Faculty Spotlight with Dr. Andrea Berman

By Sarah Lindley

Dr. Andrea Berman, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences who is also affiliated with the Integrative Systems Biology program and the UPMC Cancer Biology Program, has an overarching philosophy structuring her lab and her classroom: establishing environments where students feel supported while developing confidence as capable scientists. 

Before joining Pitt’s faculty, Dr. Berman completed her PhD in Thomas Steitz’s lab at Yale University and a postdoc in Thomas Cech’s lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Berman is grateful that she had the opportunity “to work with two influential scientists who valued women in science,” and who imparted “the importance of asking big biological questions.” 

“Big biological questions” often revolve around the central dogma of molecular biology: information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. RNA in particular is more complicated than generally assumed; various kinds of RNAs can modify other RNAs, recruit enzymes to specific sequences, and splice transcripts to make different protein isoforms—to name a few activities—all of which can substantially impact gene regulation. RNA-binding proteins, or RBPs, are often just as complex. 

Dr. Berman was drawn to studying RBPs when establishing her lab, looking to combine “fundamental questions about mechanism using structural and biochemical tools with a focus on RNA-binding proteins.” One such RBP, LARP1, can repress the biogenesis of ribosomes, the molecular machines responsible for protein synthesis, a process which is typically upregulated in cancers. However, elevated LARP1 levels are actually linked to the progression of ovarian cancer: “LARP1 seems to be associated with worsening cancer, but we know LARP1 actually turns off the processes required to fuel cancer,” says Dr. Berman, “and so we’re trying to figure out that paradox.” 

Through a collaboration with Dr. Jacob Durrant, Dr. Berman is working to find small molecules which bind LARP1, which could potentially have clinical applications for ovarian cancer. Knowing more about LARP1 might also explain why it is a biomarker for ovarian cancer, which often goes undetected until later stages. 

LARP1 research may also reveal more fundamental information about RBPs. LARP1 contains multiple RNA-binding domains which work independently but can coordinate their function. This process is not well understood, Dr. Berman says: “There aren’t that many examples of how RNA-binding proteins with multiple domains change their conformation to regulate what targets they will and won’t bind…I think it’s something we should know by now, but we don’t know it.” 

Entering the Berman lab, you might see people using in-vitro biochemical and biophysical tools to tackle these questions. You’d likely also hear music playing, and see that lab members feel comfortable asking questions and making mistakes. Dr. Berman strived to develop this type of atmosphere in her lab because such supportive settings allow people to figure out “what direction they want to grow in.” She knows that when you are a graduate student, for example, “you’re still growing up yourself,” and alongside the scientific progress unfolding, “people are also figuring out who they want to be and what they want to do.” 

A similar philosophy permeates her lecture hall. Dr. Berman teaches molecular biology, a course designed for senior undergraduate students which emphasizes literature, experimental design, and data analysis. Via “Figure Facts” assignments, first created by Jennifer Round and A. Malcolm Campbell of Davidson College and implemented by Dr. Berman and some other instructors in the department, students analyze figures from papers and are encouraged to interpret the data courageously in a low-stakes setting. 

Work like this is necessary, says Dr. Berman, because everyone needs to be able to “take some data and get a trend out of it.” Yet students often get overwhelmed by details, which initially seem intimidating. Dr. Berman tries to show students “that they already are scientists.” She finds that “there’s really no difference between you [her students] and me…I’ve just had a longer time to do this. And that’s given me...the experience to develop the confidence. But you’re equally capable, you just need the time to develop the confidence.” 

Dr. Berman’s advice to students considering research-related careers? “Find a mentor who matches your learning style and who helps you build your confidence and skill set. Find mentors who have resources, whatever resources are important for you.” She also emphasizes the importance of finding the right topic or field: “I think you have to find something that’s so interesting to you that you want to continue learning, you want to contribute to it, but also something that fits in terms of intuition development.” As a crystallographer-at-heart, for instance, Berman can imagine what proteins look like fitting into other molecules when she thinks about how cells work. “Intuition’s really important,” she says, “and that comes from confidence, that comes from experience, that comes from loving the science that you’re doing.” So find what you love, gain experience, and the confidence, intuition, and success as a scientist are sure to follow.