Researcher

Ronald Breaker

Profile

Ronald Breaker is Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He co-discovered riboswitches — structured RNA elements in mRNA that directly sense small-molecule metabolites and regulate gene expression without requiring protein factors. Since their identification in 2002, riboswitches have been found in virtually all kingdoms of life and represent a paradigm-shifting discovery in RNA biology with major implications for antibiotic development and gene regulation. Breaker's laboratory identified dozens of riboswitch classes, established their biochemical mechanisms, and showed that they can serve as targets for novel antibiotics. His group also discovered self-cleaving ribozymes including the HATCHET, TWISTER, and PISTOL classes, advancing understanding of catalytic RNA in ancestral life forms. The Breaker lab is a major user of biochemical reagents, RNA synthesis equipment, high-throughput screening platforms, and biophysical instrumentation including calorimeters and X-ray crystallography infrastructure. Breaker has filed nine patents related to RNA-targeting therapeutics and has received the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, the NAS Molecular Biology Award, and election to the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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