Marco Colonna

Marco Colonna serves as the Robert Rock Belliveau, MD Professor of Pathology & Immunology and Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he leads the Colonna Lab within the Division of Immunobiology.

His educational background includes:

• MD from Parma University (1983)
• Specialization in Internal Medicine from Parma University (1988)
• Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School
• Scientific membership at the Basel Institute for Immunology

Dr. Colonna's research revolutionized immunoreceptor science through the identification of Killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR) and HLA-C polymorphisms, discovery of LILR and TREM receptor families, and characterization of plasmacytoid dendritic cells as primary IFN-α/β sources in antiviral responses. Current work focuses on innate lymphoid cells in mucosal immunity, plasmacytoid dendritic cells in autoimmunity, and TREM2's role in Alzheimer's disease and cancer pathogenesis.

His publication portfolio reveals a dominant trend at the immunology-neuroscience interface, with significant contributions to understanding innate immune mechanisms in neurodegenerative conditions, respiratory fibrosis, and metabolic disease through receptor-focused investigations.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Election to the National Academy of Sciences (2019)

As principal investigator of the Colonna Lab, he directs research on innate immunoreceptors with implications across multiple disease domains. The available documentation does not specify grant funding details or list current advisees, though his lab's extensive publication record indicates active mentorship in immunological research.

The Colonna Lab operates from the BJC Institute of Health (8th Floor, Office 8602), maintaining active research programs in innate immunity with translational applications to neurological, pulmonary, and metabolic disorders.