Authority control databases: Academics
Authority control databases: Academics  |
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Andrew Brooks | |
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| Born | February 10, 1969 Bronxville, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2021 (aged 51) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | Jill Brooks |
| Children | 3 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular neuroscience |
| Institutions |
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Andrew Ira Brooks (February 10, 1969 – January 23, 2021) was an American immunologist, academic, and businessman. He was an associate research professor at Rutgers University and the developer of the first FDA-approved rapid saliva test for COVID-19 diagnosis.[1][2][3]
Brooks was born in Bronxville, New York, on February 10, 1969, to Phyllis (née Heitner) and Perry H. Brooks. His mother was a school teacher while his father was a diamond setter.[4] He was raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey and later attended Cornell University, majoring in animal sciences with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. He switched his academic focus after a summer internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering and in 2000 received a PhD from University of Rochester[4] in neuroscience.[1]
After completing his PhD, Brooks remained at the University of Rochester, later becoming director of Medical Center Core Facilities.[5] Four years later, he returned to New Jersey to work at Rutgers,[4] joining the faculties of Environmental Medicine and Genetics, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Toxicology.[6]
In 2009, Brooks began working at the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR), a university-company for data management and research analysis.[7] He eventually became CEO of the company and it became a private entity, now called Sampled, in 2018.[8] He was also the chief science officer for Spectrum Solutions.[9] He was a member of the New Jersey Economic Advisory Council,[10] and the director of the Bionomics Research and Technology Center (BRTC) at the Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.[11]
For 17 years he was director of the Harlan (now Envigo) GeneScreen Laboratory, and as an advisor to the Food and Drug Administration.[12]
Brooks was also both COO and director of technology of RUCDR Infinite Biologics. At RUCDR, he developed a saliva-spit test for COVID-19 as an alternative to naso- or oropharyngeal swab tests which both increased speed of results and minimized the need for medical professionals to be involved in the testing process.[13] He used the capabilities built up to perform genetic tests through saliva and adapted the same techniques to extract the necessary RNA from the virus.[4] The test received emergency use authorization from the FDA in April 2020,[14][15] making it the first at-home test to be approved by federal authorities.[16][17] In addition to designing the saliva test he commercialized the test and scaled production operations to meet the rollout demands.[4] More than 4 million people have used the test.[5]
He co-authored over 70 publications, with over 1000 citations in literature.[12] In addition to his work on COVID-19, his research included investigations of the molecular mechanisms that underlie memories and learning, which involved studies on gene-environment interaction, including those in neurodegenerative diseases; as well as high throughput sample analysis[18] and biobanking.[1]
Brooks was married to Jil Brooks. Brooks had three daughters from two previous marriages.[1][19] He was a golf enthusiast, playing often with his father and participating successfully in international tournaments as an amateur.[1]
Brooks died of a heart attack on January 23, 2021.[20] New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy lauded him as an "unsung hero".[21]