RNA Institute News

NEW YORK – A research team at the University at Albany-State University of New York has pioneered a DNA nanoswitch technology to detect SARS-CoV-2 at the cost of a few pennies per reaction. The system can be easily reprogrammed to detect other viruses, and the group hopes to commercialize it through partnership with industry.

The University’s pooled surveillance testing program is well underway and in addition to helping keep our community healthy and safe, the science behind it – happening in a lab right on our Uptown Campus – is receiving national media attention. Developed by the RNA Institute and the School of Public Health, the program provides a simple and non-invasive way to test the presence of the virus using a saliva sample. The process is straightforward: Participants, which at UAlbany include all students who spend time on campus and many faculty and staff, spit into provided test tubes on an assigned date and drop off samples.

SALIVA SAMPLES INSTEAD of deep, "brain-tickling" nasal swabs: A new wave of noninvasive, less tech-intensive testing is the latest advance in the battle against COVID-19. Dedicated researchers like Anne Wyllie and Andrew Berglund are making it possible.

Researchers at The RNA Institute developed a DNA-based platform for rapid viral RNA testing, including but not limited to Zika, Dengue and COVID-19.

Speakers: Serene Durham (RNA Institute) and Ute Kothe (University of Lethbridge)

Date: February 16th, 2021 @4:00pm. Zoom Virtual Meeting (details will be sent out). Speakers: Haley Caldwell, RNA Fellow (Mentor: Alexander Ciota) and David Tollervey, Welcome Center Cell Biology

This year the RNA Institute’s Undergraduate Summer Fellowship looks a little different. Traditionally, students from the capital region and beyond flocked to the Institute’s advanced labs to conduct hands-on research side by side with some of the region’s top researchers. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted this educational opportunity, like so many other aspects of society. Rather than cancel the program, the Institute’s staff and faculty, under the direction of Dr. Andy Berglund, jumped in to embrace the new normal of social distancing by going completely virtual.

Seed Grant Funding Awards - Dr. Alex Valm