Richard Young is a Professor at the Whitehead Institute and MIT. Dr. Young studies gene regulation in health and disease. He has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health and numerous scientific societies and journals. Dr. Young’s honors include Membership in the National Academy of Sciences and Scientific American has recognized him as one of the top 50 leaders in science, technology and business. He has founded and advised companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, and currently serves on the Board of Syros Pharmaceuticals, CAMP4 Therapeutics, Omega Therapeutics and Dewpoint Therapeutics. Dr. Young is also an aviator and holds a commercial pilot license. He received his PhD from Yale University.

Nuclear Condensates in Gene Regulation and Disease

Nuclear processes such as transcription, splicing and chromosome maintenance depend on the concerted action of many protein and RNA molecules. Recent studies have shown that many nuclear processes occur within biomolecular condensates, which compartmentalize the community of protein and RNA molecules involved in each process, typically at specific genomic loci. I will discuss the features of condensates that provide the cell with regulatory capabilities beyond canonical molecular regulatory mechanisms, note where these are dysregulated by pathological mutations, and explain how our new understanding of chemical partitioning is influencing the development of new therapeutics for cancer and other diseases.