Program Snapshot

RNA is a molecule that plays a crucial role in how our cells work and how our bodies function. It’s also becoming a novel tool for diagnosing and treating diseases. But despite its importance, we still don’t fully understand RNA, including how its various structural forms and modifications impact our health. The NIH Common Fund’s RNomics Program aims to build the tools and technologies needed to study the entire set of RNA molecules in the human body, or the “RNome.” This most notably includes the RNA that codes for proteins, called coding RNA, but also other non-coding forms of RNA that play critical functions within the cell.

A 2024 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report declared that “RNA science stands at a critical crossroads,” emphasizing the urgent need for technological advancement. RNA can be modified in more than 170 different ways, and we don’t currently have the right tools to study these alterations in detail. These modifications affect RNA stability, structure, location in the body, and function, and many are the consequence of environmental exposures. Current tools cannot adequately sequence full-length RNA and detect these modifications, limiting our ability to decode the full scope of RNA biology. There is a pressing need for a new generation of technologies to sequence full-length RNAs in a way that also identifies RNA modifications with precision.

The goal of the RNomics Program is to build a powerful toolkit that will make it possible for scientists to study RNA in detail. This includes developing cutting-edge technologies to read the full-length sequence of coding and non-coding RNA molecules, and to detect RNA modifications. These tools will help researchers understand how different forms of RNA affect RNA’s function within the body and their subsequent impact on human health. 

Research Initiatives

The RNomics Program will support four initiatives:

• RNA Sequencing Technology – Developing new ways to read complete RNA sequences, including all types of RNA and their modifications.
• RNA Molecular and Computational Tools – Developing novel technologies that explore how RNA is structured, where it goes in the cell, and how it behaves.
• RNomics Molecular References – Producing and distributing standard reference RNA molecules to compare results and ensure reproducibility across RNA technologies.
• RNomics Coordinating Center – Setting up a center to establish shared data standards, compare new technologies, and make sure different datasets can work together.

Through these initiatives, the program aims to provide a comprehensive platform of technologies and data infrastructure for complete, direct RNA sequencing from any sample. These advances will set the stage to understand the role of RNA and its modifications in human health and disease. They will also enhance our ability to understand the influence of environmental exposures on human health. By improving how we study RNA, the RNomics Program could help unlock new discoveries in human biology and open the door to better, more personalized therapies and advance precision medicine.

The RNomics Program funding opportunities are expected to be announced in 2026. Sign up for the RNomics listserv to hear about future announcements.