Dr. Seungil Ro is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno and completed his postdoctoral training in gastrointestinal physiology and smooth muscle biology. Dr. Ro’s research focuses on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal motility disorders, and cancer, with particular emphasis on the regulatory and therapeutic roles of microRNAs and other small RNAs. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, including studies published in Nature Genetics, Gut, Gastroenterology, and Cell Research, and holds multiple U.S. and international patents related to microRNA-based therapeutics. His research has been supported by more than $12 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health and private sources. He has also founded a biotechnology start-up company focused on developing microRNA-based therapeutics for metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases.