ECSFinder is a revolutionary AI instrument developed by Associate Professor Martin Smith and his research team in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences. This powerful new investigative tool will take us deeper into the human genome to expose its hidden secrets. Check out this amazing new tool that finds RNA structures in the genome’s so-called “dark” regions. For a long time, these regions have been considered as desert or junk DNA with no function.
The human genome consists of approximately 2% protein-coding genes, with the remaining 98% encompassing non-coding regions that are less understood. An estimated 10% of the genome’s non-coding regions exhibit strong evidence of conservation. The other 90% present huge hurdles for researchers anxious to find out their significance. Associate Professor Smith emphasizes the importance of this research, stating, “We suspect that the remaining approximately 90% of the genome harbors many conserved RNA structures that are invisible to traditional approaches—hidden regulatory elements camouflaged in the genome.”
ECSFinder uses machine learning-based algorithms trained on learned RNA structures to predict evolutionarily conserved RNA secondary structures from genome sequences. This strategy allows the scientific community to solve the complex logic circuit of the human genome. “We’re trying to decode the logic circuitry of the human genome—the hidden rules that tell our DNA how to build and run a human being,” Smith explains.
The dark genome Knowing what’s out there is just the beginning of the story. As Smith notes, “Understanding the dark genome could reshape how we think of disease.” That understanding, though, unlocks thrilling opportunities for clinicians. For treatment of complex diseases like cancer, they can now use genome mapping alongside ECSFinder to plan ultra-specific drugs that target multiple mechanisms.
Smith sounds a hopeful note about where this research could take us. “We expect to uncover hundreds of thousands of new RNA structures, adding a new dimension to our understanding of the genome,” he states. Because these structures are druggable, they represent an exciting new frontier for therapies in the future.
The idea of a dark genome undermines two long assumed ideas—that all this non-coding DNA has no function. Once upon a time, many researchers thought of it as evolutionary detritus, with the newest findings indicating something much more important. “We think that these RNAs act like software, orchestrating the protein ‘hardware’ into a functioning symphony,” Smith asserts.
The study detailing ECSFinder is accessible through its DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf780. We know that research is moving fast. We are hopeful that ECSFinder will shed some light on the intricacies of this dark genome and its contributions to human health.