Dr. William Fairbrother

Biography

William Fairbrother is a tenured full professor in the Department of Biology at Brown University. His research is centered on RNA splicing and its implications in the context of precision medicine and genomics. His lab employs a combination of computational and experimental techniques to uncover new mechanisms in RNA biology and to understand non-coding variations that affect human health. Among his significant contributions is the development of a novel deep sequencing technique to accurately map branchpoints in human introns, revealing that approximately 40% of human introns have previously unidentified branchpoint locations. His work also includes the development of a biochemical screen to predict the effects of disease mutations on gene processing, with findings indicating that one-third of hereditary disease mutations impact gene processing. Dr. Fairbrother is a co-founder of Walah Scientific, a biotech company focused on commercializing a COVID breathalyzer developed in his lab.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards