Arjun Raj
University of Pennsylvania
Achievement
Revealing the inner workings of cells
Each cell in your body has the same DNA. But how a cell's genes are expressed—and how frequently—determines whether the cell will become a neuron or a cardiac myocyte or whether it's healthy or sick. Arjun Raj and his collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania invented a technique to track that gene expression and its effects.
Just as grocery store receipts show which foods are most popular, RNA molecules, which carry genetic information from DNA, reveal which genes are turned on and how often they're active. To track a specific RNA strand, Raj bathes a cell with segments of fluorescent DNA. Those segments bind the RNA in different locations, lining up along it like Christmas lights along a roof, and are clearly visible through a microscope.
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