Anthony Shum

Dr. Anthony Shum is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He leads a laboratory-based basic-translational research program focused on the intersection of autoimmunity and pulmonary disease, with particular emphasis on conditions like rheumatoid arthritis that manifest in the lung.

Dr. Shum received his M.D. from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. His educational background laid the foundation for his current research in autoimmune pulmonary disorders.

Dr. Shum's research program aims to understand the mechanisms controlling lung function as both an immune target in autoimmune disorders and a factor in propagating autoimmune inflammation. His laboratory enrolls patients for next-generation sequencing studies to uncover molecular pathogenesis of disease, with a focus on COPA syndrome and related disorders. The lab has developed a whole exome sequencing pipeline to identify rare genetic variants that cosegregate with disease in Mendelian disorders of autoimmunity, and conducts functional validation of candidate mutations using animal models and cellular/molecular investigations.

Analysis of Dr. Shum's recent publications reveals a strong focus on COPA syndrome, STING pathway biology, and the relationship between autoimmunity and interstitial lung disease. His work spans from basic molecular mechanisms to clinical applications, with particular attention to genetic variants, autoantibodies, and thymic tolerance mechanisms that contribute to disease pathogenesis.

Dr. Shum has received numerous prestigious awards and honors:

• Innovative Research Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, 2025
• Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2022
• Lee Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Scientific Research, Arthritis Foundation, 2015
• Innovative Research Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, 2015
• Robert L. Kroc Chair in Rheumatic and Connective Tissue Diseases II, UCSF, 2015
• Young Physician-Scientist Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2014
• American Thoracic Society Career Development Award, American Thoracic Society, 2007
• Will Rogers Institute Fellowship, Will Rogers Institute, 2005

Dr. Shum currently leads multiple NIH-funded research projects, including "Validating interferon score and phospho-STING level as disease biomarkers of COPA syndrome" (2025-2027), "Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of impaired central tolerance in COPA syndrome" (2022-2027), and several other projects focused on COPA syndrome and autoimmune lung disease. His laboratory, known as the Shum Lab, actively recruits patients with COPA syndrome and related autoimmune/lung diseases for research studies.

The Shum Lab operates at the intersection of immunology, pulmonology, and genetics, with a particular focus on COPA syndrome. The lab collaborates with the UCSF Immunology Program and the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, and maintains strong connections with clinical teams treating patients with autoimmune and pulmonary disorders.