Michelle L Hastings
Pfizer Upjohn Research Professor of Pharmacology
Professor of Pharmacology
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
College of Pharmacy
[email protected]

Available to mentor

Michelle L Hastings
Professor
  • About
  • Links
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications
  • About

    Michelle L. Hastings, PhD, is the Pfizer Upjohn Research Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical school and Director of the M-RNA Therapeutics at the University of Michigan. Before joining University of Michigan, she was Professor and Director of the Center for Genetic Diseases at the Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Hastings received her PhD from Marquette University and trained as a post-doctoral fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic basis of disease and discovering new therapeutics that modulate RNA processing to alter gene expression. Her work has resulted in the discovery of effective means of targeting RNA splicing with antisense molecules for the treatment of disease. Dr. Hastings’ studies on Usher syndrome led to the first demonstration that hearing and balance can be recovered in a genetic mouse model of human deafness, laying the groundwork for developing a treatment for Usher in humans. Her recent work has demonstrated that antisense technology can partially correct gene expression in some forms of CLN3 Batten disease, cystic fibrosis and other diseases. Her research has been spotlighted in BBC, USA Today, National Public Radio (NPR) and other news outlets. Dr. Hastings holds numerous patents for her discoveries and is working to develop these technologies into treatments for disease. She is supported by the National Institutes of Health and private foundation grants. She is on the editorial board of Nucleic Acids Research, RNA and the Journal of Neurochemistry and on the scientific advisory boards of a number of companies. Dr. Hastings is a 2022 National Academy of Sciences Kavli fellow and an inaugural board member of the Society for RNA Therapeutics.

    Links
    Qualifications
    • Research Fellow
      Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, United States, 2007
    • Postdoctoral fellow
      Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, United States, 2006
    • PhD
      Marquette University, Milwaukee, 1998
    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Center for Cell Plasticity and Organ Design
    Research Overview

    RNA Therapeutics, Antisense Technology, Antisense Oligonucleotides, mRNA, circRNA, microRNA, genetic diseases, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease, Usher syndrome, CLN3 Batten disease, cystic fibrosis, lysosomal storage diseases, neurodegeneration

    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Increasing MicroRNA Abundance by Targeting Biogenesis from the Primary Transcript with Steric-Blocking Antisense Oligonucleotides.
      Havens MA, Hinrich AJ, Rigo F, Hastings ML. RNA, 2024 Sep 10; DOI:10.1261/rna.080021.124
      PMID: 39255995
    • Journal Article
      Modulating NLRP3 splicing with antisense oligonucleotides to control pathological inflammation.
      Klein R, Onyuru J, Viera EM, Putnam CD, Hoffman HM, Hastings ML. bioRxiv, 2024 Sep 6; DOI:10.1101/2024.09.06.611206
      PMID: 39282364
    • Journal Article
      259 Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides to recover CFTR function disrupted by C-terminal truncating nucleotide variants
      Michaels W, Pena-Rasgado C, Bridges R, Hastings M. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 2024 Sep; 23: s138 - s139. DOI:10.1016/s1569-1993(24)01099-3
    • Journal Article
      275 Evaluating rare CFTR variants for therapeutic intervention with antisense oligonucleotides
      Pena-Rasgado C, Patel A, Manriquez E, Harrison P, Santos L, Hastings M, Michaels W. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 2024 Sep; 23: s147 DOI:10.1016/s1569-1993(24)01115-9
    • Preprint
      Systematic deletion of symmetrical CFTR exons reveals new therapeutic targets for exon skipping antisense oligonucleotides
      Pena-Rasgado C, Manriquez E, Dundr M, Bridges RJ, Hastings ML, Michaels WE. bioRxiv, DOI:10.1101/2024.08.28.607949
    • Journal Article
      Viral-like TLR3 induction of cytokine networks and α-synuclein are reduced by complement C3 blockade in mouse brain.
      Thomas R, Connolly KJ, Brekk OR, Hinrich AJ, Hastings ML, Isacson O, Hallett PJ. Sci Rep, 2023 Sep 13; 13 (1): 15164 DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41240-z
      PMID: 37704739
    • Journal Article
      243 Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides for the treatment of Class I CFTR mutations
      Michaels W, Pena-Rasgado C, Bridges R, Hastings M. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 2023 Oct; 22: s124 DOI:10.1016/s1569-1993(23)01172-4
    • Journal Article
      Protracted CLN3 Batten disease in mice that genetically model an exon-skipping therapeutic approach.
      Centa JL, Stratton MP, Pratt MA, Osterlund Oltmanns JR, Wallace DG, Miller SA, Weimer JM, Hastings ML. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids, 2023 Sep 12; 33: 15 - 27. DOI:10.1016/j.omtn.2023.05.025
      PMID: 37359347
    Featured News & Stories little girls who are sisters sitting in outside area with pumpkins in pink and yellow shirt
    Health Lab
    A personalized RNA therapeutic treats twins with ultra-rare form of Batten disease
    A therapeutic developed by Michigan Medicine's Michelle Hastings, Ph.D., is now being used to treat twin girls with a rare form of juvenile Batten disease.