Our vision
The Walter Lab fosters a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment where we harness a broad range of cross-disciplinary tools—from chemical biology, analytical chemistry, biophysics, and biochemistry to molecular biology, cell biology, and bioinformatics—to unlock the vast potential of RNA biology and therapeutics, as well as DNA nanotechnology.
RNA is a remarkable molecule, believed to have played a central role in the origin of life and still essential for sustaining it today. While less than 2% of our genome encodes proteins, over 75% produces non-coding RNAs that regulate nearly every aspect of cellular function. Despite their crucial roles in gene expression, processing, and maintenance, many of these RNA-guided mechanisms remain poorly understood. To explore the exciting future of RNA research and therapeutics, check out this Paper, this Paper, and this Paper.
Meanwhile, not only RNA, but DNA—traditionally recognized as life’s genetic blueprint—has emerged as a powerful material for engineering nanodevices and nanorobots, opening new frontiers in modern materials science.
Our Approach & Training
We integrate state-of-the-art single-molecule experimental and computational techniques to investigate the structure, dynamics, and function of RNA molecules and DNA nanodevices, both in vitro and inside living cells. Our diverse toolkit and training include:
✔ Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET)
✔ Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (“nanoscopy”)
✔ Cryo-electron microscopy (i.e., structural biology)
✔ Artificial intelligence (AI), bioinformatics, and MD simulations
✔ Transcriptomics & molecular biology
✔ Biochemistry & biophysics
Students and postdocs trained in our lab acquire highly transferable skills that have propelled them into academia, industry, and national labs. Our commitment to innovation extends beyond the lab—we even founded a successful biotech startup leveraging single-molecule analytical chemistry and molecular diagnostics to detect disease biomarkers. Entrepreneurial spirit is welcome!
Finally, we are making single-molecule and RNA therapeutic techniques widely available to those who are not experts in these fields through collaboration and the University of Michigan’s Single Molecule Analysis in Real Time (SMART) Center and the cross-disciplinary Center for RNA Biomedicine, both of which Nils founded and now directs.
Please also check out some of our press releases in the sidebar and the News section, as well as our Twitter/X and BlueSky accounts.
We are actively recruiting passionate students and postdoctoral fellows to work on these and other exciting projects in the lab.
