New Preprint
eclair CLIP & Pythia on bioRxiv
A high-resolution protein–RNA binding atlas and structure-aware modeling. Co-first author, October 13, 2026. Preprint; not peer reviewed.
Read the preprint
RNA Biology / Cancer Systems
Heather Karner, PhD
Decoding the messages that shape cancer.
I study how RNA-binding proteins control mRNA stability, cancer cell fate, metastasis, and therapy response, with experimental systems designed to reflect the patients most affected by disease.
67
RNA-binding proteins profiled in the eclair CLIP atlas
6
breast cancer models profiled for mRNA stability
3
mouse models used for RBMS3 functional validation
The science behind the program
RNA regulation. Profound consequences.
Conceptual schematic / not experimental data
eclair CLIP (ecCLIP)
Where proteins meet RNA.
eclair CLIP maps RNA-binding protein interactions at high resolution. The atlas profiles 67 endogenously tagged proteins in HEK293T cells and supports models of RNA stability and RBP–RNA recognition.
Current Momentum
RNA mechanism. Cancer impact.
The program connects genome-scale RNA measurements, mechanistic validation, and equity-centered model selection into one clear question: how do post-transcriptional networks change cancer outcomes?
Paper
New paper in Science Advances
RBMS3 as a metastasis suppressor in breast cancer. Co-first author, March 2026.
Read the paperPosition
Research Affiliate
Affiliated with UCSF & Arc Institute; contributing to collaborative RNA biology research.
Status
On the Faculty Market
Seeking tenure-track positions in RNA biology, functional genomics, and cancer biology.
Research Program
From RNA half-lives to metastatic behavior.
My lab will define how RNA regulatory circuits are wired, how they break in cancer, and which nodes are powerful enough to change cell fate.
Map RNA regulation at scale
Measure transcriptome-wide mRNA stability and RBP binding across cancer systems chosen for mechanistic and patient relevance.
Find the regulatory logic
Use interpretable models and CRISPRi to connect RNA sequence, structure, binding, decay, and cancer cell behavior.
Build toward better models of disease
Center genetically and ancestrally diverse breast cancer models so discovery biology is also rigorous translational biology.
The next chapter
A program built for collaborative cancer environments.
My future lab will connect RNA mechanism, functional genomics, and diverse patient-derived cancer models. I am seeking a tenure-track position where collaborative science and thoughtful mentorship can turn fundamental discoveries into a deeper understanding of metastatic disease.