University of Massachusetts in the context of "University of Massachusetts Amherst"

Small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as short interfering RNA or silencing RNA, is a class of double-stranded non-coding RNA molecules, typically 20–24 base pairs in length, similar to microRNA (miRNA), and operating within the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. It interferes with the expression of specific genes with complementary nucleotide sequences by degrading messenger RNA (mRNA) after transcription, preventing translation. It was discovered in 1998 by Andrew Fire at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. and Craig Mello at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly "Southeastern Massachusetts University" (known locally as "SMU"), it was merged into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.

The campus has an overall student body of 8,513 students (school year 2019–2020), including 6,841 undergraduates and 1,672 graduate/law students. As of the 2019–2020 academic year, UMass Dartmouth had 402 full-time faculty on staff. The Dartmouth campus also includes the University of Massachusetts School of Law. UMass Dartmouth is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".