Alex Marson

Alex Marson, MD, PhD, is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and serves as the Connie and Bob Lurie Director of the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology. His research focuses on CRISPR-based genome engineering in immune cells to develop novel immunotherapies for cancer, HIV, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplantation. He leads the CRISPR Cures for Cancer Initiative and is a Senior Investigator at Gladstone Institutes.

Education: MPhil in Biological Sciences (Cambridge University, 2003), PhD in Biology (MIT/Whitehead Institute, 2008), MD (Harvard Medical School, 2010). Training includes residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) and postdoctoral work with Rudolf Jaenisch and Rick Young.

Research Interests: Functional genomics in human immune cells, CRISPR technologies, T-cell engineering, HIV latency, and autoimmune disease mechanisms. His lab develops tools for precise genome editing and applies them to reprogram immune cells into 'living medicines.'

Key Articles: Recent work includes CRISPR-based mapping of immune gene regulation, base-editing of T-cell functions, and decoding HIV-host interactions. Articles highlight translational applications in cancer immunotherapy and viral resistance.

Awards: 2023 PharmaVoice 100, American Society for Clinical Investigation membership (2019), NIH New Innovator Award (2016), and multiple honors recognizing his contributions to gene editing and immunology.

Grants & Labs: Directs the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Gladstone, co-founded biotech companies (e.g., Arsenal Bio), and collaborates with institutions like the Innovative Genomics Institute. Active in mentoring, with over 30 lab members listed.

Future Directions: Focused on advancing CRISPR applications, scaling genome engineering for clinical therapies, and leveraging AI (e.g., Billion Cells Project) to accelerate drug discovery.