Circular RNA can offer longer-lasting expression than conventional linear RNA approaches. I became interested in how that durability could be combined with tissue or disease-state specificity, so that a therapeutic RNA would be active where it is needed while minimizing unnecessary activity elsewhere.
INDEPENDENT PROJECT · ONGOING
Target-specific
circRNA platform.
An independent project exploring a circular RNA therapeutic platform that combines enhanced translation with an ON/OFF mechanism designed to restrict activity to target tissue conditions.
Motivation
Concept
The project explores the use of a cORN-based cap-borrowing concept together with translation-enhancing elements and an ON/OFF switch. The goal is to develop a platform in which translation can be improved while activity is preferentially enabled under a target condition, such as a disease-associated molecular state.
My Contribution
- Literature research and technology review
- Independent refinement of the project concept
- System and RNA sequence design
- Investigation of candidate translation-enhancing elements
- Planning and designing experiments
- Preparation for a PBL competition and university academic festival
Current Status
Initial experiments have been used to evaluate whether the platform can operate as intended. Translation efficiency has remained a key challenge, with expression lower than expected in the current design. I am therefore revisiting the system design and considering ways to improve translation before moving toward broader validation.
This project is ongoing, and the current stage is intentionally presented as an active research question rather than a completed result.
Research Direction
The project has made me particularly interested in the relationship between RNA sequence, structure, translation efficiency, and biological context. I want to continue developing the idea through iterative design, experimental testing, and quantitative evaluation.
Selected Materials
Project diagrams, design schematics, competition materials, and representative experimental results can be added here as the project develops.