Attendees included National Academy of Sciences members and prominent scientists from UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Stanford University, University of Toronto SickKids Research Institute, and City of Hope

Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is present in all living cells. Most often single-stranded, RNA is the lesser known cousin of the double-stranded DNA. It is, however, important to basic cell biology — in coding, decoding, regulating, and expressing genes — and for diagnosing human disease. The body uses RNA to construct cells, respond to immune...