structures and functions exhibited by RNA and DNA. New functions for nucleic acids can be created using evolution in a test tube, and ancient functions can be found by searching for nucleotide sequences in modern organisms that have been preserved amongst many species.
Of special interest are ribozymes and riboswitches - RNA molecules that catalyze chemical reactions or that serve as chemical sensors and gene control elements. We employ a wide range of bioinformatics, genetics, and biochemical techniques to discover and study these functional RNAs - some of which might be molecular relics from primitive life forms that have been extinct for billions of years.
