Dr. Samie Jaffrey is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He received and M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Jaffrey’s laboratory focuses on RNA regulatory mechanisms in neurons and how RNA processing pathways control neural circuit formation. A major focus is to identify RNA regulatory pathways that occur within growing axons, and to understand how defects in these pathways lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as mental retardation and autism. His research uses novel viral, proteomic, microfluidic, and chemical biology approaches to address these questions. His group identified the first mRNAs that are locally translated in axons and are required for axon guidance. Additionally, his group discovered that N6-methyladenosine is a widespread nucleotide in mRNA, and has roles in post-transcriptional mRNA regulation. His His laboratory has also developed a novel class of RNAs referred to RNA mimics of green fluorescent protein, which are used to image RNA localization and monitor RNA processing in living cells. The Jaffrey laboratory extended this technology to create a new class of genetically encoded biosensors composed of RNA that allows signaling molecules to be imaged in living cells. Dr. Jaffrey is a Klingenstein Neuroscience Fellow, Irma T. Hirschl Scholar, and recipient of the McKnight Technology development award and the NIH Director’s Transformative R01 award.