Jerome A. Zack

Jerome A. Zack holds the M. Philip Davis Chair in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), within the School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG). He is a tenured Professor with a focus on HIV pathogenesis, immunology, and virology. His research aims to develop strategies to eliminate HIV reservoirs through 'kick and kill' approaches and genetic engineering of immune cells.

Education:

• BS in Biology, University of California, Irvine (1976)
• MS in Medical Microbiology, California State University, Long Beach (1980)
• PhD in Immunology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas (1987)

Research Interests: Dr. Zack’s work centers on curing HIV/AIDS by targeting latent viral reservoirs. Key initiatives include:

• Activating latent HIV using PKC modulators and natural killer (NK) cells
• Engineering hematopoietic stem cells to express anti-HIV chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)
• Developing humanized mouse models to study HIV infection and immune responses

His团队 has pioneered studies on latency reversal agents, CAR-T cell therapy, and in vivo reservoir dynamics.

Publications: Over 200 peer-reviewed articles, with recent focus on latency reversal mechanisms, NK cell engineering, and humanized mouse models. Notable contributions include defining PKC modulator efficacy and CAR-T cell persistence in vivo.

Awards:

• Elizabeth Glazer Scientist Award (1996–2001)
• NIH Merit Award (1998)
• Ohio State University Distinguished Research Career Award (2000)
• CSULB College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Distinguished Alumnus (2011)

Grants & Leadership: Principal Investigator on multiple NIH grants, including R01AI161803 (Natural killer cell engineering), P01AI131294 (HIV latency), and R37AI036059 (HIV pathogenesis). Also directs the UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR).

Labs/Teams: Zack Lab at UCLA, specializing in HIV cure strategies, immune engineering, and viral reservoirs. Collaborations include projects with Stanford, USC, and international institutions.