Hirosha Geekiyanage

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs of 21–22 nucleotides with a significant role in gene regulation. They base-pair with the 3’UTR of a targeted mRNA whilst in association with Argonaute, the effector protein of the miRNA mediated silencing complex (miRISC), and causes translation repression and/or degradation. We are interested in understanding the fundamental properties of cell intrinsic miRNA and extracellular miRNA that are found in cell free body fluids and their contribution to viral infections, disease pathologies, disease diagnosis and treatment.