From AS-SIG to iRNA COSI
The Community Of Special Interest (COSI) for Integrative RNA Biology (iRNA for short) started as a SIG (Special Interest Group) satellite meeting to ISMB (Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology) in 2005. The original focus was on the regulation of alternative splicing (AS) and the SIG was named AS-SIG.
Over the years the meeting grew to cover different aspects of RNA biology as they relate to phenotype, disease and therapeutics, including alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation (APA), post-transcriptional regulation, RNA 2D/3D structure, and the expression and function of non-coding RNAs. Consequently, in 2013 the SIG changed its name to Integrative RNA Biology (the acronym IRB, used initially, was abandoned in favor of iRNA as some of the organizers had traumatic memories from past institutional review boards…).
In 2017 another major change took place when the main meeting, ISMB, changed its organization: The various SIGs, including IRB, became the main ISMB meeting, now comprised of 1-2 days of sub-meetings. Furthermore, the International Society of Computational Biology (ISCB) which organizes ISMB, supported the creation of matching Communities of Special Interest (COSI).
As a COSI, iRNA aim is to bring together computational and experimental experts that drive new advances in RNA biology and overcome the computational challenges involved. It does so by promoting various initiatives you can learn about on this site. The website itself is intended to serve as a platform for this community – promote relevant meetings, share knowledge, exchange ideas etc.
We hope you find the iRNA COSI useful (and fun!) and decide to get involved – contribute posts, add content or even just tweet about related activities.
P.S: If you want to go down memory lane and visit some of the old meetings click here
Enjoy!