Non-coding RNAs

This book provides a comprehensive overview of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), a critical but often overlooked component of our genetic material. It sheds new light on the functional significance of ncRNAs in gene regulation, epigenetic regulation, development and differentiation, cellular processes and disease pathology.

The book follows a logical structure, beginning with chapters introducing ncRNA classifications, biogenesis pathways, regulatory roles and recent advances in functional analysis techniques. The main part discusses their role as therapeutic targets and provides the reader with case studies highlighting the importance of ncRNAs in specific biological processes or diseases. Finally, the book concludes with an outlook on future directions and challenges in ncRNA research.

Because of its scope and thorough introduction, this book is intended not only for researchers in molecular biology, genomics, transcriptomics and epigenetics, but also for students and related disciplines. It provides a holistic understanding of ncRNA biology, their contributions to gene regulation and role in health and disease.

Mohammad Fahad Ullah, PhD is a Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. He received his academic degrees along with a gold medal in M.Sc. (Biochemistry) from Aligarh Muslim University, India. Further, he worked as a Research Associate at Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical & Diagnostic Sciences, University of Tennessee, USA.  His research interests include studies on small molecules (low molecular weight compounds) in the context of their mechanistic actions and therapeutic potential against chronic diseases including cancer and diabetes. His work has also demonstrated the role of polymorphic variations in certain microRNAs in increasing the risk and susceptibility to diseases such as PCOS and cancer. He is a member of AACR (USA)/Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and member of the editorial/reviewer board of a number of scientific journals. Dr. Ullah has more than 14 years of experience in teaching Biochemistry to the students of biological & health sciences. His academic works include 75 publications in reputed journals (WOS/h-index: 30) and four books entitled “Critical dietary factors in cancer chemoprevention" (Springer-Switzerland), “Illustrated notes on biomolecules" (Partridge-Singapore), "Nutraceuticals and Natural product Derivatives: Disease Prevention & Drug Discovery" (John Wiley & Sons-UK) and “Biocatalysis: Enzymatic Basics and Applications” (Springer-Switzerland).

Aamir Ahmad, PhD, is a Principal Investigator and Senior Scientist at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. He received his academic degrees from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India with gold medals for highest marks in Department (Biochemistry) as well as Faculties of Science and Life Sciences combined. He completed his post-doctoral training at National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. He has been a member of leading cancer organizations such as the American Association for Cancer Research, Union for International Cancer Control, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Epigenetics Society, and has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 79) and 30 book chapters. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of journal ‘Non-coding RNA Research’ in addition to serving as editorial board member of several journals. He has edited 8 books and was ranked among the top 2% scientists globally for career-long citation impact, in the list published by Stanford University in 2020 and also in the follow-up lists 2021 through 2024, based on data from Mendeley and Scopus.