2026 RNA Symposium unites global experts to share breakthroughs in RNA science and medicine
UPDATE May 12, 2026 – Sights and sounds from the Symposium.
Highlights from the 2026 RNA Symposium mark a decade of advancing RNA science and medicine at the University of Michigan. Mark your calendar for next year’s event, the 2027 RNA Symposium, March 3-5, 2027. Share in the future of RNA research at Michigan!
Patient Advocacy Panel recording now available on our YouTube channel
The 2026 RNA Symposium Patient Advocacy Panel recording is now available to view on our YouTube channel. This poignant discussion ranks among the most impactful moments of the symposium, reminding researchers of the why of what they do. Hear from Victoria Gray, the 1st Sickle Cell Anemia patient in the world to be treated with CRISPR gene editing, and others as they share their journeys of living with rare and genetic diseases.
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, March 17, 2026 – Tommy Wang, Dean, University of Michigan School of Medicine, kicked off the 10th Annual RNA Symposium on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Kahn Auditorium in the Biomedical Science Research Building (BSRB). Dr. Wang welcomed faculty, students and researchers from the University of Michigan and peer institutions and partners throughout the globe – experts gathered in collaboration to share the latest breakthroughs in RNA science and medicine.
The University of Michigan’s 10th Annual RNA Symposium, “RNA Frontiers: From Mechanisms to Medicine,” brought an international community together to spotlight the newest advances at the intersection of RNA biology, technology, and therapeutic development. Through keynote talks from leaders including Shelley Berger, Nils Walter, Erik Sontheimer, Karla Neugebauer, Sarah Woodson, and Madeleine Oudin, attendees got a rapid-fire view of where the field is headed — and why RNA biomedicine continues to be one of the fastest paths from discovery to impact.
Correspondents from the Michigan Science Writers (MiSciWriters) were once again on hand to cover the symposium. Also celebrating their 10th Anniversary this fall, MiSciWriters is a graduate student organization at the University of Michigan whose goal is to train fellow graduate students & post-doctoral fellows in science writing and editing.
For live, on-the-ground coverage from the MiSciWriters, visit https://misciwriters.com/.
Beyond the talks, the symposium delivered on what makes a scientific meeting memorable: genuine connection. Friday’s Networking Dinner and Saturday’s Poster Center Reception were “research party” successes in the best sense — lively conversations, new collaborations, and a room full of people clearly having a wonderful time. We also convened a deeply impactful Patient Advocacy Panel featuring Victoria Gray, the first person with sickle cell disease treated with CRISPR gene editing (2019), who shared what this science looks like from the patient’s side —transforming cutting-edge breakthroughs into a human story of persistence, progress, and possibility.
On Saturday afternoon, the Speaker Panel Discussion looked ahead to the future of RNA science and medicine, with candid reflections on scientific careers and the lessons senior researchers most want the next generation to carry forward. The result was a fitting capstone to the 10th anniversary: a symposium that celebrated discovery, centered people, and made the path from mechanisms to medicine feel not just possible, but already underway.
Save the date for next year’s symposium, March 3-5, 2027!
