Jim Wells

Jim Wells is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), affiliated with the Departments of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology. He founded the Small Molecule Discovery Center and served as Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. His research focuses on cell surface proteomics, protein engineering, and targeted drug discovery.

• Education: BA in Biochemistry and Psychology from UC Berkeley (1973), PhD in Biochemistry from Washington State University (1979), and postdoctoral training at Stanford University.

Wells’ research spans enzyme engineering, apoptosis, and drug development for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. His lab employs mass spectrometry and affinity-directed technologies to map cell surface changes in disease states. Recent work includes CRISPRi screens for autism risk genes, hypoxia-induced proteomic remodeling in pancreatic cancer, and engineered proteins for genome editing.

His publications highlight expertise in protein engineering, chemical biology, and cancer signaling. Awards include election to the National Academy of Sciences and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator designation. Wells has secured significant NIH funding for projects related to proteolysis, signaling, and biomarker discovery.

• Scientific Awards: Damon M. Runyon Fellowship, Pfizer Award, Christian B. Anfinsen Award, and others.

He has co-founded multiple biotech companies, including Genentech (1982), Sunesis Pharmaceuticals (1998), and EpiBiologics (recently), advancing therapeutic proteases, RAF inhibitors, and extracellular degraders.