This is a repeat of a talk given at VanBug on February 13, and so should be accessible to people who are not already familiar with computational methods for RNA structure prediction.

RNA molecules perform fascinating functions in the cell and hold promise in therapeutics. The functions of RNA molecules are determined in large part by their structure. Computational methods for prediction of RNA secondary structure from the base sequence can help shed light on the three-dimensional structure and functions of these molecules. More fundamentally, experience with such computer algorithms can also help us understand the physical principles that determine how RNA molecules fold.

In this talk, we will describe how current RNA folding algorithms work, the limitations of current algorithms, and ongoing research at the UBC CS BETA (Bioinformatics, and Empirical and Theoretical Algorithmics) Laboratory that addresses these limitations.