Cary Austin

Cary Austin is a Director & Distinguished Scientist (Pathology-Collaborative) at Genentech, Inc., leading Biosample Operations and Research Biology. With 24 years at Genentech, he specializes in pathology support for drug development programs, focusing on immunology, infectious diseases, asthma, and systemic lupus nephritis. His work integrates cutting-edge molecular imaging and histology to address therapeutic efficacy and biomarker discovery.

Education: MD-PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1998), Anatomic Pathology residency and Autopsy Fellowship at Stanford University (2001), and postdoctoral training in Richard H. Scheller's lab at Stanford/Genentech (2001–2005). Earlier degrees include a BA (1986) and MS in Chemistry (1987) from UC Santa Cruz.

Research interests span asthma pathogenesis, lupus nephritis mechanisms, and antibody-based therapies. He has published 55+ papers and contributed to 6 awards/honors, including the Distinguished Genentech Postdoctoral Offsite Poster (2005) and Walter & Idun Berry Fellowship (2001).

His projects include developing CRTh2-targeted therapies for asthma, investigating Notch2 signaling in lung fibrosis, and advancing ITK inhibition in inflammatory diseases. Collaborations span academic institutions and industry teams, with a focus on translating preclinical insights into clinical applications.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates extensively with Genentech’s Research Biology, Immunology, and Pathology teams, alongside external partnerships in academic medicine and pharmaceutical research.