MARSON LAB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator
- Professor at UCSF
Alex Marson is a Professor at UCSF and the Director of the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology. As a physician-scientist with a background in immune genomics, Alex's lab is focused on adapting CRISPR genome editing techniques to human immune cells in order to understand the genetic programs controlling immune cell function and to manipulate T cells to generate cell-based therapies for a wide range of diseases.
I grew up surrounded by the coastal redwood forests of Northern California and attended college at Humboldt State University, where my love of nature and biology evolved into a passion for genome editing. After I graduated, I joined the lab of Dr. Matthew Porteus at Stanford University where I worked on therapeutic genome editing and stem cell engineering. Now, I am continuing to follow that passion for genome editing as a Bioengineering PhD student under the joint mentorship of Dr. Alex Marson and Dr. Sagar Bapat. In the lab, I am currently engineering immune cells to enhance and expand their therapeutic capabilities. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time in nature, cooking, gardening, and hanging out with my cat.
Current position: Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine, UCSF
Job Titles:
- Scientific Project Manager
Current position: Scientific Grant Writer and Program Manager, Stanford University
I grew up in North Carolina and then studied chemistry at Harvard University. Most recently, I finished my PhD at UC Berkeley in Dan Nomura's lab working on expanding the "druggable proteome" with chemical and proteomic technologies. With a desire to continue working on novel translational technologies, I joined the Marson Lab in 2020 and am particularly interested in expanding the toolbox of genome engineering techniques in T cells as well as applying these methods towards overcoming the difficulties antitumor T cells face in the tumor microenvironment. When I am out of lab, I love cycling around the Bay Area, skiing, and trying out new cuisines at all the restaurants in the area.
Current position: Global Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Grifols Diagnostics
Current position: PhD Student, University of Washington
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor
- Assistant
Current position: Assistant Professor in Residence, UCSF
Current position: Research Associate, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area, attending UC Berkeley where I majored in Molecular and Cell Biology. After graduating, I worked as a research technician in the lab of Dr. Dave Savage where I studied CO2-concentrating mechanisms as a system for carbon capture. At UCSF, my interests have focused on understanding viruses and how they hijack host machinery. In the Marson Lab, I am using our recently developed genome-wide platforms in primary CD4+ T cells to study host-pathogen interactions with HIV. Outside of lab, you can find me on the slopes, at a local concert venue, or soaking in the sun at DoLo enjoying a local IPA.
Current position: Summer Associate at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox
I was raised in NYC, grew up thinking 24/7 grocery stores were the norm, and majored in CS and Statistics at Columbia University. I've spent time developing computational models across industry and academia for everything from the microbiome, to small molecule drug discovery, to robotics. Most recently, I worked on the analysis and modeling of single cell data under the mentorship of Nir Yosef. In the Marson lab, I'm excited to combine synthetic biology and computational modeling to interrogate questions at the intersection of immunology and genomics. When I'm not in the lab, you can find me biking the hills of East Bay and Marin or taking care of my co-parented rabbit named Potato.
Current position: PhD Student, Institute for Research in Biomedicine
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant, Gladstone Institutes
Before joining the Joint Institute at Alex's newest Executive Assistant, I was Executive Assistant to the CEO of Bungalow, a co-living start-up. While I don't have a scientific background, I'm excited to learn more about how CRISPR therapies can be used to treat many different diseases, from cancer to autoimmune diseases and more. I'm responsible for managing Alex's time and daily schedule, as well as any administrative projects related to the Gladstone side of the Joint Institute. In my free time, you can find me playing Sims 4, watching anime, or reading a fantasy book. I'm a big nerd! Fun fact: I have an in-home gel manicure kit and love experimenting with designs on my own nails.
Current position: Medical Student, University of Hamburg
I grew up near Milwaukee, WI, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Studio Art. While there, I worked in Dr. William Murphy's lab optimizing mRNA untranslated regions to improve RNA gene delivery and investigating mechanisms to improve CRISPR/Cas9 knock-in efficiency. I'm interested in transcriptional regulation, genetics, and epigenetics. Outside of the lab, I love hiking, drawing, and playing tennis and volleyball.
Current position: Discovery Scientist, Sonoma Biotherapeutics
Job Titles:
- Institute Operations Manager
I obtained an undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Molecular Cell Biology and a master's degree from SF State in Biomedical Lab Science. During my undergrad I volunteered at a UCSF lab that focused on the genetics of neurological disorders, through which I found myself working in a core facility that provided sequencing and genotyping services to the UCSF community. Eventually I became the manager of the facility, but had to find another avenue of financial funding after Sanger sequencing and microsatellite genotyping were considered obsolete analysis platforms. I hoped to join a lab that stayed on the forefront of new techniques and assay adoption, finding myself in the role of lab manager for the Marson lab. Outside of lab, whenever I have some free time, I aim for board game sessions, any game, any length.
I'm a Rheumatology fellow and physician-scientist, broadly interested in applying high-throughput functional genomic screening technology to better understand human autoimmune diseases. I discovered my love of Immunology/Rheumatology while completing the MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School. I studied with Steve Elledge for my PhD, applying screening technologies in immortalized and transformed human cell lines. After internal medicine residency at BWH in Boston, I moved out to UCSF for subspecialty medical training in Rheumatology. In the Marson lab, co-mentored by Mark Davis at Stanford, I'm exploring applications of screening technology to characterize autoantigens and clarify the mechanisms of Rheumatic diseases. Outside the lab, I enjoy gardening, board games, hazy IPAs, and spin class.
I was born and raised in Seattle, WA and went to Scripps College for undergrad where I majored in Biochemistry. After graduating, I worked as a technician in Dr. Stanley Qi's lab at Stanford University where I developed new CRISPR tools for genome/epigenome editing. I became increasingly interested in immunology and cell-based therapies, which led me to the BMS program at UCFS. As a joint student in Drs. Luke Gilbert and Alex Marson's labs, I am interested in the intersection of functional genomics and epigenetic editing to better understand CD8+ T cell differentiation. Outside of lab I love cooking, cycling, skiing and spending time with my roommate's puppy, a Frenchie named Toast.
I was raised in Billings, MT and studied Biology at Santa Clara University while working in Dr. Eric Tillman's organic chemistry lab on polymer synthesis research. After school I remained in the Bay Area and worked in biopharma, where I became increasingly interested in immunology and genomics. Now, as a student in the Marson lab, I am excited to work at the intersection of these fields to better understand gene regulatory networks that prevent immune dysfunction. Outside of lab I enjoy hiking, traveling, and boxing (fun fact: I competed in boxing during college) as well as participating in outreach programs aimed at promoting diversity in STEM.
Job Titles:
- Visiting Graduate Student
Current position: PhD Student, Technical University of Munich
I grew up in Japan and completed my M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo. I'm a physician who specializes in rheumatology and am broadly interested in the genetic determinants of autoimmune diseases. Now I'm a joint postdoc of Marson lab and Pritchard lab at Stanford and I will combine functional genomics and statistical approaches to disentangle the gene regulatory networks underlying the complex diseases. Outside of the lab, I love to play the saxophone and the clarinet and listen to jazz.
Current position: Medical Student, Vanderbilt University
I grew up in Hong Kong and came to the United States for high school. I received my PhD at UC Santa Barbara with Craig Montell studying sensory neurobiology in Drosophila and postdoctoral training at Stanford with Nirao Shah studying neural circuits of social behaviors in mice. As grant writer at Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, I support institute labs and trainees with their grant and fellowship applications and foster collaborations. I am Mom to my daughter, Maile, and to my Coton, Louis. I love spending time with my family, hiking, tending to my orchids, and eating.
I was born in China and earned my Ph.D. from the laboratoriesof Dr. Xuemei Tong and Dr. Bin Li at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. During mydoctoral studies, I delved deeply into the intricate relationship betweencellular metabolism and Treg cell fitness, particularly within the contexts ofautoimmune diseases, cancer, and obesity. My overarching interest lies inuncovering potent adoptive T cell therapies through the metabolic rewiring ofhuman T cells. Currently, I am a joint postdoc at the Marson lab and Carnevalelab. In my present work, I am employing innovative CRISPR screening approachesto identify novel therapeutic targets for genetic engineering aimed atenhancing T cell metabolic resilience against suppression by solid tumors.Outside the lab I enjoy cooking, hiking, playing tennis, badminton, and Mahjong.
I have lived in San Francisco for as long as I can remember and recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology. In my fourth year of undergrad, I chose to focus on a combination of cell biology and biomolecular engineering to gain experience in utilizing computational biology tools, and I developed a strong interest in the role of coding and non-coding regulatory elements in cancer genomics. I am excited to see future developments in genome wide screening to identify key regulatory elements in oncology and immunology as well as applying principles of synthetic lethality, RNAi, and CRISPR in enhancing cancer therapies in the lab. In the next few years, I hope to be able to gain the skills necessary to prepare for and apply to a graduate program. In my spare time, I like to binge watch Middle Eastern and Turkish dramas, go for long walks around Golden Gate Park, and force my sister to try my new cooking.
I graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in Biochemistry. Since then, I have worked as a Regulatory Analyst at Applied Biosystems, a Research Technician at the CPMC Kuzell Institute of Infectious Diseases, a Research Associate at UCSF, and then transitioned into the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease as Lab Manager for Dr. Todd McDevitt's lab. I am excited to be part of Dr. Alex Marson's lab and the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology and look forward to helping the lab succeed in overcoming unsolved diseases through transformative biomedical research. Outside of the lab, I like to spend time with my family and take long walks around the city.
Current position: PhD Student, Weill Cornell Medical College
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Strategist
I am originally from Michigan and did my PhD training in genetics at MIT with Angelika Amon and postdoctoral training in immunology with Ramnik Xavier at the Broad Institute. I spent a few years as an editor at Cell before joining the team at the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, where I focus on scientific strategy, collaboration, and outreach. I am casually passionate about marine biology, mixology, and literature, and intensely obsessed with my dog, Gatsby.
I did my doctoral studies on HIV vaccine design in Prof. Raghavan Varadarajan's lab at Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Lessons learnt while working with the formidable HIV-1 pathogen have helped me appreciate the complexity of the human immune system. My love for viruses and the desire to learn more about the host immunity brought me to Marson Lab where I am exploring the host factors involved in various viral diseases. In addition to science, I love to hear all kinds of audiobooks/podcasts and explore nature (preferably while running).
Current position: Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where I also completed my PhD in the lab of Stephane Angers at the University of Toronto. My PhD project focused on using functional genomics and CRISPR/Cas9 approaches to study cell signaling pathways in pancreatic and colorectal cancers. I am broadly interested in using functional genomics approaches for the unbiased discovery of gene editing or druggable targets for improved cancer immunotherapies. My projects in the Marson Lab are focused on using a variety of CRISPR/Cas9 based approaches to functionally dissect coding and noncoding determinants of T cell function in cancer immunotherapy contexts. When I am not in the lab I enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities, namely biking, skiing, and backpacking, or when the weather is bad, playing board games with friends.