Our lab investigates the molecular evolution of life using both experimental and computational approaches. We focus on catalytic RNA (ribozymes), exploring how they emerge, adapt, and function under dynamic conditions relevant to early Earth. Through in vitro evolution, high-throughput sequencing, and structural analysis, we study the transition from RNA-based catalysis to RNA-protein systems, with a special interest in the role of cofactors, peptides, minerals, and metabolic pathways. We also develop synthetic RNA systems with potential biomedical applications, including RNA biosensors, and integrate bioinformatics and evolutionary modeling to uncover principles guiding molecular innovation.
Publications
Evolutionary Routes to Modern Metabolic Pathways
A. Vázquez-Salazar, I. Muñoz-Velasco
Macromol, 2025
Pioneering role of RNA in the early evolution of life
I. Muñoz-Velasco, A. Cruz-González, Ricardo Hernández-Morales, J. A. Campillo-Balderas, W. Cottom-Salas, Rodrigo Jácome, A. Vázquez-Salazar
Genetics and Molecular Biology, 2024
Prebiotic chiral transfer from self-aminoacylating ribozymes may favor either handedness
Josh Kenchel, A. Vázquez-Salazar, Reno Wells, Krishna Brunton, Evan Janzen, Kyle M Schultz, Ziwei Liu, Weiwei Li, Eric T Parker, J. Dworkin, I. Chen
Nature Communications, 2024
Fitness Landscapes and Evolution of Catalytic RNA.
Ranajay Saha, A. Vázquez-Salazar, Aditya Nandy, I. Chen
Annual Review of Biophysics, 2024