AARON FLEMING

I am a nucleic acid chemist who studies how DNA and RNA are chemically modified under cellular oxidative and inflammatory stress. In addition, I investigate the epitranscriptome, the collection of enzymatically installed RNA modifications in cells, and how its profiles are shaped by stress in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems. My research develops and applies nanopore sequencing and large-scale data analysis as bioanalytical tools to characterize stress-induced chemical modifications in cellular RNA. Upon identifying modification changes, I investigate the underlying chemical mechanisms, which are defined using test-tube reactions conducted under rigorously modeled biological conditions. Stressors of interest include environmental particulate matter, such as Great Salt Lake dust and microplastics, as well as host–pathogen interactions. A newer direction of my research program focuses on understanding how small molecules, including antibiotics and anticancer drugs, reshape the epitranscriptome of exposed cells.  Together, this work provides a chemically grounded framework for understanding how environmental exposures, infection, and therapeutics influence RNA chemistry and cellular function.