RNA Symposium

The 2023 RNA Institute Annual Symposium is hosted by the RNA Institute at the University at Albany in collaboration with the Center for RNA Biology at the University of Rochester. This year's meeting will strengthen connections between academia and industry by hosting speakers from New York State Biotech and Pharma Industries as well as academia.

Trainee Talk Awards

• Lily Cisco, Graduate Student, University of Rochester Medical College
• Michelle Urman, Graduate Student, University at Albany, SUNY

Poster Presentation Awards

Undergraduate Awardees

• Grace Crowe, SUNY Brockport
• Timothy Mehrmann, University of Massachusetts

Graduate Student Awardees

• Emmanuel Adade, University at Albany SUNY
• Sara Ali, University of Rochester Medical College
• Michael Dolan, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
• Dakarai Esgdaille, University of Rochester Medical College
• Rachel Lange, University at Albany SUNY
• Amy Mascorro, University at Albany SUNY
• Jordana Schmierer, University of Rochester Medical College
• Gregory Theophall, University at Albany SUNY
• Elinore VanGraafieland, University of Rochester Medical College

Postdoctoral Fellow Awardees

• Hironori Adachi, University of Rochester Medical College
• Hannah Shorrock, University at Albany SUNY

RNA Society Membership Awardees

• Elizabeth Abshire, University of Rochester Medical College
• Wooree Ko, University of Rochester Medical College
• Jessica Perciaccante, University of Rochester Medical College

2022 RNA Institute Symposium Award Winners

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Mentoring

Cara Pager, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and the RNA Institute
Alexander T. Ciota, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and the RNA Institute

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Service

John Cleary, Collaborative Staff Scientist, The RNA Institute
Paul Gumpper, Administrative Manager, The RNA Institute

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Research

Cheryl P. Andam, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and The RNA Institute
Maksim Royzen, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and the RNA Institute

2022 RNA Symposium Trainee Talk Winners - Undergraduate Category

Sergio Ocampo, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico
Suxuan Wang, Mount Holyoke College
Elise White, RPI

2022 RNA Symposium Trainee Talk Winners - Graduate and Postdoc Category

Melissa Ait Said, Institut Cochin - Universite de Paris
Pheonah Badu, University at Albany, SUNY
Rebecca D'Esposito, University at Albany, SUNY
Atagun Ulas Isiktas, Yale University

2022 RNA Symposium Poster Session Winners

Grace Crowe, SUNY Brockport
Rachel Fay, University at Albany, SUNY
Chukwudi Humphrey Omeoga, University at Albany, SUNY
Raghu Ram Katreddi, University at Albany, SUNY

Mahera Kachwala, University at Albany, SUNY
Kavipriya Palanivel, University at Albany, SUNY
Aaron Premo, University at Albany, SUNY
Emily Rice, West Virginia University
Kevin Thomas, University at Albany, SUNY
 

View the full program here

The 2021 RNA Institute Mini Symposium was a great success with over 400 registrants from around the world.
We want to congratulate all the Award winners and trainee speakers for a truly enjoyable and interesting symposium.

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Mentoring

Jason Hershchkowitz

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Service

Scott Tenenbaum
Gaby Fuchs
Liisa Koski
Donna Willey

RNA Institute Award for Excellence in Research

Kathleen McDonough
Jia Sheng
Alex Valm

RNA Institute Award for Exceptional Performance

Alan Chen 

RNA Institute Selected Symposium Talks - Day 1

Shipra Malik, University of Connecticut. Nanoparticle delivered short anti-miR PNAs for lymphoma therapy.

Subodh Mishra, RNA Institute, University at Albany. A CTG repeat-selective screen of a natural product library reveals dietary natural compounds as potential therapeutics for Myotonic Dystrophy

Xavier Bofill De Ros, National Cancer Institute. Interplay between miRNA precursors and biogenesis enzymes promotes a widespread increase of aberrant isoforms in tumors

Sara Evke, SUNY Polytechnic, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. The Protective Role of the Epitranscriptome Against Acetaminophen Toxicity

Omer Ziv, Gurdon Institute of Cambridge. RNA-RNA Interactome of SARS-CoV-2.

Ya Ying Zheng, RNA Institute, University at Albany. Mapping and Functional Study of RNA Phosphorothioate Backbone

Esteban Orellana, Boston Children’s Hospital. METTL1-mediated m7G modification of Arg-TCT tRNA drives oncogenic transformation

Oguzhan Begik, Center for Genomic Regulation. Quantitative profiling of native RNA modifications and their dynamics using nanopore sequencing

Rachel Fay, Wasdworth Center, University at Albany. Evolution at increased temperature increases adaptability of flaviviruses
 

RNA Institute Awards for Best Talk - Day 2

James Thomas, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Qiushuang Wu, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Tianhan Huang, Auburn University
Miha Modic, The Francis Crick Institute and University of Cambridge
Carl Shotwell, The RNA Institute
Yekaterina Shulgina, Harvard University
Amber Altrieth, University at Albany

6th Annual RNA Symposium – The Language of RNA in Disease and Development

March 21-22, 2019 – University at Albany Performing Arts Center (PAC)

The RNA Institute’s 6th Annual RNA Symposium is entitled The Language of RNA in Disease and Development. It brings together scientific experts, students and industry professionals who conduct basic, applied and translational research in RNA. This year’s meeting highlights multidisciplinary work being done in and around RNA science.

The 2019 Symposium includes talks from Craig Mello, Eliezer Calo, Matt Disney, Wendy Gilbert, Eric Kool, Cara Pager, Gisela Storz, Charles Thornton, and Elçin Ünal, as well as presentations by faculty, postdocs, and students selected from submitted abstracts. Please join us for this exciting event!

Symposium Flyer

Symposium Organizing Committee: Joan Curcio and Melinda Larsen (Co-Chairs), Tom Begley, Bijan Dey, Jason Herschkowitz, Prash Rangan and Jia Sheng. Please contact The RNA Institute directly with any questions or concerns at [email protected] or 518-437-4443.

Hands on Workshops were offered by RNA Institute staff and affiliated faculty on Thursday, March 21.

• Gradient fractionation – Fractionation of biological material is an important tool to analyze samples separated by a defined parameter. One such method is separation by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. In this workshop, we will go over different gradient examples and what to use them for, sample preparation, gradient preparation and fractionation using the Brandel/Teledyne-Isco system. We also offer to fractionate and analyze samples by participants. The fractionated samples can be frozen for subsequent analysis by qRT-PCR, NGS, western blotting. Please contact the workshop organizer for details). A limited number of samples from participants could be fractionated during the workshop.  If you are interested please contact Dr. Fuchs. Hosted by: Dr. Gabriele Fuchs, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University at Albany
• RNA simulations – This one-day workshop provides a combination of interactive discussions and hands-on workshops on computational simulations of RNA structure and dynamics spanning a wide range time and length-scales, from 2D and coarse-grained models all the way to explicit solvent, quantum chemical models. Comparative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and connections to experimental data will be emphasized. Hosted by: Dr. Alan Chen, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University at Albany and Dr. Paul Whitford, Associate Professor of Physics, Northeastern University
• Epitranscriptomics – In this workshop we will learn how to prepare RNA samples to study its composition in the context of RNA chemical modifications using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition to hands on RNA sample preparation, the users will learn about LC-MS instrumentation, RNA modifications quantification as well as data processing. Hosted by: Dr. Qishan Lin, Research Associate Professor, University at Albany and Dr. Dan Fabris, Professor of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University at Albany.
• Sequencing technologies – Workshop participants will gain hands-on experience processing and analyzing genome-scale DNA and RNA data from Illumina sequencers. We will begin with a brief introduction to sequencing-by-synthesis technologies and then discuss appropriate experimental design for RNA-seq analysis. We will then cover the steps needed to transform your raw data into actionable information and biological insight. This includes genome and transcriptome alignment, quantification of transcript levels, statistical analysis, and data visualization. By the end of the workshop, participants will be exposed to a breadth of next-generation sequencing technologies and workflows as well as gain a working knowledge of data processing and modern bioinformatic analyses. Hosted by: Dr. Morgan Sammons, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University at Albany
• microRNA Detection with DNA Nanoswitches – In this workshop, users will learn how to detect various microRNAs from biological samples using programmable DNA nanoswitches. This technique, forthcoming in Science Advances, provides a low-cost and simple alternative to qPCR and Northern blotting and can be performed in any lab. Hosted by: Dr. Ken Halvorsen, Senior Research Scientist, The RNA Institute

Final Schedule: please find the draft program at this link.

Full program is available here.