Pascal Gagneux

Pascal Gagneux is an Associate Director at the Center of Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA) and a joint faculty member in the Anthropology and Pathology Departments at the University of California San Diego. His research bridges evolutionary biology, glycobiology, and reproductive medicine, focusing on glycan roles in human-chimpanzee divergence and disease susceptibility.

• Education: PhD in Zoology (1998), MS in Population Biology (Basel University, Switzerland)
• Faculty: Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2007-present), CARTA (2008-present)

As a molecular primatologist, he investigates glycan-mediated cellular recognition in reproduction and infection. His lab discovered sperm-associated neuraminidases critical for fertilization and demonstrated how influenza A viruses exploit sialic acid pathways. Current work explores human-specific glycan evolution through comparative anthropogeny frameworks.

His publications span 2025-2020, emphasizing:

• Glycan dynamics in age-related macular degeneration
• Human susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease
• Microbial-glycan interactions in infectious disease
• Evolution of postreproductive cognitive protection
• Sialome evolution in host-pathogen systems
• Transdisciplinary anthropogeny research

While no specific awards are mentioned, his work integrates UCSD’s biological anthropology labs with sociocultural implications of glycan biology. He also directs a graduate specialization in anthropogeny across eight PhD programs.

The Gagneux Lab operates at the intersection of glycobiology, reproduction, and evolutionary medicine, using primate models to decode molecular mechanisms distinguishing humans from other apes.