Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson is a Professor in Residence in Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), affiliated with the School of Medicine and the Department of Neurology. He leads the Wilson Lab, focusing on genomic technologies to study neuroinflammatory diseases. His research includes NIH-funded studies on TB meningitis pathogenesis and clinical applications of metagenomic sequencing.

Research Interests: Wilson's work integrates genomic tools like next-generation sequencing and transcriptomics to understand neuroinflammatory syndromes such as multiple sclerosis and infectious meningitis/encephalitis. His lab investigates viral and autoimmune mechanisms, with a focus on translating discoveries into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Publications Highlight Trends in Neuroimmunology and Genomic Diagnostics: Over 2025-2022, his articles address autoantibody-driven neurological disorders, pathogen detection via metagenomics, and immune mechanisms in conditions like NMDA receptor encephalitis and SARS-CoV-2-related autoimmunity. Key themes include CNS infection diagnosis, CAR T cell therapy optimization, and biomarker discovery for MS progression.

Grants & Advising: Principal Investigator on an NIH R01 grant (NIAID) for TB meningitis research. Advises on translational projects linking genomics to clinical care. Collaborates globally, including in Uganda and Peru, on infectious disease epidemiology and CNS infection diagnostics.

Lab & Clinical Work: Directs the Wilson Lab at UCSF, advancing diagnostics for CNS infections through metagenomics. Clinically, he treats neuroinfectious diseases at the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammation Center. Lab website: https://wilsonlab.ucsf.edu/.