When the COVID-19 pandemic forced SUNY into lockdown in spring 2020, it became clear that accessible and affordable testing would be key in achieving a safe return to campus. Andrew Berglund, Empire Professor of Innovation and director of the University at Albany RNA Institute, led efforts to generate a rapid, cost-effective and non-invasive surveillance testing program that has helped keep the campus and surrounding community safe. These efforts along with his research contributions in the myotonic dystrophy (DM) field, his continuing push to develop a DM research center at UAlbany, and strong faculty accomplishments have helped The RNA Institute achieve unparalleled scientific success along with local and international recognition since Berglund took the helm as director in 2018. Berglund has an international reputation for his research into the molecular mechanisms of myotonic dystrophy (DM), the leading cause of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. He has published many high-impact papers, served as a lead for large collaborative DM research grants and is pushing efforts to advance new therapeutics into clinical trials. A member of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Research Advisory Committee and Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, Berglund has worked tirelessly with DM families and the foundations that support them. One such organization, The Marigold Foundation, recently awarded seed funding to help develop the Center for Myotonic Dystrophy at UAlbany. The center will serve as a hub for academic, clinical and industrial collaborative partnerships to increase DM research, educational and clinical opportunities. Berglund has been instrumental in the design of the center and bringing on board Dr. Charles Thornton, a leading clinical DM researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Berglund’s leadership in the UAlbany COVID-19 surveillance testing program has been essential in keeping the campus community safe. In collaboration with RNA Institute colleagues John Cleary and Tammy Reid, Berglund led the research, training and logistics required to test thousands of UAlbany faculty, staff and students each week along with many local partners, such as St. Rose, Siena and SEFCU. The program tests in groups of four to reduce cost and improve efficiency and employs a PCR-based assay – the gold standard for sensitive and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2. The program has enabled UAlbany to respond quickly to COVID-19 surges on campus. Altogether, the program has tested over 250,000 samples from UAlbany and its 10+ Capital Region partners. An enthusiastic and supportive teacher and mentor, Berglund has made training the next generation of RNA researchers an Institute mission. Together with senior faculty, Berglund has created a supportive climate of mentorship and collaboration in which RNA Institute junior faculty members can flourish and successfully develop their research. The University’s investment in junior STEM faculty has been paying rich dividends through high rates of retention, faculty success and local partnerships. Berglund’s efforts keep the Institute in a competitive position to recruit the best and brightest scientists. “He has a vision that the world can be greater than what it is and will do what he can to make it so,’’ said Don MacKenzie, executive director, The Marigold Foundation. “When passion and vision meet with the promise of biotechnology, then the stage is truly set for meaningful progress.”
About the Collins Citizen of the University Award