Robert Blelloch

Robert Blelloch is a Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with a strong interdisciplinary research program spanning stem cell biology, developmental biology, cancer, and immunology. His lab employs genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and mammalian models to investigate the molecular mechanisms of stem cell regulation, early development, and cancer progression.

His research is organized around three major themes: (1) exosome-mediated regulation of antitumor immune responses, particularly through exosomal PD-L1; (2) microRNA control of pluripotency and cancer, focusing on the ESCC and let-7 families; and (3) epigenetic and transcriptional regulation during stem cell differentiation. His work has revealed how exosomal PD-L1 suppresses T-cell activation and contributes to resistance in immunotherapy, and how miRNAs regulate cell cycle and differentiation.

The recent publications from his lab highlight consistent focus on epigenetic regulation (e.g., MLL3/MLL4, H3K4me1), enhancer dynamics, miRNA function in development and reprogramming, and tumor immunology. His group frequently employs single-cell and genomic technologies to dissect cell fate decisions in embryonic and placental development.

• Rath Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow
• GATE Pharmaceuticals Outstanding Medical Student Award
• Alpha Omega Alpha (Medical Student Honor Society)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement Student Speaker
• Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award with Distinction
• Peter R. Carroll, MD, Endowed Chair
• Pew Scholar
• Kavli Fellow (National Academy of Sciences)
• International Society of Stem Cell Research Outstanding Young Investigator Award
• Inducted into American Society for Clinical Investigation

Dr. Blelloch has been the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH grants, including long-running projects such as the Predoctoral Training in Developmental Biology (T32HD007470) and Mechanisms of Exosome Driven Immunoregulation of Cancer Progression (U01CA244452). His lab has a strong track record of training graduate students who have gone on to impactful careers in academia and industry. He has advised numerous PhD and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom are co-authors on his publications.

His lab operates at the intersection of basic science and translational medicine, with ongoing efforts to develop novel therapeutics based on exosome manipulation and miRNA pathways. Collaborative and interdisciplinary, his team integrates molecular, cellular, and systems-level approaches to address fundamental questions in development and disease.