The Hargrove lab harnesses the unique properties of small organic molecules to study the structure, function, and therapeutic potential of disease-relevant RNAs, including viral RNAs and cancer-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs).

Working at the interface of chemistry and biology, the lab combines RNA-targeted small-molecule design and synthesis, assay development, machine learning, and molecular and cellular biology approaches to address fundamental questions in RNA biology.

Through collaborations spanning multiple disciplines, the lab applies these tools to uncover new insights into RNA function and disease and to advance RNA-targeted therapeutic strategies.

Recent Collaborations

Armstrong / Somarelli Lab, Duke University School of Medicine (USA)
Brewer Lab, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School / Rutgers University (USA)
Brown Lab, University of Notre Dame (USA)
Cochrane Lab, University of Toronto (Canada)
Dimitrova Lab, Yale University (USA)
Gamarnik Lab, Leloir Institute (Argentina)
Fitzgerald Lab, Duke University (USA)
Kutluay Lab, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis (USA)
Moraes Lab, SickKids (Canada)
Mouzakis Lab, Loyola Marymount University (USA)
Prosser Lab, University of Toronto Mississauga (Canada)
Tolbert Lab, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (USA)

Funding

Current
Cancer Research Society
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Canadian Research Chairs / Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Ontario Research Fund
University of Toronto Mississauga

Past Funding
National Cancer Institute (NIH, USA)
Center for HIV RNA Studies (NIAID / NIH, USA)
National Institute of General Medicine Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award (MIRA)
Research Corporation for Science Advancement COVID Initiative Award
National Science Foundation CAREER Award
US Department of Defense CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program
Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar Award
Movember Foundation-Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
Prostate Cancer Foundation (Young Investigator Award)
Ralph A. Powe Award (ORAU)
Duke University