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Unlock protein
expression beyond
the limits of DNA

Proteins are the gears of life

They catalyse biochemical reactions

Construct, stabilise and maintain cells and viruses

Transport and sense key biological compounds

Organise and replicate DNA

Trigger and mediate immunological responses

And much, much more

All proteins have 3 things in common:
  • They are encoded by RNA sequences
  • They are composed by aminoacids
  • They have to be translated

Translation begins when the ribosome binds to the mRNA

it continues when a codon is recognised and the appropriate tRNA is recruited, adding an aminoacid.

This process is repeated until the peptide sequence is synthesised, until it reaches a STOP codon

But sometimes translation doesn't end at the STOP




STOP Codon Readthrough elements are structured mRNA sequences that interact with the ribosome at the STOP codon site, blocking translation termination.




Meaning that the protein is synthesised beyond the STOP

SCR elements create an additional level of control for protein expression during translation.




But what if we could go further?




What if we could modulate the readthrough?




We attempted to do something that's never been done before: create a SCR riboswitch.




A switch where in presence of the ligand the readthrough is downregulated, and in ligand abscence, it’s upregulated.

RNA switches are highly diverse small RNA sequences that can have catalytic or regulatory activity.


SKIPPIT harnesses the power of Functional RNA elements (FRE) by fusing them with conformational RNA elements (CRE), to create new RNA switches.

Functional RNA elements Conformational RNA elements
RNA sequences which possess additional properties that rely on their secondary structure to function. RNA sequences that have the ability to bind and interact with a ligand or an external stimuli to change their structure

This means that we can generate mRNA transcripts capable of modulating their own translation.

THE FIRST STEP: Rewiring RNA

RNA dynamics are complex: from transcript maturation, to secondary structures, and molecular interactions, RNA elements require high expertise to manipulate.



Learning how to rewire RNA is an arduous task, which is why we built TADPOLE

TADPOLE is an easy-to-use software with a public interface that automates the design of RNA switches

Just input a CRE and a FRE sequence, and TADPOLE will do the rest

This means that creating custom RNA switches is now on everyone’s reach, without needing any modelling or coding knowledge.

“With TADPOLE, the world of translation level regulation becomes a reality”.

SKIPPIT is proof that the future of synthetic biology starts now. New tools, new regulation, and a new world of possibilities. Join us, beyond the finish line.