Mallar Bhattacharya

Mallar Bhattacharya, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He serves as an attending ICU physician at UCSF Medical Center and leads an independent research laboratory at the Parnassus Heights campus focused on lung injury and fibrosis. His work emphasizes cell-cell interactions in the lung, particularly between macrophages and structural cells, aiming to uncover new therapeutic strategies for chronic lung diseases.

Education:

• B.A., Harvard University
• M.Sc., Oxford University
• M.D., Harvard University
• Residency in Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, San Francisco
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California (2019)

Research Interests:
Dr. Bhattacharya's research centers on the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis and acute lung injury, with a focus on macrophage biology and immune-stromal crosstalk. His lab investigates how monocyte-derived macrophages drive fibrotic programs in fibroblasts and epithelial cells, and how these interactions can be therapeutically reversed. Key areas include aging-related fibrosis, metabolic reprogramming in immune cells, and single-cell transcriptomics of lung macrophages.

Publication Trends:
His recent publications (2019–2025) reveal a strong focus on macrophage-fibroblast interactions, particularly through signaling molecules like Cx43, IL-10, and Arg1. The work increasingly employs advanced techniques such as single-cell sequencing and gene therapy (e.g., AAV9-SGPL1). Themes include lung aging, post-COVID fibrosis, and metabolic control of fibrosis, with publications in high-impact journals like Nature Immunology, Science Translational Medicine, and Cell Reports.

Scientific Awards:
No specific awards were mentioned in the provided text.

Advising and Grants:
Dr. Bhattacharya mentors several trainees, including postdoctoral fellows and research associates. He is the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH and DOD-funded research grants, including:

• DOD W81XWH2110417: Targeting ATP Receptor P2RX4 for Pulmonary Fibrosis (2021–2025)
• NIH R01HL131560: The Regulation of RhoA Activation in Airway Smooth Muscle (2016–2021)
• NIH K08HL114641: IQGAP1 In Vascular Barrier Regulation During Acute Lung Injury (2012–2018)
• NIH F32HL099026: Regulation of Endothelial Permeability by Integrin alpha-v beta-3 (2011)

Labs and Teams:
He leads the Bhattacharya Lab at UCSF, which includes postdoctoral fellows (e.g., Javier Gomez Ortega, Preeti Yadav), research associates (e.g., Kaveh Boostanpour), and visiting graduate students. The lab is part of the broader pulmonary and critical care research community at UCSF, collaborating with experts in immunology, single-cell genomics, and translational medicine.