In the 1960s, Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, became captivated by a little-understood virus that caused no known disease or infection.
Skeptics were puzzled by his curiosity, referring to the virus — adeno-associated virus, or AAV — as “almost a virus.”
Fast forward 55 years, and AAV is now integral to gene therapy for a host of illnesses. AAV vectors have had a major impact on numerous human diseases and have led to the approval of six gene therapy products, three of which were developed at the University of Florida.
“It’s impossible to describe Dr. Berns’ remarkable foresight,” said Arun Srivastava, PhD, the George H. Kitzman Professor of Genetics in the departments of pediatrics and molecular genetics & microbiology, who was recruited to UF by Berns more than 44 years ago. “He realized AAV’s significance when no one else did or could. He made UF the AAV powerhouse it is today.”
Berns, a former UF College of Medicine dean and leader, passed away Jan. 26 at age 85. Over three stints at UF spanning four decades, he left an enduring impact on the community and the medical field. Widely regarded as a pioneer of AAV, Berns was renowned as one of the nation’s most distinguished scientists and physicians.
“Ken Berns had a profound impact on generations of basic and clinician scientists. He was insightful, kind, and deeply committed to high-quality science that has changed the future of medicine.”
Barry Byrne, MD, PhD
Born in Cleveland in 1938, Berns attended Harvard University during his undergraduate years and obtained his MD and PhD degrees from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Prior to becoming a faculty member in the department of microbiology at his graduate school alma mater, he spent time in the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health, where he was first intrigued by AAV.
Berns joined the UF College of Medicine in 1976 as chair of the department of molecular genetics & microbiology — the youngest chair at the college at that time. He earned international acclaim for his work with AAV as a vector in gene therapy, and the Powell Gene Therapy Center was established in his laboratory.
After spending eight years as a department chair at UF, Berns moved to the Weill Cornell Medical College to chair its department of microbiology but was recruited back to Gainesville in 1998 as the Folke H. Peterson Professor and dean of the College of Medicine, later becoming UF’s vice president for health affairs. During his five years as dean, he saw the college experience a substantial increase in external research funding and was intimately involved in establishing the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville and the UF Genetics Institute in Gainesville.
Dr. Berns was intimately involved in establishing the UF Genetics Institute in Gainesville (left) and the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville (right). The Powell Gene Therapy Center (center, with current director Barry Byrne, MD, PhD) was established in Dr. Berns’ laboratory.
After a brief stint as president of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, he rejoined UF as the director of the Genetics Institute in 2003. He retired in 2012, remaining with the department of molecular genetics & microbiology as a distinguished professor emeritus for many years.
“I think his greatest strength was his ability to relate to people. Ken had the ability to bring out the best in people.”
Henry Baker, PhD
Berns’ contributions to the field of medicine were historic. His laboratory was the first to identify aspects of the AAV life cycle that are now leveraged in the use of AAV as a gene therapy vector, and his discoveries have been transformational in the field of molecular medicine. He shared his expertise with several national organizations, serving as president of the American Society for Virology in 1988 and president of the American Society for Microbiology in 1996. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“Ken Berns had a profound impact on generations of basic and clinician scientists,” said Powell Gene Therapy Center Director Barry Byrne, MD, PhD. “He was insightful, kind, and deeply committed to high-quality science that has changed the future of medicine.”
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Breaking ground in gene therapy
UF is the world’s top contributor to scientific knowledge and literature about AAV, according to research recently published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. UF is also the only institution with three current or former faculty members among the world’s top 10 authors of gene therapy and AAV publications.