Christopher Plaisier

Christopher Plaisier serves as Associate Professor at Arizona State University within the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, with cross-appointments in the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and as Associate Faculty at the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society. His research constructs integrated gene regulatory networks from multi-omics patient data to identify diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for complex diseases.

His academic credentials include:

• Postdoctoral fellowship at Institute for Systems Biology (2009-2012) under Nitin Baliga
• Ph.D. in Human Genetics from UCLA (2009) with dissertation on Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia
• M.S. in Bioinformatics from UCLA (2009) focusing on transcription factor binding networks
• B.S. in Biology from University of Utah (2000)

Dr. Plaisier's research integrates genetic, transcriptional, functional and clinical data through computational pipelines like SYGNAL and miRvestigator to model disease states. His lab specializes in glioblastoma multiforme analysis, pan-cancer immune landscapes, and host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis, developing predictive models that identify synergistic drug combinations and regulatory mechanisms. The work bridges systems biology with experimental validation using in vitro models.

Publication trends reveal consistent focus on cancer systems biology with increasing emphasis on immune microenvironment analysis. His 2018 Immunity paper established foundational immune profiling across cancer types, while glioblastoma studies (2015-2016) demonstrated SYGNAL's utility in identifying non-redundant kinase targets. Recent work expands into tuberculosis immune regulation and algorithm development for cross-species network inference.

He actively mentors students through BIO 495 undergraduate research, BME 493 honors theses, and BDE 799 doctoral dissertations. His teaching portfolio includes Systems Biology of Disease (BME 524), Physiology for Engineers (BME 235), and specialized programming courses, consistently integrating cutting-edge research into curriculum development.

The Plaisier Lab operates as an interdisciplinary hub combining computational modeling with wet-lab validation. Current projects span tumor biology (glioblastoma, mesothelioma), immune response dynamics to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and stem cell differentiation networks. The lab's signature approach integrates TCGA-scale data with CRISPR validation to translate network predictions into therapeutic interventions.