When Ruslan Afasizhev and Inna Afasizheva were studying at Moscow State University in the early 1990s, research in genetics was buzzing with possibilities. Scientists across the globe were on the cusp of sequencing the entirety of the human genome, busting open a new door for molecular science, medicine, and biology. And researchers were eager to learn more about how the genome, our DNA, provides instructions for cells in the body through RNA (ribonucleic acid) that’s present in all living cells.
Afasizhev and Afasizheva, who were freshmen when they met, couldn’t wait to be part of this exciting new world. As molecular biologists, they wanted to explore the complexity of living cells, dive into the latest research, and learn as much as possible.
