I'm a PhD researcher at the Core Facility TRAM in Münster and my research centers around understanding the function of small nucleolar RNAs in health and disease. Small nucleolar C/D Box RNAs (Snords) are processed from intronic sequences and transported to the nucleolus, where they guide a protein complex to facilitate base modifications such as 2′-O-methylation of target ribosomal RNA. However, certain Snords (so called “orphan” Snords) have no known target or function, yet their absence causes diseases like Prader-Willi Syndrome with a pronounced phenotype. We use modern molecular biological methods and tools like transgenic mouse models to elucidate the role of orphan Snords in the pathogenesis of Prader-Willi Syndrome.