Dr. Torabi is studying a highly abundant cellular long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) called MALAT1 (metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1), which serves as a prognostic factor in several human cancers.  MALAT1 is stabilized via formation of a complex triplex structure called expression and nuclear retention element (ENE). He aims to identify additional MALAT1-like ENEs in the genome through an in vitro evolutionary process in combination with bioinformatics studies. Novel ENEs may facilitate the discovery of novel cancer biomarkers and a better understanding of MALAT1 accumulation in cancer cells.